Rekindling the Passion
We've been in a perpetual state of creative frenzy since January. This is not to say I have reason to complain - it's a blessing, but that blessing has come at a time when we are short-staffed and juggling numerous personal projects. Isn't that the way life happens?
Part of our job is to help bridge the gaps between intention and message. The problem solving, pragmatism of our team in not without its cost on creative levels. Ideas don't just churn out on a conveyer belt and so it is exceptionally important to take precautionary steps to make sure burnout is kept at bay.
Burnout happens for everyone at one time or another. It is a necessary right of passage for most of us in the creative biz - even a form of subtle bragging - the geek speak equivalent of benchpressing the most weight. One geek to another, "I stayed up for 48 hours coming up with this concept and was hooked up to my caffeine IV."
Like the fickle fun of a new relationship, creative passion waxes and wanes. And every designer out there has their MO for keeping ideas fresh. Some people are easy to ignite; others, not so much... You're either cataclysm or a slow, steady burn, it seems.
Part of managing a team of creatives is understanding the differences in how people become re-engaged in the process. The WHYs or WHATs that make people passionate are less important than the hows. Hows require a holistic look at the person: what starts their individual fires burning.
I'd venture to say all of us, whether we must motivate ourselves or staff, have to work on the slow, steady burn. The quick flick snuffs out as quickly as it came. The slow, committed passion is what's important.
I'd like to know, what do you do to keep creativity alive?
Part of our job is to help bridge the gaps between intention and message. The problem solving, pragmatism of our team in not without its cost on creative levels. Ideas don't just churn out on a conveyer belt and so it is exceptionally important to take precautionary steps to make sure burnout is kept at bay.
Burnout happens for everyone at one time or another. It is a necessary right of passage for most of us in the creative biz - even a form of subtle bragging - the geek speak equivalent of benchpressing the most weight. One geek to another, "I stayed up for 48 hours coming up with this concept and was hooked up to my caffeine IV."
Like the fickle fun of a new relationship, creative passion waxes and wanes. And every designer out there has their MO for keeping ideas fresh. Some people are easy to ignite; others, not so much... You're either cataclysm or a slow, steady burn, it seems.
Part of managing a team of creatives is understanding the differences in how people become re-engaged in the process. The WHYs or WHATs that make people passionate are less important than the hows. Hows require a holistic look at the person: what starts their individual fires burning.
I'd venture to say all of us, whether we must motivate ourselves or staff, have to work on the slow, steady burn. The quick flick snuffs out as quickly as it came. The slow, committed passion is what's important.
I'd like to know, what do you do to keep creativity alive?
