Walk the walk

One thing that I've noticed sometimes presents a challenge to people is not the ability to have a great idea but actually make it happen.

I work in an industry full of people who come up with ideas all the time. Some are good, some are so-so and a lot of them are just plain bad, but that's okay. Sometimes, a bad idea can become a good one if you just take the time to work it out. But for as many bad ideas that end up being good ones, there are just as many good ones that go unrealized.

In my line of work, that can happen for a number of reasons. Maybe a client starts out with a bad idea, but for some arbitrary reason, they're attached to it. You have other thoughts, so you present them. Maybe the client even likes them, but decides to stick to their guns. So ultimately you're asked to work it out, even though you know it's bad. You do your best and maybe it all works out in the end. I've done it myself. But what becomes of your concept?

Maybe you've got a small project that you're working on (and let me say that all jobs are important, just hear me out) and you've got something in mind that would be great for it. In fact, your idea might be too great. Possible? Of course. Let's say you decide that you want to save this one for a big job from a big client. So you do the little project, making do with a so-so alternative, all the while keeping your great idea in cold storage. But what if that big, high-profile job that needs that particular idea never comes along? It's been known to happen...

Then there's always the Hail Mary Gone Wrong. That's when you've got a great concept all saved up and the perfect job to use it on, but maybe it's urgent, or just complicated, or a combination of both. So you end up going with this great idea and in working it out, things get rushed or you don't have the tools or the necessary skills to pull it off the way you had hoped. While the intent is there, you end up with half-assed results and the client doesn't get it. So instead, something else is proposed and used for the job. Back to cold storage...

Or maybe you've got an idea that's really hot. I mean, you're actually impressed with yourself for thinking up this gem. Your boss loves it. Hell, even the client loves it. But there's one problem, and that problem's name is The Committee. There's nothing in this world that can shoot down a good idea faster than The Committee. These folks don't necessarily intend to make you renounce all that is good and right in the world, but they most likely will. You'll end up bastardizing your own concept (or even worse, going back to the drawing board) to the point that you just won't care anymore.

All of these scenarios stem from the factors I mentioned above, be it personal motivations, uncontrollable circumstances, unfortunate timing or poor execution. In all of them, a great idea might have been stifled. How can you avoid this from happening? Trust yourself. Like I said, most ideas are bad ideas, so expect to go through a lot of them, but sooner or later, one of them is going to hit like gangbusters. You won't know unless you try.

I've learned to do this myself in one way or another. If I get direction for an ad that I can tell is just downright crap, I work it up anyway. No matter how much experience you've had, sometimes you have to see something to know if it's truly good or bad. So I do it anyway, and if I don't like what I see, then I start my job. Take it all apart, find out what's needed and what's not, rethink imagery or impact, basically reduce it down to its parts and rebuild it.

My thinking has always been that if you give someone what they want, they'll be happy but you might not. So do something to make it worth your while--DO A VERSION FOR YOU. Put your best into it. More than likely, if you've got a great idea, people will see it and either use it or add to it. BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT. You can't waffle by claiming you don't have time or know how, JUST TRY IT. Sometimes you have to force an issue, which requires a certain aggressiveness, and if you manage it well, people will respect that because you came through with the goods.

I've always said that part of being a designer or artist is being able to see what others can't. Working in advertising and publishing isn't always the most conducive to original or creative thinking, so I have to take my chances whenever I can. I hardly ever take direction verbatim anymore, because frankly, I'm not a machine. When I've done that in the past, I usually ended up being disappointed with the results. So now I take it upon myself to interpret what needs to be done and find the best way to do it. I put my own ideas into it and when it gets noticed, I feel so much better about the work I'm doing. Those are the times when I truly enjoy it.