I love chaos.
Always have.
In fact, my approach to work can be summed up in 3 words.
Culture. Chaos. Creativity.
And yet, I do appreciate the importance of some sort of process … some sort of systematic thinking in terms of approach … because ultimately we are in the commercial creativity business, so we need some guide rails to ensure we’re heading in the right direction, even if I am removing any specific destination.
Where things go wrong is when people care more about the process than what the process is supposed to create.
Where systematic thinking goes from direction to dictation.
That’s when things go wrong.
That’s when potential and ambition are killed in the quest for control.
But here’s the thing …
For all the processes talked about.
For all the proprietary tools hyped.
The system agencies tend to end up adopting – even when they’re hidden inside a beautifully constructed, clearly planned out, client facing framework – is this.
This is not a criticism.
To get to somewhere new … somewhere interesting and intriguing … you have to take a leap of faith at some point, even in the most well-organised, well thought-out of processes.
Some people don’t like admitting that.
Some people don’t want the pragmatism of creativity to overshadow the ego of their process.
Some people don’t even want to accept creativity rarely follows a straight line through the entire process.
And yet it is creativities ability to solve problems in lateral ways that makes it so valuable and powerful, which is why for me, those who are comfortable with uncomfortable are the ones who create the most enduring ideas for brands, business and culture.
And the ones who aren’t?
Well they tend to be the ones who use words like operationalize or optimise or codify or, the old classic, ‘proprietary tools and processes’ a lot … the ones who want to feel in control, despite the fact what they’re actually saying is they want to replicate creativity rather than ignite it.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s always some element of process in any development of creativity – whatever form that manifests – but there’s also messiness and chaos and to remove that, not make room for that or go around that is either a lie or an act against the incredibly infectious possibilities of creativity.
As Martin and I said at Cannes, chaos creates what order can’t.