Monday Mar 30, 2020

94-In The Creative Industry? Stop Dressing the Pig and Start Solving Problems | Over Drinks with Erik Karj at Smash Lab

Running a creative agency or studio?

You may be full of crap.

Still with me? Great! You might be ready for real change then.

Here’s the thing...

Most of us are really frightened to say when things aren’t working.
And this goes for any business owner.

As creatives, we fool ourselves into thinking we just need to do a little more and create something new. Put that fresh coat of paint on, update that website, draw attention to those awards you won…

Or maybe we’ll focus internally depending on our size. Upgrade our spaces tweaking the environment to give off just enough "we’ve got our shit together" so "you should be work with us" vibe without being pretentious. we're not saying don’t do that either, just pointing to the timing of when and why you do.

I get that for most of us in the creative industries, this is not meant to be malicious. It usually comes from good intentions. We want to ensure that the impression perceived by others is one of being capable of supporting our clients (new and existing).

But we’re not actually addressing the issues deep down, we’ve just given the pig some lipstick.

Industry veterans will agree, there’s more to the successful agency or studio than meets the eye. You’re in an industry that’s riddled with superfluous fronts, unrealistic outcomes, exaggerated claims and more bullshit than you will have ever bargained for.

But fear not fellow creatives. Your future can be bright and filled with everything you hoped for if you pay attention to the lessons of those who’ve come before you.

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Chances are you might’ve forgotten why you got into this business in the first place. And that was to be creative.

Perhaps now is the time to get reconnected to the roots of where you came from, to be honest with why got into this line of work. Get clear how you really should be presenting yourself with that in mind and skip all the bullshit... like RFP’s and well-crafted pitches. It’s just a bunch of well-crafted lies to wow a prospective client and win business.

BE YOURSELF

Keep it simple.

Stop looking externally and focus internally.

No one cares about all the hype.

Elegantly solve problems again.

Be with another human being and support them.

This is your superpower after all.

Follow What Eric is up to

http://www.erickarjaluoto.com/me/

https://www.smashlab.com/

Some of the projects they built

https://www.telgard.com/