Working with remote Creatives (Part 1)
I love Creatives. I worked in one capacity or another as a Creative starting in 1996, and have worked with Creatives for the past 15 years. Was I one of the greats? Definitely not, but I understand what it takes, and how easy it is to get into a tailspin when things aren’t organised or get forgotten, or when emotions and sensory inputs are overwhelming. Believe me when I say “I made every mistake”.
In short, Creatives are commonly neurodivergent, and that’s a good thing by the way! Be it ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia or autism, it is more common than we realise, and there is a spectrum within each. This can make communication challenging, especially saying and doing the right thing with someone who is neurotypical, and vice versa. Let’s make it abundantly clear: both are deeply important. I like to think of it in simple terms: one is good for the other, like yin and yang, male and female. They tend to balance each other out.
Working with Creatives from other cultures adds another layer of complexity, as language barriers come into play, along with values, attitudes, and definitions or interpretations of words. Keeping language simple and easy to follow, and providing reference images to support the written notes, unlocks a universal language for everyone: images. For example, this colour, not that colour, in a picture.
Expectations on a Creative
This is the best place to start, and there are extremes. Let’s use a scale of 1 to 10, which could also equate to years of experience.
The two ends of the scale
Everything else sits somewhere between these.
Level 1
Full brief on every detail. Camera angle, furniture, colours, fabrics, finishes, layout, cars, plants, roads, everything. Best suited to less experienced artists with 1 to 2 years of experience.
Level 10
Let the Creative come up with all the ideas. Best suited to experienced artists with a track record and 8 to 10 years of experience.
Level 1: at the opposite extreme are Creatives who are expected to follow the lead. This means the brief is more involved and time-consuming, as it requires every detail in every camera angle, including but not limited to furniture, accessories, FF&E, detailed interior and exterior finishes schedules with supplier links, CAD drawings, 3D models, artwork and time of day. Specific reference images too, each with a description of what is important in that image, which is its own subject entirely. Sounds pedantic, but it keeps Creatives on track.
Level 10: at this extreme, Creatives are expected to develop the look and feel, and it is easy to provide a high-level briefing that inspires the artistic direction. It should include reference images, brands, colours, style guides, CAD drawings and 3D models. This option can initially be cheaper, and sometimes quicker, than an interior designer and architect, but it lacks real-world experience such as budget considerations, and local and supplier knowledge. This method falls apart, however, when it’s time to document the project, put real numbers to the design, bring in consultants and make it stand up to code, standards, local laws and construction. So it is best that the information flows from the architects, interior designers and landscape architects, through the client, into a centralised brief.
Each level comes at a cost, be it financial or time. It takes a lot of time and effort to brief an artist correctly.
I hope this helps someone, stay tuned for part 2.
Thanks for reading.
Luke