Climbing the Creative Ladder
This is the creative path broken down into the most basic of steps. Although it will always require a level of tenacity that can, at times, become more important than talent ... if you follow these steps you will have lead a very significant creative life.
- Do Work. It may seem overtly simple but far too often, people will wait. Wait for a project, wait for a job, wait for divine intervention. Actually working on stuff, stuff that you find exciting - like redesigning your favourite sports team identity or creating your version of classical musical piece or simply blogging your opinion on something - is imperative. Putting work out into the world will provide feedback that will ultimately be necessary for moving forward. Without something to talk about, you cannot advance the conversation.
2. Do Work! Just Do It!!!
Sometimes we need to give credit to the creative minds behind iconic ideas and recognize that because they were developed by creative minds to solve a problem, that may extend their impact well beyond that initial challenge. “Just do it!” Was a slogan developed by the Seattle based Ad Agency, Weiden and Kennedy, for Nike. It is such a great and simplistic battlecry for getting off ones ass to workout. It also is an astute and accurate battlecry for creativity… so, just do it!!! Get work done!!! Whether you have a client or not… get working… on something!!!! Then... post it. Invite feedback. Start conversations. Find your trusted circle and use the input to the best advantage.
3. Do Error-free Work!
Eventually your work will build a portfolio. That portfolio will lead to a job. Your battlecry continues and if you are aiming for success it requires only one additional caveat: Make certain your work is free from errors. The quickest way to stop your climb to the top is to produce work that is riddled with errors... that consistently requires someone to check on you and eventually have it erode any trust in you. Even worse may be passing the blame for these errors. Errors are spelling mistakes or avoiding an obvious client requirement. It is never an "error" to take a risk... do not get the two confused.
4. Do Good Work
Eventually your natural inclination - your working daily mantra - will be to produce error-free work and you will have developed both the skills and confidence to take your work to the next level. Now your focus will be to showcase “good” work - always and often. Over a period of time this will ensure that you are not merely a flash-in-the-pan or one-hit-wonder. This then should always be your new daily intention.
5. Do Noteworthy Work
Eventually your skills and confidence will ascend to a level where you will want to take even greater risks with your work… try new things... push boundaries. - THINK DIFFERENT. Once again we call upon the historic power of this distinctive and yet simple tagline developed by the famous Creative mind of Lee Clow for Steve Jobs and Apple Computer. A close dissection of the two-word combination sums up so eloquently what every creative mind NEEDS to do. If anyone can produce the expected... and too often we bear witness to this daily... your challenge is to rise above the mundane. This level of good work that lives on the edge will start to get you noticed… by your boss… by your clients. It takes practice and push but it will come.
6. Do Great Work
Time will provide such a level of competence and confidence and polish that your work will invite, and will have provided you with, more attention. This will lead to bigger and better clients, bigger and better budgets... which will then lead to more significance.
7. Do Remarkable Work
If you leverage your new significance and continue to push your creative capabilities to those new levels you will gain added recognition… including awards… industry attention… followers... beneficial commentary. YOU WILL GET NOTICED!
