Head of Creative, for awhile

I’ve always wondered what was next for me. I think I know now. For the past two months I’ve been Head of Creative, an even larger leading role then my current one. Sure my design output isn’t the same and instead my personal connection with every designer in the team as shifted in dynamic. While stepping into a role is one thing, stepping up in a role is another, and that has become apparent when I now have to talk to peers that started before me, the same time as me and after me.

These dynamic changes didn’t come from nowhere. Of course not. I knew them way before, or rather, I had an understanding of what possibly could come. Everyday before I started my new role I twisted and turned visualizing conversations and ideas that I wanted to execute once I got going.

So what has happened? I’ve decided to fokus on personal development, something that I’m passionate about in my own life. Finding the things that allowed me to unlock what makes me the best version of me, what drives me and what motivates me. While I could ask each person what those things are, and I did, finding them through other conversations are key. Adjusting the skill matrix in my head constantly to pick up on what and what not would work best.

Allowing each of them a chance to take responsibility and to step up and then seeing the outfall from that. I’ve seen some beautiful things, people stepping up and adjusting their own attitudes and their approach based on my feedback. Feedback that comes both from what I want to see, my praise, my criticism and the company perspective.

Another thing is the adjustment towards clients. A major change has been analyzing each client beforehand. Giving in major and minor pros and cons no matter what. Not being afraid to air those out beforehand and prepare both before, during and after the start of new projects. Understanding what the client might feel, their needs, wants and fears. Often it’s the last one, fear, that we need to overcome. No matter if that fear comes from change or from feeling left out or like they’re not doing “enough”. Seeing those things and adjusting those things is always a challenge, but it’s a challenge that I’ve welcomed. It is a process but that process is in full-swing and each day we get new data-points and new solutions constantly appears.

Finally. Budget. At surface level it’s not fun. But dig into it it’s one of those things that really unlocks everything. It ties into the new dynamic, it becomes “how do we plan vacations during summer”, it effects the mental health of the team, it shows up towards how we handle clients… all and all it effects all the things I’ve written so far. All of these things tend to be indirect but the lines are easy to draw.

It’s been a ride. It’s going to keep going and that’s what I want. I know I’m there, no matter what comes up my job today is to figure out a solution. That solution today falls and stands with me and with the strengths of my team. But as things changes that team needs to become stronger, smarter, faster and be able to adjust as fast as possible. Right now we are in a position where those changes happens fast and where we should be able to act equally fast with our current size. So while it’s a ride it’s also a ride that goes super fast. And as an end note I neither need nor want that to slow down or change. I live for this.