Comments on: To specialize or not? http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/ Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:43:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: holland http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/#comment-727 Mon, 15 Jan 2007 01:43:24 +0000 http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/#comment-727 Diversity in my humble opinion is the key to survival in business and the key to being a great creative. Gone are the days when you get paid to be great at one thing - at least be great at two things. Come on if you never try then you will never grow. Focusing on the one thing is not even good for the one thing that you are trying to be great at doing. Being a diverse thinker will strengthen the one thing and evolve the one thing because you will no longer have your blinders on. Remember type houses - they were great at one thing. Diversity in my humble opinion is the key to survival in business and the key to being a great creative. Gone are the days when you get paid to be great at one thing - at least be great at two things. Come on if you never try then you will never grow.

Focusing on the one thing is not even good for the one thing that you are trying to be great at doing. Being a diverse thinker will strengthen the one thing and evolve the one thing because you will no longer have your blinders on.

Remember type houses - they were great at one thing.

]]> by: Gary Bloomer http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/#comment-715 Fri, 12 Jan 2007 21:43:34 +0000 http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/#comment-715 Tom, tell your nephew to do what he loves, and to love what he does. As for money and recognition ... they can come later. First, it's vital that he understand that it's not determination that matters, it's committment. It's possible to be determined, but to give up when one encounters set backs. But once you are committed, and you're 100% sure, you'll never want to look back. Committment is the thing that allows you to burn bridges, leap gorges, and take risks for the best of reasons. I can think of no better example than that classic, all action hero, Indianna Jones. When Indy's on the trail, THERE'S your committment. THERE'S's your love of what one does, and the doing of what one loves. Tom, tell your nephew to do what he loves, and to love what he does.

As for money and recognition … they can come later. First, it’s vital
that he understand that it’s not determination that matters, it’s committment.

It’s possible to be determined, but to give up when one encounters set backs. But once you are committed, and you’re 100% sure, you’ll never want to look back. Committment is the thing that allows you to burn bridges, leap gorges, and take risks for the best of reasons.

I can think of no better example than that classic, all action hero, Indianna Jones. When Indy’s on the trail, THERE’S your committment. THERE’S’s your love of what one does, and the doing of what one loves.

]]> by: Tom Monahan http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/#comment-696 Thu, 11 Jan 2007 17:27:26 +0000 http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/#comment-696 Bonnie, I love the creative generalist concept. Cool blog, too. Simon, I agree that in many industries management needs to rethink things. What I was trying to get at in my post, and, admittedly I wandered a bit (I’m very good at that), what’s best for an individual’s creative growth? How do we fulfill ourselves best creatively? I know there’s not a clear right or wrong answer. But, yes, today in the midst of this major reset in the ad biz, relying on old specialties could be holding many people and organizations back from the change that must happen. All things being equal I think being a generalist is more enriching. But that's just me, myself and I. Bonnie, I love the creative generalist concept. Cool blog, too.

Simon, I agree that in many industries management needs to rethink things.

What I was trying to get at in my post, and, admittedly I wandered a bit (I’m very good at that), what’s best for an individual’s creative growth? How do we fulfill ourselves best creatively? I know there’s not a clear right or wrong answer. But, yes, today in the midst of this major reset in the ad biz, relying on old specialties could be holding many people and organizations back from the change that must happen.

All things being equal I think being a generalist is more enriching. But that’s just me, myself and I.

]]> by: here be simon http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/#comment-694 Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:58:01 +0000 http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/#comment-694 I think you're looking in the wrong place, it's not the creatives who have to change it's the the agency structure that doesn't work. Today the demands on a creative team are so varied that I'd rather we looked at a new model, we've just lauched our own business to do just that - so we'll see if we're right. We use pure creative thinkers, people who are naturally inquisitive to explore an issue/problem they then solve it and then we hand it over to specialists to execute (writer's who just write, designers who just design). We often us the analogy of an architech and a building. He designs it, then the brickies lays the bricks, the carpenter does the windows etc. As a result, we need generalist to create and specialists to execute. It's how many studios in Hollywood are now working. I think you’re looking in the wrong place, it’s not the creatives who have to change it’s the the agency structure that doesn’t work.

Today the demands on a creative team are so varied that I’d rather we looked at a new model, we’ve just lauched our own business to do just that - so we’ll see if we’re right.

We use pure creative thinkers, people who are naturally inquisitive to explore an issue/problem they then solve it and then we hand it over to specialists to execute (writer’s who just write, designers who just design). We often us the analogy of an architech and a building. He designs it, then the brickies lays the bricks, the carpenter does the windows etc.

As a result, we need generalist to create and specialists to execute.

It’s how many studios in Hollywood are now working.

]]> by: Bonnie-o http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/#comment-692 Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:12:05 +0000 http://before-after.com/blog3/2007/01/11/to-specialize-or-not/#comment-692 Sounds like he should be a Creative Generalist. It's becoming a much sought after set of job skills. Currently labeled a "copywriter", I am in the process of repurposing myself as a creative generalist. Steve Hardy, former ad writer and now writer for Family Guy leads the CG pack. His blog: is: http://creativegeneralist.blogspot.com/ bonnie-o Sounds like he should be a Creative Generalist. It’s becoming a much sought after set of job skills. Currently labeled a “copywriter”, I am in the process of repurposing myself as a creative generalist. Steve Hardy, former ad writer and now writer for Family Guy leads the CG pack. His blog: is:

http://creativegeneralist.blogspot.com/

bonnie-o

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