Why Creative needs a Buddy?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, an American poet once said "A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books."

Conversations are the best way to clear some clutter and even express your thoughts. Often conversations are a spontaneous flow and that is what relaxes the mind and helps stimulate the creativity inside. A great conversation can steer one’s mind in the right direction, opening up new doors and finding the right answers to one’s greatest quests.

In the advertising and communication industry, the perennial quest is to hit the creative bullseye. To take a brief, break down the objective into working components, and strategize effective ways to meet creative goals may seem like a simple process. But creativity has a certain novelty to it which in many ways is ‘magic’. In order to create this magic, creative (people in the creative division) needs a buddy. A friend they can turn to; a guide that can stand with them through thick and thin. In an advertising agency, this role has to be critically fulfilled by the account management team. The bond they build with the creative team helps in strengthening the trust framework, increasing productivity and creating an environment that stimulates creativity.

Protector of the flow-state

While every division in an agency is critical to its functionality and success, most of them are process-driven. The creative, however, is thought-driven. The process is incessant in nature and requires deep dive into the thought pool. Like a farmer, the creative too plants the idea, lets it germinate in mind, and makes it grow out organically with deep contemplation and consideration. The brief translating into reality is such an intricate process that any small disruption can affect the process deeply. Hence, the creative requires a flow state in order to work out the magic.?

In order to create a perfect balance between all the divisions, account managers have to hold the reigns of the workflow and functions, ensuring the flow state is maintained. It is always advantageous if the account managers have been on the creative side early in their career as it brings in empathy and greater understanding.

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Keeper of the long-term vision

While creative has to focus on the flow state, there are various aspects of advertising that have to be taken care of e.g. – cost control, budgets, timelines, etc. Since creative is highly committed to everyday functioning & inducing creativity in the work, the risk to long-term flow of work and vision develops. The onus comes to the account managers who must take charge of other tasks. This includes making sense of the workflow models set by the creative and keeping the long-term vision of the client intact.

For example, if a musician?in the music industry has to flourish, the manager must take charge of other aspects, such as touring schedule, media engagement, paperwork, etc. While the artist?performs on stage, the manager performs off-stage to keep things going. In advertising, we celebrate the communication, not the creative. A change has to start where creativity is given?not only?consideration?but the due recognition?for the efforts.

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Creative needs a shrink

Now and then creative people need to bounce off ideas to ascertain what works and what doesn’t. Although these conversations can happen within the division, they may lack certain perspectives. The ideas develop in incubation, but they need validation in order to unfurl out of the cocoon. This can only happen with someone who knows the creative side of things and can provide perspective from the business side of things. A conversation with an account manager brings in the outside perspective including that of the client, the business, and the overall outlook.

When Arjuna, the warrior prince in the epic Mahabharata, was on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, dilemma clutched him. Was he doing the right thing by taking up arms against his kins? How would he navigate through the mountainous task in the biggest war of his life? It was Krishna, his friend and saarathi (charioteer), who came to rescue, guiding him onto the right path of his duty. The two navigated through the war and came out unscathed & victorious. In advertising, dilemmas strike creativity at every step. That is why they need a friend. Remember, magic can only happen in an environment conducive to creativity.

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A friend in need is a friend indeed

Believe it or not, creativity is very subjective and every creative person has their unique way of pursuing it. While every other function in the agency can be quantified in numbers and crunched down into timelines, the flow of creativity cannot be pinpointed in a few parameters. What makes an idea great or a communication design to click is finding the right one that resonates with the target audience. This comes from the hit-and-trial method that takes place in the minds of the creative. While this search for the right idea is in pursuit, account managers have to ensure the creative works in isolation with selective input from time to time while managing the client's expectations and time.?

In the end, it all boils down to the level of trust account managers and the creative place in each other. The more the trust grows, the higher the level of comfort, helping to achieve a better flow state and output. ?