good advice for creatives

Three things I read this morning that strike me as best advice:

Get a great blend of people with different core strengths and perspectives to collaborate.  As ideas develop, it's important to have "no-bullshit" sessions to challenge the ideas from the outset.  It's also important to know when to pull the plug…this is tricky because persistence is often the key ingredient for success but in the end, so is good judgment.
cloudraker And so much fun to look at.

This essay presents a concept called confluence culture to describe the changes that the advertising industry is currently undergoing relative to the rise of digital culture. We argue that all advertisers, in order insure their relevancy, must recognize the role confluence culture plays in their work.
Sheehan + Morrison in First Monday
Beyond convergence: confluence culture and the role of the advertising agency in a changing world

Visualize information so that everyone in the organization can see concepts, flow, energy, and ideas. Have a board that dedicates space to this.
From my notes during Scott Belsky's Behance talk at sxsw Making Ideas Happen

Comments

[isaac + viel]

Brilliant!

1) The no-bullshit approach is much needed in order to prevent the watering down of everything creative. Bad ideas are bad ideas. Period. Although you are right about persistence, it's never good to pursue a path that will lead right back to the start or worse, to an empty finish line.

2) The first monday article is even better, thought provoking. I think you+KS are spot on with the point about CGM needing to be lead and directed (i.e., ipod vs. dove campaigns). I think the best--and most beneficial--way to create brand advocacy is to simply BEGIN the conversation and track the ripples as they spread throughout the digital pond. Not only does this lead to less abrasive advertising with less resistance, it also feeds the reverse tail by turning everyone involved into walking, talking, individual ad campaigns and social compasses. So you're selling more, spending less, and getting free market research? Win? Yes.

3) There's nothing more fun than mapping out a project on a big whiteboard and plenty of multicolor markers. I think every wall should have some form of white board on it. Let the whole world create their own workflow and/or modify a company's workflow. I mean really, who can resist writing on a big board? It's like being a kid again and writing on walls ... only now, it's "productive." In fact, I am seeing a link idea between 2) ^^^ up there and the whiteboard effect. The world should be a big whiteboard? Instead of billboards, we hang white boards and leave markers? Push vs. Pull?