Maddie Raedts’ Top 5 Tips For Brands And Talent To Thrive In The Creative Industry

Our Founder, Maddie Raedts, was invited to be one of the mentors of the London International Awards’ Creative LIAisons, a coaching program that aims to develop, educate, inspire and grow young creative talent. The coaching sessions will take place from April to July 2021, and will offer one-to-one sessions with some of the most experienced and creative people in the industry.

The program is an important initiative that fosters great work and gives back to the industry. “Developing young talent means accelerating industry transformation. It means encouraging learning to its full potential, where school knowledge and working knowledge come together to not only push the industry for a brighter future but also to promote real change in the present,” Maddie says.

Because creativity is a collaborative effort, we’ve gathered Maddie’s top tips for any person or brand looking to boost their creative potential and make the industry thrive. Read on!

1. Diversity and creativity work together.

Social media has fundamentally changed our culture as it serves as a broadcast space for everyone to share their voices. Social platforms have brought together geographically isolated communities that otherwise wouldn’t be able to interact with one another, democratizing the sharing of ideas and opinions. The current state of our culture is shaped online and fully led by people.

We should all take advantage of the fact that social media has enabled us to have easy access to an endless number of creators across industries, backgrounds and points of view, who help us emerge in new subcultures, discover new ways of thinking and refresh our opinions and beliefs. Real creativity is within real people, and living in an age that fosters human connections is a privilege that our creative skills can benefit from.

We are true believers that creativity flourishes when we allow for an open and equal process for talent. That is one of the reasons why we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and passionate about our S4 Capital Fellowship Program, which aims to empower exceptional young students from underrepresented communities. 

By serving inclusive rights to creativity, we can unite communities and break the current barriers of the traditional advertising and creative model, instead of magnifying blind spots. We can leverage creative resources more extensively and create a new way of working—much more inclusive, honest, equal across  perspectives and unbounded by borders.

2. Have an open mind. In creativity, everything is possible and there is no right or wrong. 

Working with different people will automatically lead to different perspectives being brought to the table. It’s important to keep in mind that our points of view will always be limited and that accepting and embracing other ideas, even if they sound different at a first glance, is key to reaching more comprehensive and creative outcomes. 

At IMA, our 30-nationality team is a reflection of the communities we work in, and the end-consumers that we’re trying to reach, and we encourage and empower them to have a voice. Anyone that has an idea is welcome to share it and is taken seriously. Creativity is best served when immersed in diversity of background and thought. 

It’s also important to welcome complex situations and embrace challenges as they arise. While effortful to navigate, they often expand your thinking by forcing you to find new ways, and lead to breakthroughs that you could otherwise miss. 

3. Learn how to make your ideas concrete.

Always keep in mind that although creativity can take many forms, learning how to present it in a visual way is key to making your ideas come to life—especially when this decision isn’t entirely up to you. Not everyone will be able to visualize what you have in mind, which can hinder the chances of your idea getting concretely adopted. 

Over at MediaMonks, for example, the MM Originals initiative invites young talent to pitch their fresh ideas and supports the creation of their concepts through access to the global, company-wide expertise and production prowess. In situations like these, it’s crucial to know how to materialize your creativity in the best possible way.

Therefore, strive to showcase your concept. Make sure other stakeholders understand and envision it the same way as you do—the results will be worth the effort.

4. Take risks and speak your mind.

In working environments, sometimes it can be intimidating to speak up. However, creativity comes hand in hand with taking risks, so this is a skill creatives should foster. 

Don’t be afraid to put your ideas out there and tell others what you think. In creative environments, different perspectives should be appreciated, as it’s usually how the best ideas arise. Even if you face criticism, take it as constructive feedback and use it as an opportunity to learn and improve your initial thoughts. Give yourself (and others) permission to try.

This is true for brands, too. In our white paper “Anticipating Culture And Changing Behavior,” we explore how younger generations are becoming increasingly more educated on social justice and environmental issues, and expect brands to take a stance. You should actively start conversations without being afraid of saying the wrong thing—as long as you are willing to show your audience you’re growing with them, you’ll develop much deeper connections. 

5. Make the time to make it work.

It may sound counterintuitive, but creativity requires focus. So, condition your space to avoid getting distracted: turn off your notifications (both professional and personal) and make sure you are in a comfortable and adequate environment that channels your concentration (with good lighting, in silence or with some music). 

It may take some minutes for you to fully focus on your task, but when your attention gets there, your creativity will flow easier.

All in all,  historically in our industry creativity has been exclusive to some, so it’s our honour to help change that.

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