#healthy creativity

I can't tell you that every production team, every production company, embodies a healthy creative work environment.

Heck, I can't even tell you that every mom 'n pop, every small company embodies a healthy work environment. 

And don't even get me started on corporations.

What I will say is that I've met kids embarking on their careers who believed they made a terrible mistake. Who believed they chose the wrong career. When, in fact, what happened is that their first job involved working for people who are without. Who are not leaders or team builders. Who don't know how to communicate or get the best work from other people. Whose skill set is terribly sketchy. Who don't, if you haven't guessed it yet, don't actually know what they're doing.

It's not an obligation, by the way. We aren't at all forced to assume that authority and ability are characteristics that are inherently locked together. Because sometimes they're not. And when they're not, you often find a work environment that's not suitable to any serious professional's time and effort. You find that some workplaces, like certain bosses, are unworthy stewards of our time and abilities.

Only... 

Kids starting out their careers don't necessarily know that.

In my career, I had the distinct, well... I got lucky. I met the right people and went to work for them. Small companies, all. Except for the one big company where dysfunction abounded but I was largely working within a good team.

The dysfunction was breathtaking, though. Serious anger management issues that really do undermine authority. Straight up toddler tantrum behaviors. Actual conduct unbecoming anyone who strives to call themselves professional.

But me? I always had good role models. Great role models and colleagues. I didn't realize it at the time, but my early career experiences fundamentally shaped the professional I am and continue to be today.

Whereas...

Whereas a lot of the people who grew up in dysfunctional work environments have anger issues to this day. And that anger absolutely compromises judgment, wisdom, executive function, clarity, and problem solving.

Plus, these people suck to work with. No matter how talented they're apt to be.

Let's be clear: there is such a thing as healthy and unhealthy work environments. And if you think that healthy means coddling... you most likely have no leadership skills and shouldn't actually be working with, you know, people.

Because failure.

Because in my field, at least, failure is when you miss the deadline. And when a deadline's missed the efforts of everyone involved have just been wasted.

Failure also breathes its fire when a team effort produces what everyone—and I mean everyone—recognizes to be mediocre work. Basically, it's seriously hard work, enthusiasm, frustration, anxiety, and exhaustion that produces something that's meh. 

In both cases, the efforts are rendered meaningless. Just—

Meaningless.

So yes. The people we work for and the people we work with, profoundly affect the quality of our work and how we feel about our work. Which means some people are right for us, professionally. And some people are simply not worth our time. They can't be allowed the influence.

Now, corporate managers like to think that saying "It's not personal. It's just business." functions as an iron clad rationalization to ease the betrayal of being let go. And I understand that, of course. Corporations aren't about individuals. They're about scale. They're monoliths that move where they will, as they will, when they will. And collateral damage, chaotic messes, and broken trust, are simply factored in.

It's not personal.

It's business.

You understand, right?

Only... this is not the sound of anyone who's remotely invested in you or your career.

It's just business.

If that sounds harsh, well, I've heard the "it's not personal, it's just business" schtick live and in person as I learned which colleagues of mine had just been fired. And then most recently a client for whom I create content was left hanging through sheer benign neglect by a corporation. Not surprising, of course, because the relationships of corporations with people outside those corporations isn't of the same quality, intention, and commitment as the relationship between two professionals.

Relationship?

Sure.

How they work together. How they cooperate, collaborate, communicate. There's a difference you can tell, is my point. There's a striking difference between working with someone who works for a corporation and... working with someone who works for a small company or as a sole proprietor.

I'm not outraged at the difference, by the way. What I am is judgemental. Not only because benign neglect is a bad look for anyone but because it's simply unprofessional. Straight up unprofessional. Because again. Authority and ability don't go hand in hand. And large numbers work against being an essential part of something, being connected to a larger purpose not just serving one, or feeling like you're growing as a professional. 

Growing.

As a professional.

Lemme reel this back in, though.

How we begin our careers is crucial.

Who we begin our careers with...

Also crucial. The same crucial.

I was reminded of this truism this weekend during the 48 Hour Film Project as I worked with the team I was asked to join a coupla years ago as editor.

As I said before, I can't tell you that every production team, every production company, embodies a healthy creative work environment. What I can tell you is that for most of my adult life I worked for companies that do embody healthy creative work environments. And the weekend we just navigated is yet another example of that. 

For starters, the professionalism, experience, wisdom, and ability of the people at the top are beyond question. The mastery and experience of the people leading each area of production is also beyond question. As well, an online communication app functions as the connective tissue for the entire crew from pre-production to production to post-production and on through marketing and promotion. Every member of the team is connected in real time in this way and can be involved at times in areas outside their own. Similarly, the resources of the entire crew can be leveraged for needs like locations, costumes, props, even film titles to name a very few. 

