Category Archives: creative process

Watch films – think about careers!

I have watched three docs and a narrative film in the last couple of weeks that gave under-the-skin-views of careers and callings and money and success and passion and art and creativity. I recommend them to provoke your own thinking.

 

Page One: Inside The New York Times

Get past Michael Kinsley’s awful review in the New York Times itself, and relish the passion and authenticity and smarts of David Carr who features largely in thisdocumentary. You’ll be all the more impressed when you hear how he pulled himself out of addiction and off the streets to become the NYTimes leading media business writer. His deep convictions and his fervently held point of view are astounding. And then there’s his angry exchange about international reporting with the Vice Magazine folk (right across the street from where I sit) – a tad over the top, but fun to see. Oh and by the way this movie is a lot about where print journalism is headed.

 

Bill Cunningham New York

“We all get dressed for Bill Cunningham;” says Anna Wintour, Vogue editrix. The French gave him the Legion D’Honneur. This single-minded and obsessed street fashion photographer lives only for his solitary craft. You have possibly seen him snapping the fashionable on the corner of 57th and 5th or ducking his camera through gilded lobbies at high society benefits. Every week his carefully selected photo montages give us his point of view on the latest wearable fashion. The great and the near great know what he does, but who he actually is has been a mystery. He’s made some intense life choices – all for the sake of his work. Is this really what it takes to be the best?

 

Herb and Dorothy

And here are Herb and Dorothy Vogel, the best-known couple on the New York art scene. By day Herb was a postal worker, Dorothy a librarian. But nights and weekends they go to artists’ studios and gallery openings. And they buy. They filled their tiny rent-controlled apartment with conceptual and minimalist art, building one of the most significant contemporary collections. 4782 pieces were under their bed, in the bathroom and covering the walls and ceilings. They’ve given much of their collection to the National Gallery – and yet more is being passed out as 50 works of art for 50 states. I loved seeing Herb’ s poppy eyes discover the work and grill the artists. Not for him the overwrought verbal constructions of the sophisticated collector or curator – just watch him lean forward and stare and stare at a piece and then simply say “It works.”

 

Margin Call

This is the odd one out in this list. First off it is narrative fiction. Second it is about the finance biz. But it’s a brilliant piece of writing, casting, directing – and so very timely – these characters packaging worthless mortgage securities and making so very much money must be the 1%. Here are engineers who used to build bridges and design rockets who forsook their calling to go work where the money was big – well actually, huge. How does this work out for them? How do they feel about making money not things? What drives them to work? How important is the money anyway? Among the moments to enjoy: Stanley Tucci’s speech about the value of his bringe, Jeremy Irons’ gleeful determination as he faces down disaster and Kevin Spacey telling his analyst underlings that he actually has no idea what they do.

Posted on November 29, 2011 in creative process, success, vision
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Changing technology, storytelling and evolving skills.

I was in a conversation today about the importance of evolving our skillsets as media technology changes, and was reminded of this story from early Hollywood.  What follows is excerpted from a book which has been lost to me; it was given to me by a wonderful production assistant many years ago.

Ernst Lubitsch – Film Director

Lubitsch had a habit of crooking his forefinger over that enormous nose of his, and he said, “Junge, I want you never to forget this – what I am about to tell you. When the decision was made to change from silent films to talking films, the producers called together the greatest stars they had – this was in each studio. And the producers said, ‘You ladies and gentlemen who are the stars of the great silent screen, you must now learn to talk. You can no longer make faces and look camera left, camera right, up, down, what the director tells you to do, and then hope that he can put it together into a performance. You’ve got to learn to talk dialogue and play it. Those of you who can – you’ll be greater than ever. Those of you who can’t – overnight, no matter how great you are, you’ll be finished .

“Then,” said Lubitsch, “they called together all the great directors. And they said, ‘All you directors of the silent screen, no more running out in the morning with that box, a camera and an assistant, you shoot something here and you shoot something there, and then you bring it back . . . No, no. You gentlemen have got to learn to read scripts, to digest characterization, pace and how to tell a story that is written – and those of you who don’t – overnight, you’ll be forgotten .’

