8 Replies to “They want risky”

  2. Great link Leslie. As you have said in past postings “produce work that inspires”. I often struggle with my agent when it comes to integrating a new body of work into my portfolio or choosing images for promotion. She has her perspective on the ad market and in my opinion tends to sway towards the safer images in order to be more “marketable”.

    If I may I would like to ask your opinion. If a large percentage of ad creatives and marketing executives are playing it on the safe side, wouldn’t that mean that the work they call in for those projects reflect the same?
    In economic down times advertising historically plays to comforting safe values and concepts. What does that mean for the photographer that is presenting creatively risky work?

  3. That means, Rudy, that the creatively inspiring/different/”riskier” photographer will get better/more work. Look, the article is saying that end buyers WANT better stuff. Other articles have said the same about reaching out during economic slowdowns. Playing it “safe” is usually the worst thing one can do.

    That being said, if it just makes you incredibly excited and happy to make what some people might term “safe” work, if it fulfills you creatively, (and it could–some artists could find it a challenge, creatively, to make “flatter” work) then do it.

    Follow your real creative inner voice first. Don’t try to time/chase trends or “the” market. Make your own work.
    -Leslie

  4. Perspective can get cloudy when the phone is not ringing like it used to and that creates great pressure to widen your market. Thank you for redirecting my perspective to following the creative inner voice.

  5. “Is your work too safe?”

    yes.

    BUT is it as safe and overly-commercial/saccharin-saturated-lifestyle as others?

    no.

    what do you think, Leslie? feel free to post here or email me.
    BAM!

    Rocksteady,
    Danno~

  6. Don’t compare. There will always be blander, safer work out there just as there will always be someone who challenges some other part of her/his creative brain. You need to make your own work, not in comparison to others but yourself. -L

  8. Leslie, I like your “be yourself” comment better than your “don’t compare” comment even though I understand both to be good advice.

    Most artists when told: be more inspiring, risky, fresh, or different naturally look to others. If told to be different, who are we being different from? … ourselves? No. Differentiation is to stand out from a crowd. The idea is that we look outside for inspiration but fight our inner fear of creative risk and with a little added business strategy, make it inspiring to others.

    As for commercial or ad work, I’m not all that convinced that clients look for “risky” work. They look for “better stuff” – true – but go ahead, try and define THAT without comparing what others do. People who spend money and put their careers on the line are usually risk averse.

    The bottom line: be a creative genius or work your butt off and fight that fear of creative failure, or some combination of the two.

Comments are closed.