A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak to a group of students and budding professionals on Succeeding as a Creative Professional.
Initially, when I sat down to prepare my thoughts, the sheer breadth of what makes someone successful in the creative industry left me with an overflow of ideas. Passion, discipline, empathy, consistency, finding your voice, and more—it was clear that there are numerous qualities and skills that contribute to one’s success.
However, rather than taking a theoretical approach, I paused and reflected on my own journey—18 years in an industry that is as rewarding as it is challenging. What struck me was that, while many of the concepts I was initially thinking about are essential, it is my experiences, that have shaped my path. The pivotal moments, the hard lessons, and the wins (as well as the failures) that truly define who I am today.
I chose to highlight these defining experiences, turning points, that taught me how to navigate the ups and downs of a creative career. These are the moments that forged my resilience, sharpened my perspective, and helped me understand what it truly means to grow.
Here are my 5 tips for Succeeding as a Creative Professional
Stay Curious: As brand consultants and custodians, we constantly navigate the delicate balance between claiming expertise and fostering a childlike curiosity about the world around us. It is so easy to cross over and be foolishly arrogant, to think we know better, and then life kicks us back to walking the line and rightly so!
Curiosity keeps us fresh and prevents stagnation. We must regularly remind ourselves that the world is ever evolving—new technologies, cultural shifts, consumer behaviours. Staying curious allows us to approach each project with the openness to learn and adapt, even if that means challenging our own preconceptions. Embracing curiosity means not only accepting that we don’t have all the answers but seeing it as the fuel that drives better solutions.
Stay Invested: We are always restless for a new challenge, a new problem to solve, a new industry to learn about, but building a brand and nurturing long-lasting client relationships requires patience and perseverance. Just like in financial investments, where returns are rarely instantaneous, brand-building demands commitment, resilience, and foresight to play the long game, only then do we really see the fruit of our labour.
Success in branding doesn’t just happen overnight—it is cultivated through strategic nurturing. We must resist the temptation of quick fixes and instead embrace a mindset that values incremental growth and long-term strategy.
(These two together; Stay Curious, Stay Invested actually make up Therefore’s mission statement)
Diverge to Converge: Our natural instinct when we are briefed on a client problem is to go into solution mode. However, this inclination to rush towards the familiar can rob us of the chance to truly explore. Innovation thrives on the tension between diverging and converging. To create something truly extraordinary, we must resist the urge to settle on the first good idea and explore a world of possibilities.
We should take the time to explore multiple perspectives and challenge assumptions. The process of divergence—where ideas are gathered, and paths are explored—creates the space for breakthroughs. Only after we've considered a broader spectrum of ideas should we begin the convergence phase, honing in on the most powerful solution. By pushing ourselves to explore, we elevate solutions from good to groundbreaking.
Co-create with your Client: Client feedback is one of the most meme-ified themes in the creative industry. But every so often we loose the opportunity to involve them in our process, learn from them and really get to know their business, pain-points and vision. To this day, receiving feedback positively is something that I have to actively work on, but then again I’m WIP.
By involving the client early and often, we enrich the creative process, gaining insights that only they can provide. After all, they are the experts in their own business. Co-creating with clients transforms the relationship into a true partnership, where their input helps shape the direction of the solution, resulting in a product that both parties feel proud of.
It’s all about Business: On occasion we are so enamoured by our own creativity that we do not apply the all critical filter of whether this is good for the business. Running a design firm, our failures have taught to be laser focused on constantly checking to see if we are solving the right problem and not just the perceived problem.
Creativity must serve the business, not the other way around. By aligning our work with the client’s core business objectives, we ensure that we deliver results that are not only creative but also impactful, driving success for both the brand and the business.