Top Five Keys You Need to Thrive at a Creative Agency

Have you been working in the creative field for the past few years, and need a few extra shots of espresso in your morning latte? Or, perhaps you just scored your first real time gig at the creative agency of your dreams. Either way, you are creative, motivated, and maybe looking for some new tips on standing out and furthering your accomplishments in your respective field.

In this article, we explore five keys that will unlock YOUR success in the creative world.

First: Know Yourself and Know Your People

Recently, I stopped by a local coffee shop for a quick pick-me up, only to be aggressively educated about a new exotic brewing method. Upon hearing that I simply wanted a standard large iced coffee with soy milk, the barista snorted and rolled his eyes, making a backhand comment to a colleague. He was a jerk.

The moral here is to have a thorough understanding of your amazing capabilities, but know when and where to apply them. Listen thoroughly to what people actually need before addressing what you think they need. This takes building solid relationships with your clients and with your colleagues. This means being the person on the team who is realizes that the agency and the client are on the same team, and collaborating towards that end. This can also mean that once you get to know your clients and colleagues you can go above and beyond for them in extremely meaningful and measureable ways!

Second: Practice What You Preach

The goal for any creative agency is to assist clients in becoming their best self across multiple formats. Develop your own skills so that you can commit yourself to the very best quality work. Advance your techniques, learn new programs, and keep your knowledge fresh. Subscribe to an industry leader’s blog, or perhaps be mentored by someone ahead of you that you admire. Whatever will keep you improving so you can offer the very best to both your employer and your clients.

Third: Get ‘er Done

The key here is to turn the vision into reality. The agency has promised something to the client, and the job needs to get done. You want to be known as the self-starting employee who can be left alone, and at the end of the day, has produced amazing results. This also means tracking the results of your projects and keeping note of what works and what doesn’t for the future.

Fourth: Refresh, Revise, Revisit

It is possible that your first draft will suck, and maybe even your second and third. It might even be the worst case of writer’s block you’ve ever experienced. Don’t give up. Successful people know how to break out the juicer, find their resources, and extract the inspiration needed to keep going back to the drawing board until it works. During these times you will be able to truly look for new approaches, possibly even explore how competing opinions on a task can evolve into the best outcome!

Fifth: Do it Because You Want to do It

Complex Magazine asked 15 of their favorite “creatives” to offer advice for success. Their answers produced a resounding theme encompassed by the idea of being truly and genuinely passionate at what you are doing. Check out their list here for more inspiration!

Now that you have learned the five keys to success at a creative agency, you can put them to good use in your career at a creative agency and soar above the rest.