Hiring Creatives

Its essential, but hiring creative people can be like herding cats if you’re not careful. They’re just different and by different, we mean crazy.

You get what you pay for

Paying for creatives is something that seems to generate a bit of confusion. A lot of business owners are not sure that they even need to work with experts because they make the mistake of thinking that it’s easy to be a creative. However, creatives are all (mostly) extremely skilled, and the true professionals will always have the ability to generate measurable ROI from their work. Its a good idea to know how to work with creatives, read this.

However, just like wine or cheese, you do get what you pay for. In almost every possible way, you just cannot go cheap on creatives. While there are some types of work done by creatives on which keep the budget tight or seek out cheaper work, or even try to do yourself, you’ll generally discover that the best results come from a collaboration with individuals who are good at what they do, and know what to ask for their work. (Mueller, 2014)

Remember, however, that it isn’t just a matter of hiring the most expensive team or individual. It is collaboration, and creatives are solving your problems. This means you have to contribute to the process by making it very clear just what problems must be solved. Outlining your vision, helping them with issues like storytelling and overall design concepts, and communicating professionally will yield the very best outcomes. In the end, hiring the right creatives ends up being more a matter of time and talent – their time and talent, as well as your own. Here’s another article on why you should consider paying for creative.

While you can find providers who are good and fast or good and cheap, you may not find them all in one, i.e. good, cheap and fast. Which element is the least important? That is up to you to decide. If you keep in mind that you are getting what you pay for, and that you have to contribute towards the success of the work, the idea of “fast” becomes arbitrary. The schedule will need to accommodate the creative process and this involves more than just the work – there is the need to think about the problem and develop solutions. That really changes the whole issue.

The best production creatives have their hearts in their work, and maintain a high work ethic. Whether doing high quality cinematography for a video or working on the development of a website design, they are going to do the physical work. However, don’t overlook the creative process, which is the thought process. You will be able to hire good, cheap, and relatively fast professionals for your business needs in Texas, but don’t make the mistake of overemphasizing just the price, as this is often a regrettable decision.