What Every Creative Needs- Permission (1/5)
http://www.praisecharts.com/live/articles/530/1/What-Every-Creative-Needs--Permission-15/Page1.html
Scott Allen
Christ follower. Grammy Award winning worship
leader/songwriter/producer. Creative Director currently serving as
Senior Leader of Media Arts at Eagle Mountain Church in Fort Worth,
Texas. A diverse background in music, graphic design, radio and
television with a heart to teach, lead and mentor creatives. Happily
married and a father of two. Be sure to check out his blog and his Twitter.By Scott Allen
Published on March 28, 2009
Part one in a five part series. Scott Allen explores why every creator needs permission before moving forward.
Permission? Yep, that’s right – permission. In working with creative
people I have discovered a common thread in most every one of them.
Creatives need to know that it’s OK to be a creative. I’m not referring
to verbal permission. That usually comes across as condescending. Best
case it comes across as awkward.
Creative permission is usually best expressed in seemingly intangible ways. Trust me; creatives are extremely tuned in to the subtle nuances of their work environment. Let’s talk for a minute about some of the ways that creative permission can be expressed.
1. RESPECT: A creative professional has worked and invested greatly to cultivate their ability. Treat them as professionals. Let them have a voice and freedom to express their thoughts regarding their contribution to the organization. They will only stay in a corporate box a short time if there’s no outlet for their expression.
2. ENVIRONMENT: This could be as little as a wall color or as big as providing a non-traditional workspace. Having a little freedom in their workspace communicates that the organization understands the creative’s need for inspiration.
3. PERSONAL EXPRESSION: Come on, does it really matter if they come to work with a funky haircut or dress more hip than thou? It does to them. If it’s not breaking a moral or conduct code, why not embrace the expressiveness?
4. TOOLS: Creative professionals need professional tools. Please don’t make the artist try to create something cool in MS Publisher – they need Adobe Creative Suite. Same for musicians and all of your creative people. If you value their contribution, give them the proper tools to represent you well. Which brings me to number five…
5. BUDGET: Creative professionals need to upgrade their equipment regularly to stay ahead of the curve. It can be an expensive proposition, but like it or not the budget that your creative teams are given communicates to them. It will either communicate that you appreciate their contribution enough to set them up for success or that they are the “back burner” so to speak.
Creative permission is usually best expressed in seemingly intangible ways. Trust me; creatives are extremely tuned in to the subtle nuances of their work environment. Let’s talk for a minute about some of the ways that creative permission can be expressed.
1. RESPECT: A creative professional has worked and invested greatly to cultivate their ability. Treat them as professionals. Let them have a voice and freedom to express their thoughts regarding their contribution to the organization. They will only stay in a corporate box a short time if there’s no outlet for their expression.
2. ENVIRONMENT: This could be as little as a wall color or as big as providing a non-traditional workspace. Having a little freedom in their workspace communicates that the organization understands the creative’s need for inspiration.
3. PERSONAL EXPRESSION: Come on, does it really matter if they come to work with a funky haircut or dress more hip than thou? It does to them. If it’s not breaking a moral or conduct code, why not embrace the expressiveness?
4. TOOLS: Creative professionals need professional tools. Please don’t make the artist try to create something cool in MS Publisher – they need Adobe Creative Suite. Same for musicians and all of your creative people. If you value their contribution, give them the proper tools to represent you well. Which brings me to number five…
5. BUDGET: Creative professionals need to upgrade their equipment regularly to stay ahead of the curve. It can be an expensive proposition, but like it or not the budget that your creative teams are given communicates to them. It will either communicate that you appreciate their contribution enough to set them up for success or that they are the “back burner” so to speak.