The Wizardry Powers of Creative Directors
You are in a corner office (or you wish you were ☺️).
Finally. It’s been a decade in the industry. It was about time.
The only unsettling thing is you think the renumeration package would have been upped a bit. But you brush away the niggling feeling as that’s a small thing in comparison to what the new JD means to you. You are at your pinnacle in your career.
Let’s celebrate. Hooray! (You call mom to share the exciting news as you continue to stare at the contract.)
The badge “CD” is pinned onto your lapel and you couldn’t be more proud.
You are now heading a small team of competent creatives and you think you just need to wave the magic wand and abracadabra, your wish is their command.
Well, sorry.
In this real world, the wand is pointed at YOU.
In a matter of a few months, the excitement for the position diminishes as you figure out how intense the role can be.
You are perpetually thinking about something.
You are perpetually under pressure to come up with the coolest ideas (“ Never been seen before”, says the client).
You are perpetually self examining and questioning your creative direction as you ask yourself, “Would a client pay top dollar for the ideas I’m about to share? Or would I be throwing away their hard earned money down the drain?” The ROI burden is one you bare constantly.
At the agency, you are constantly juggling roles between a strategist, copywriter/proof reader, Art Director, leading the presentation piece on PowerPoint(a software you totally hate), checking designers’ work, working on a daunting creative piece, planning a debrief on a collaborative piece of work with a sister agency in another market via Skype, rehearsing for a pitch presentation happening the very next day…. And it’s just one after the other. Overlapping or simultaneously happening.
At home you are juggling, completion of homework, beating a deadline for work, managing a domestic mini crisis, running a mental check to ensure there is enough food to last 3 days before you hit the market for groceries, trying to be there for your spouse, commenting on design layout work from ADs on your battery-life-struggling-to-stay-on iPhone, prepping for a morning brainstorm, and trying to complete a long overdue PJ.
If that’s not enough you have a distant relative asking for an artwork (for a ‘small fee’ that currently stands undisclosed) to be done and an uncles request on behalf of his future daughter in laws wedding for a design of save the dates and wedding invites (for free, “si we are fam”). The 200 cards should also be printed (“si that can be your contribution?”).
Let’s not add that you may have a side hustle. There is this particular client who’s particularly choosy and mentions that you need to deliver the work demonstrating 3 directions, and adds casually that she knows the work will be in her inbox in perfect execution — that everyone knows you for.
Your eyes start to glaze over.
You have serious imposter syndrome.
You become a constant multitasker.
You become a sleep deprived zombie.
You think the little one is coming down with a fever. You realize you may be having mild paranoia. The child is fine.
You think you want to go midnight swimming so you can pretend the chores, responsibilities don’t exist.
You call a designer friend and bitch about interns and millennials with their hoity toity expectations on starting a career with ridiculous 6-digit salaries.
You remember, there is a pending client request for a photo shoot deck that needs scenario mockups due that in the morning.
You sneak downstairs to pour a large glass of cheap wine. Gato Negro.
Sip.
You feel better. It’s one am.
You open your Mac.
You open Photoshop.
You pick the magic wand tool.
You wave away.