Let’s start of by defining what a creative director is. According to jobdescriptions.net, a creative director is a position found within the graphic design, film, music, advertising, fashion, or entertainment industries. Creative directors are known to oversee a team of employees with the skills and experience needed to guide the conception to completion of a project.
Now that we have a better idea of who they are let’s get into what they have to say. Margaret Johnson, chief creative officer at Goodby Silverstein & Partners says that inspiration should be found “everywhere but advertising.” She insists, “go out to art museums, go to the movies, watch documentary films”. Wait what? Watch movies for inspiration? Sounds perfect sign me up. But honestly, she has a good point. Inspiration can (and should be) found in daily activities not in other advertisements. If other ads are used for inspiration then they are in danger of falling into a dark pit of despair or as some might call it- a cliché. The ads will most likely not have a shot at being considered great, they’ll be considered ok. Then there’s the possibility of becoming too similar to another and that’s a whole other problem.
We should be creating new, exciting, and “never been done before” ads. Just ask Brent Choi, chief creative officer for J. Walter Thompson. He claims if you don’t have the fight in you and the ability to come back stronger then the odds of staying in that field is slim. He urges young creatives to continue to challenge themselves. “Just doing the job isn’t going to cut it.” A creative must find a way to do more, not just for the brand but for themselves. The key to making it in that field is to be curious, ask questions, never stop learning. All these things should be helping you to become a better person, and in turn improving your work.
I’m sharing these bits of advice because I think they’re things that young creatives need to be reminded of. A few months ago, I hit upon a series of videos on Adweek.com that provided advice that seemed beneficial for anyone who is venturing into the world of creative directing or anyone who wants to be more creative. This is where most of the ideas brought up in this blog came from. The video is named, “Advice for Young Creatives.” If you want to check it out the link can be found below.