“And then,” said Lubitsch, “they called together all the great title writers, those who’d been the biggest of the silent screen, and they said, ‘You writers, no longer is it going to be something that you can bring in on the back of an envelope, – you have to become dramatists – you have to learn how to write dialogue, conflict, and so forth. And those of you who can’t – you’re finished .’

“And,” said Lubitsch, “that really happened, as you know. You could name the great stars of the silent screen who were finished – the great directors, gone – the great title writers who were washed up – but, boy, remember this as long as you live: The producers didn’t lose a man. They all made the switch! That’s where the great talent is. Remember this.”

Posted on August 24, 2010 in career transition, coaching, creative process
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Keeping staff happy: a creative manager’s POV

I have been talking to the COO of a digital agency about the special issues that arise when managing a staff of creatives. This is certainly interesting to other creative managers; but job-seekers too will find useful insights and there is good information for staffers aiming for promotions. Part One of this conversation is contained here.

“Without constant revitalization, minds can start to wander,” says Aaron Harvey, Partner/COO of digital agency Purple, Rock, Scissors of Orlando and New York, as we talk about the special issues related to managing creative staff. “If you don’t have a revival on a quarterly basis then people do start to complain. The conversations start very quietly with whispers.”

“The only way to mitigate that,” he says, “is to get involved one-on-one with your employees on a personal basis – so they can let out the things they are thinking and you can do a temperature check and quash the issues before they become a problem. Otherwise unhappiness can spiral out of control very quickly.”

“Information is also key – when people are disconnected strategically – when they don’t understand the direction of the company and are not invested – when thy don’t know about new business pitches, or a new sector the company is pursuing – if they are siloed off – this is a cause of discontent.” He tells me that communication with the staff is “a two-way street. We open up dialog through social space. We have an online area in a Basecamp where we get ideas from staff – but this needs nurturing, sometimes it is active, but sometimes it goes quiet.”

“To motivate better work, we have to play to how they like to do it; give them freedom to get in the zone and not just have to stamp against the clock; give the freedom to work from home or the beach – letting them know that it is due on Friday,” Harvey told me.  As the company grows, things get more complex: “We have to empower mid-level people to find a way that says: If you rock this out for me over the weekend – here’s a little reward.”

Harvey says that he believes there’s an inbred mentality in ad agencies to exploit their employees. “We hire out of school: super-green, super-hungry. We give them the experience and we make them work. We are a deadline driven industry – so when we hire them, we tell them they may have to work a 40-hour week or an 80-hour week – that is the nature of the beast. Every ad agency has a foosball team. I am a major advocate of the bonding that comes with this. It is good to be able to take a break at 6 o’clock and play foosball together. It makes it that much easier to get back to work later.”

Learn what Aaron Harvey had to say about giving promotions and how he recruits new employees in Part Two.

Posted on April 19, 2010 in creative process, interview, management
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Staff morale and motivation

I have been speaking to leaders of creative businesses about what it will take to strengthen the morale and motivation of their creative staff.

I have seen some businesses that quantitatively poll their people, asking them to rank such things as their work-life balance on a scale, and also to rank their satisfaction with their salaries. Hmm. I wonder what sort of answers they are getting. Actually the answers they get are not that helpful and it is tough to know what to do with the information – which appears on a scale of 1-10. It is good that the attempt is made to discover the issues, but the combination of the questions asked and the numerical scales and the general resistance of creative types to filling out forms, makes it less useful than one might wish.

I suggest instead that they consider doing some qualitative research that would allow us to learn in more detail about the aspirations of the staff members and their drivers for success. It should be conducted in the spirit of a “positive enquiry” that will emphasize discovery of the strengths and the opportunities. Tailored of course to the organization, questions might include: “What do you look forward to every day when you come into the office?” ”What project that you did at the firm was most professionally satisfying and why?” “What opportunities do you see for yourself at the company?”

