How to Overcome the Chaos of the Brief

Overcoming the phases of the brief and dealing with the drama behind the scenes of many projects could easily tempt one into a few therapy session just so they could vent to someone and not lose any friends. However, no matter how alluring, it is wise to resort to a more practical, convenient and less expensive alternative to this. It is about finding that simple pleasure that brings peace to your mind when all else seems to progressively lead to scenarios of fiasco, collapse, and surrender to persistent bad ideas the client insists on.

Creative ideas and executions stem from the initial moment you get a brief. It is the root of the challenge. Naturally, many skills are required to build something meaningful and impactful, but the scariest thing that happens (more often than not) is when excitement begins to dwindle. When the thing that starts to wane before anything else is your personal drive to effort, challenge, and pushing your creative muscle. Once that is lost on an internal level a client isn’t likely to revive it and the project is forced.

The biggest skill to have is the ability to maintain the initial drive of the beginning of a project throughout the roller coaster of a cycle that a brief takes you. As a young art director… the roller coaster looks something like this:

1) Peek of interest in getting a new brief

2) Excitement

2.5) Or… in many cases confusion in trying to understand what the brief is REALLY asking for

3) Steady decrease in level of excitement

4) Realizing it’s an impossibly possible task

5) Thinking the client is unrealistic and lives on ‘Client Planet’ revolving around their stubborn opinions

6) Moment of inspiration that gets to you execute the idea

7) Revealing the idea and having all your dreams crushed

8) Hating everything

9) Getting a second wind and readdressing the precious creative you pitched earlier

10) Losing all the wind because it was so beautiful and perfect the first time around

11) Cursing client in head repeatedly

13) Resort to secret weapon of sanity and concentration

12) Somehow managing to compose yourself and attend to finishing the project

Lucky number 13 is what it’s all about…the secret weapon that grounds you through any loops the roller coaster throws at you.

My secret weapon is simple: steeped tea. Only loose leaf, of course. It is my companion through all the work I produce and something that calms me, entertains me, pleases me, and allows me to experiment. It is my creative confidante. With tea I am able to focus better, be more productive, sip deliciously, actually increase healthy habits, and on top of this it’s also a fun excuse to take breaks and have a fun mixology session with my teapot in the kitchen. It is up to each individual to figure out what it is that helps them keep up the initial momentum of newborn project. In the meantime… hopefully I can help by offering a mini video of my secret weapon: custom blends of loose leaf tea. Enjoy!