Also, in general terms, the full crew is of a type: hard working, enthusiastic, of good humor, and completely engaged in the process from beginning to end. Even as the film's completed by only three members of the team while everyone else takes a well-deserved rest on the last day of the competition, there remains broad appreciation for the now completed shoot... as well as hope for two things: that all is going well in the edit suite and that the finish line will successfully be crossed on time.

Basically, that their efforts have meaning. That their work will be bad ass.

And oh yeah do I feel that.

My point though, is this:

Everyone. Every person who wants to participate in the creative industry in which we work should have this experience. Yes we all work the 48 without pay. But the effort we invest buys each of us a model of how the collaborative process of making a film—any genre of content, really—how that process can work.

And how it should.

It should be the rule not the exception that each of us, professionals to a person, but especially those of us just starting out... each of us should have the experience we're gonna chase for the rest of our careers right up front. Each of us should have a thorough taste of the best our careers can be first. So that we, without question, without doubt,  know what it is we're chasing and the kind of people we absolutely wish to chase it with.

Also, though...

So that we know what it is we should avoid at all times. Along with the people we need not include on our professional journey.

Of course your path is not my path just as mine isn't yours. But for sure we should, as much as humanly possible, strive to surround ourselves with people who not only challenge but help us to be better than we are right now. Full stop.

Surround ourselves.

With people.

Who not only challenge us.

But help us to be better.

Than we are right now.

Because that's how you build a career that lasts a lifetime.

Healthy Creativity is a set of practices that fosters our best creative work. Even under time constraints. Even under pressure.

And yes. I’m working on the name.

So far, here’s what I’ve got:

1. Be strategic in how you use the time you have... rather than allow your creativity to be bullied by a clock that's ticking down.

2. Exercise your creative muscles both inside and outside paid projects.

3. Come to your work prepared.

Okay so today’s number four is:

Bring your best.

For me, what I bring of myself into the edit suite is pretty much what I get out. For example, one time I took a nighttime Benadryl in the morning by mistake and I was all kinds of falling asleep by the time I got to editing and had to call it quits and go home.

In general, though, I’m talking about being in the best physical and mental shape possible because we bring those states of being into our work. If we’re tired, if we’re hangry, that informs our creative work. It does. Low bloodsugaring before lunch absolutely leaves its mark on the quality of work I do. So yeah. I have to maintain my physical self, odd as that might sound for a job that involves so much sitting or standing in one spot for hours.

And mental shape, too. That’s gotta be a thing. ‘Cause that definitely colors over my creative efforts. Especially in the larval stages of some idea or approach. My mental state can snuff out ideas, prevent them from coming to fruition. Deny them fertile ground from which to spring. And if it’s a bad enough day, color everything black.

And so on.

No matter what, we bring ourselves into our work. For better. Or for worse.

So it’s important that we do everything in our power to bring not just the better...

But the best.

Healthy Creativity is a set of practices that fosters our best creative work. Even under time constraints. Even under pressure.

And yes. I’m working on the name.

Yesterday, I outlined the first principle of (Healthy Creativity) which is that it's important for to be strategic in how we use the time we have rather than to allow our creativity to be bullied by a clock that's ticking down.

Which is really hard to do.

The second principle constitutes a professional lifetime habit. It's exercising your creativity both inside and outside of a project.

Think of it as a muscle you exercise. Or an ability you practice, like juggling. Or playing piano. Or mastering a fast ball.

In my case that means not waiting for the next project... to become better at what I do. It means exercise. Practice. Taking my creative muscles out for a spin when I don’t have to.

Because 1) I love what I do.

And 2) That kind of practice is a means by which we counteract the ticking clock. It’s how we keep ourselves centered on our creative process.

Yesterday what popped into my head was an idea of healthy creativity. It's a concept that never occurred to me before regarding my career, a concept I've only ever applied to human living... as in safe/unsafe and healthy/unhealthy.

So what is healthy creativity?

I’m gonna start here and see where it takes me:

It's creativity that uses time. Not creativity that's directed by it.

It's creativity that's fostered both outside of and inside a project.

It's creativity that's prepared. Amd creativity that’s inspired.

It's creativity that blooms from the best mental and physical version of us.

It's creativity that isn't jerked around.

Okay.

That’s it for now.

I wanna let that sink in for me. Maybe the list should be longer. Maybe it shouldn’t be so long.

The way to find out... is to see what’s important about each one.

Starting tomorrow.

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