I recommend that these kinds of questions are posed by an outside investigator rather than someone from management or HR. The independent researcher usually gets franker responses than does someone from inside. When the findings have been carefully analyzed and the right insights obtained, this is likely to be a more productive survey than the quant – and in the right hands lead to constructive action steps.

And it can be a refreshing change from the familiar list of general gripes with no constructive way forward indicated.

Posted on January 20, 2010 in creative process, goals, insight, management
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How to Ensure that Your Company’s Creative Talent is Helping to Build Your Business


Pollock Spark provides 5 tips for getting the best out of creative staff
Pollock Spark, an executive consulting firm that specializes in working with creative professionals, has put together a list of helpful tips for companies to maximize the business-building potential of their creative staff in the New Year.

“Creative professionals are found working in many fields including: PR, advertising, film, television, design, architecture, fashion, music, journalism and digital communications,” says Michael Pollock, Founder of Pollock Spark. “They’re also producing ideas and designs in almost every level of organizations from retail to manufacturing.”

“You know the work that your creative brains do is critical to your business’s success. But experience has shown that they often don’t respond well to many of the traditional training and professional advancement programs meant to increase their business-building capabilities.”

To help companies find ways to maximize their creatives’ potential, Pollock Spark has compiled these five tips for companies to consider in 2010.

1. Ensure that managers give creative staff constant positive feedback. For creatives, deep down, this is usually more important than the financial rewards. Sometimes just noticing their work and considering it makes a difference. Rejecting an idea out of hand is the single most destructive act to a creative mind.

2. Enter their work in industry competitions and encourage them to win – they are all competitive spirits and awards are tangible recognition of their value – this in turn will foster better work which in turn will attract more business. Working for a firm that can help creatives win awards is a key driver for retention and recruitment of the best talent.

3. Communicating progress and selling ideas does not come naturally to many creatives and often conflicts can arise between business and creative teams. Design specially crafted workshops to help them communicate more effectively to colleagues and clients.

4. Be sure that they have the right physical environment to work in – visual stimulation can be very important – but don’t just put them in a big lively “bull pen.” Provide them the opportunity to hide in a “bubble” where they can have privacy, while still feeling like part of the larger group.

5. Some creative department managers are promoted to their position because they are good at what they do, but they lack managerial experience. Give these individuals solid support – such as carefully selected mentors or coaches – to help ensure that they transition smoothly into their new role.

Keeping your idea people happy will not only get you stronger business results, it will greatly help with retention, and attract the best candidates when you’re hiring. Highly motivated creative staff will produce better work that will make it easier to grow existing business and win new clients.


About Pollock Spark
Pollock Spark is an Executive Coaching and Consulting firm that specializes in working with Creative and Media professionals. Led by Michael Pollock, they provide coaching services and experiential workshops for companies who want to strengthen the performance of their creative personnel and to foster the recruitment and retention of their most talented creative staff. Pollock Spark also works with individuals in film, TV, advertising, design, marketing, music and the Internet, bringing them the experience, techniques and inspiration to take their businesses and careers to new levels of success.

Posted on December 14, 2009 in coaching, creative process, management
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Carve out the time. Just do it.

We all have major issues of our careers – business planning or portfolio development or what have you – that has to get done but we put it off because the day-to-day stuff just won’t let us do it.

I am working with a wonderful and dynamic client who needs to spend time writing. Trying to set part of every day aside for it did not work. There were too many other stimuli and phone calls and emails and so on to be dealt with. The time never materialized.

So we have decided that she will carve out – set aside – an entire day every week. And not a weekend day either. A weekday when no calls will be taken and no emails returned. For her the writing is part of moving her career forward. This is not a hobby to be done at night or weekends – it is important. And clients and colleagues will have to understand – and they will. Just this week I had a communication from a senior TV executive who said that she would not be available on one day as she would be traveling. That was easy for me to understand and work around – no problem. Happens all the time. Similarly she might be on a shoot or at a client – also out of reach.

