Some say the ultimate inspiration is a deadline. Is this something you agree with?

Our latest creative adventure was the conceptualization & execution of Think Tree Media’s showreel. Now since we’re a passionate team that loves going above & beyond whenever we can, we decided to create a teaser for it. A sort of “here’s how we do it” video that showcases our work, our team, our processes & much more. Let me tell you, it was no walk in the park and it was not a necessity but it definitely would give us a leg up over our competitors. It was a random idea that manifested itself during our showreel brainstorm. It was exciting, it was new, it had to be done. 

The thing you need to understand about me is, I like things done quick. Be it a pitch or an internal video, I want it done now. No really, I even have an office coffee mug that says that.

So anyway, we got into the planning of it & it was inevitably time to do what I’m best known for, setting a deadline. And set a deadline, I did. I knew it was going to be an intense shoot but what I also knew was my team’s capabilities. 

In almost a blink of an eye came shoot day. We had a whopping 33 scenes to cover & just a day to do so. The planning that went into it was meticulous. We chalked out every single scenario that could go wrong & set our plan of action, leaving no room for error. 12 hours & one break later, we were done. The showreel came out great! Don’t believe me? Check it out for yourself on the home page. 

But, over the course of time, I found myself involved in discussions with the team that centred around what we could have done better if we had the time. I know that retrospection always fills your mind with the “what ifs” but it got me thinking. If I want everything immediately, it’s only because I’m working in a dynamic space i.e digital marketing, the world of instant gratification. Here we don’t have the luxury to be laid back & take our time. But while that’s true, it’s also a place filled with creativity & creativity takes time. My dilemma is if we need to put our best foot forward in the digital world where do we find the balance between taking time to get things right & rushing to be the first?

They say Rome was not built in a day but I am not Caesar & content isn’t the Roman Empire. You have to constantly churn out content or your consumers will turn to others who are. But from a creator’s perspective, prioritising quantity over quality is a slippery slope to creating mediocre content. Rightly so everyone has their own take on this.

Just the other day I came across an Instagram post from one of my co-workers that emphasised the importance of creative people needing time to do nothing. It was a regular post but one that played heavily on my mind. I surely did not disagree with it because I know that creativity is not time-bound. There are days when you can crack a brief in a single brainstorm & others where you’re up till the wee hours of the morning racking your brain for a sliver of an idea. Since thoughts aren’t tangible it’s difficult to measure & account for all the factors that impact creativity. It could be the brief, the team, their interests & the list goes on, but we will never have a conclusive projection of what direction creativity will flow in. I mean if we could, I have no doubt that we’d have endless research on the matter by now.

I’m no subject matter expert on this but I do believe that in the endless struggle between creators & deadlines, one thing is certain, your mindset plays a key role. Free-flowing imagination might be easy when it is just art for the sake of art, but when we’re talking about imagination bound by limitations as present in any creative business, it’s a chance to hone your skills. 

For instance, with every brief comes a set of requirements but it is a true test of your creativity to create something great while trying to find a way around these limitations. It challenges you to think out of the box, find the loopholes & exercise your abilities which, I believe, can never end in failure. Because if you nailed the brief against all odds, great, but if you didn’t you have something new to learn from & knowledge is never wasteful. 

New projects are going to come our way & along with them new challenges. We may not always have the same approach or the perfect process but, hey, that’s just a new opportunity to test ourselves. At the end of the day, what can anyone really do other than try their best to think fast & think smart, right?