3 things I said to someone who taught me a lot
My former professor and 1st mentor wrote me asking for some thoughts about working as a planner, to share with the current communication students at FSU.
For whatever it’s worth, here’s what I wrote him:
when it comes to planning, i think the three kinda ‘mantras’ I work off of, include:
a) I want to bring creatives an idea or insight they couldn’t just Google themselves.
that an inspiring thought came from me physically venturing out to places that aren’t part of my commute and talking to people outside of my social bubble.
b) to quote Gareth Kay: “Make sure the work, works.”
I love nothing more than predicting any possible question or doubt- and finding the answer to it. there’s not much better going to the client with the belief that ” This is absolutely the smartest way for you to spend money because only your brand can truly pull this off in this moment of time. And here’s why:______, _______, ________. “
c) research is the sexiest thing in the world. it’s watching people live life.
usually, people assume the creative is the sexy time and that research is a necessary chore. that is the biggest ‘unlearning’ i’ve gone through. i flippin’ love learning, observing, and supposing.
Very much relate to the third. In university I was part of a program where some 90 percent of the students who entered all thought they wanted to be creatives. Any study with the word ‘research’ was avoided like the plague. A very unfortunate paradigm. I too hope to impress upon people a level of excitement in what “research” is/can/should be.
I actually tend to think of it in a couple of ways. 1) is the “immediate, tangible feedback/feedback loops” dynamic I started to bring up at Mother; the nature of creative work is such that you tend to have a short feedback loop, more rapidly and more intuitively seeing the tangible results of your work. To do the work of an observer requires being more comfortable with the idea that your insights tend to be more nebulous and less directly related to an immediate result (the good ones, at least).
2) We’re in a very “doer culture”/era right now – this shifts over certain points in our cultural history. Once upon a time the philosopher was recognized as the most valued role in society. Then once it was the artist. Not too long ago it was the scientist. Now it’s the entrepreneur, the doer. At some point I got to thinking about these roles might all impact each other (http://howtobreakanything.com/one-model-for-thinking-about-roles-and-relati).
Thanks for sharing and inspiring the thoughts. I of course very much relate to the first point above too; insight through the unrepeatable combination of disparate ideas. Sort of like the idea of defining ‘art’ as “that which cannot be replicated.”
*nods in POV agreement*