So we have instituted a one day a week for writing – she will be unavailable and the world will not have a problem with that.

I recommend this technique. It could be a day a week or every two weeks – whatever you need. But make it real. Carve it out. Put it on the calendar and stick to it.

Posted on November 15, 2009 in behavioral, coaching, creative process
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Coaching creative pros – I talk to mediabistro

I spoke recently to mediabistro about career transitions and coaching – here is a taste of that interview. More to follow over the next weeks. I was speaking with the excellent Gretchen Van Esselstyn.

Posted on July 20, 2009 in career transition, client list, clients, coaching, creative process
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What are you working on?


It’s hard for many creative people to talk about their own work. But if you know what you are good at – and you truly are excited by it – you can usually make a compelling case to someone else that it is worthy of their attention.

But to talk about what you are good at in the abstract can be really tough. I suggest that you always have an answer to the question: “What are you working on right now?” You should always have a project on the go – if only because you are pushing your limits, or trying something new or just plain driven. It can be a commissioned project or it can be something you are doing for yourself – just have something going on at all times that moves you.

If your project is a work that you truly care about then you will enthrall me with your description of what it is – how it works – what it’s going to look like – how you are going about it – whatever aspect of it is on your mind.

This will serve the dual purpose of keeping your creative juices flowing and giving me, and others, a way to understand you and your thinking and your point of view. I always get the best answers from people when I ask them “What are you working on right now?.” A specific answer can speak so much more eloquently than a general philosophical answer. (Though you absolutely do need to understand the foundation of what drives you and what your work represents – get in touch and we can talk about that if you like)

If you don’t have an answer right now to “What are you working on?” – well that must be because you are just starting something new – so in fact you do have an answer don’t you! It’s never too late to start.

Posted on July 14, 2009 in coaching, communications, creative process, marketing, positioning, success
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Inspiration and perspiration and the brothel


“Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” So said Thomas Alva Edison.

And Picasso is a case in point. His amazing picture Les Demoiselles d’Avignon changed art for ever. He trumped Matisse, who was the king of the art world at the time, and according to W’pedia it is “a seminal work in the early development of both Cubism and modern art.”

I had thought that he “just came up” with it – the old creative insight, who-can-explain-it, genius thing. But I have been put straight by a fascinating BBC documentary.

Now I know this was no quick revelation, Picasso had filled a notebook with over 700 sketches for this work. That’s right: SEVEN HUNDRED sketches. Additional characters came and went (a sailor and a medical student both bit the dust), colors changed, lines and design were tried out. This was a very carefully considered piece.

Oh and Picasso didn’t call it Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. He called it The Brothel. So what’s in a name? Is the name part of the work? But that is another topic.

Okay guys – get perspiring, whip out those notebooks and let’s see what your inspiration is made of!

Posted on July 8, 2009 in change, coaching, creative process
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Crisis, Misdemeanors and Special-NESS

Things that made me go hmm this week.

I heard from a self-proclaimed e-business guru that “if you haven’t p-ssed somebody off today you aren’t doing your job”! I heard from a just-graduated art student that if an artist wants to get attention it is all about “committing misdemeanors.” “Misdemeanors” she kept on saying. And I heard last night at the SHOOT New Directors Showcase that “crisis and creativity go hand in hand.”

So in the quest for what’s new and next – and for the attention we crave – it sounds as if we should be making more noise, stirring more pots, causing more trouble and intelligently exploiting the air of crisis that is all around us in the media industry.

But we had better do it with a point. Be true to our own unique personality and skills – be bad “on brand” in fact, if we think that bad is what we need to be. There is no doubt that each of us has to distinguish ourselves from the pack. No-one wants “just another one of those”. Everyone is looking for something (or someone) special.

So we each have to be just as special as we can be and show it to the world – what David Byrne has called our “special-NESS.” And we should probably rattle some cages along the way.

Posted on May 29, 2009 in behavioral, change, coaching, communications, creative process, marketing, transition
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