Creativity Isn’t Enough Without Communication
- Feb 7, 2025
- 7 min read
When too often creativity, technical extravaganzas and budgets take centre stage, it’s easy to overlook the one skill that holds everything together...
As I began working in this creative industry, I had this assumption that to grow as a creative, my technical skills would be the most important thing (and the main thing) that I would keep developing to go further and do bigger jobs. After all, you can't make gear work if you don't know how to use it... Right?
It's not a trick question, it is correct, but...
As I've developed and worked more in the industry, my assumptions of what it takes to make it far have slowly shifted. While technical skills are still crucial, they're not what truly makes or breaks a project.
Communication is.
This perspective shift didn't happen overnight.
It didn't happen after one specific job.
And it isn't a skill that I'm perfect at.
Misunderstandings in situations where clear understanding wouldn't have been that difficult, last-minute changes that haven't been handled well in dealings, and the challenge of turning vague ideas into reality. These are all situations that have taught me that clear, thoughtful communication is the absolute backbone of what we do.
Here's why I think that communication is the most important skill that anyone in the creative industry can have, alongside some practical tips to make your communication even better.
1. Aligning Visions
Every creative project that has ever existed, always started with a vision. Sometimes this vision is super clear. And other times (more often than not), this vision might not be so clear. Compare a director saying to a lighting designer: "I want this scene to feel warm and intimate, like candelight" to in another scene saying "Make it exciting!". The job of the lighting designer is to take those visions, no matter how specific or vague, and bring it to life. And how do we better do that? Communication.
If I don't communicate well as a lighting designer, I could completely misinterpret what someone is wanting. "Make it exciting!" could mean bright and colourful to one director, while for another it could mean uber-dramatic... backlit... intense... The only way to know is to ask further questions and offer creative options with good communication.
Next time you're working on a project, try asking, "What do you like about this idea?" instead of simply, "Do you like this idea?". I find that it's so important to ask open-ended questions to help open the deep, cavernous wormhole of more detail!
Another way to help align vision is to try paraphrase what they've said to confirm your understanding. We all understand in many different ways, so being able to re-phrase what they've said, but in your own understanding and words can really save time. In the world of graphic design, you could ask "So, what I'm hearing is that you want a minimalist, modern vibe with lots of negative space?". Visual aids (another form of communication) can also help to make concepts clearer, such as mood boards or reference images to keep everyone on the same page.
2. Building Trust
In working with many different production companies, venues and clients, I've learned how much of a small world the creative industry. Everybody knows everybody.
Trust is everything in our industry. No matter who you're working with, you’ve got to have trust to be able to get the best outcome for all. But it's not necessarily easy to build that trust - especially for some circumstances when that trust might need to be built quickly. Trust doesn’t just happen, most times it’s built over time through consistent, honest communication. But how do we build that trust if we don't have that time up our sleeves? Keep reading...
In my experiences and learnings from others, I've realised that people ultimately prefer transparency (even if it might not necessarily seem so at the time), even when it's uncomfortable. For example, when there's a technical or budget limitation, I've found that it's so much better to bring it up early to be able to discuss and offer solutions. Pretending everything is fine, when it's not, only delays the inevitable and fuels into more stress later.
Being upfront about challenges is key to maintaining trust. If I'm facing issues, I don't wait until the last minute to bring it up. But... how can we go about this in the best way?
By offering solutions. Communicating. Saying "Here's how I suggest we handle it".
This shows that you're on top of things and focussed on being solution-based. People want solutions - they don't want problems - so the more focussed you can be on providing solutions with your communication, the greater trust you'll be able to build with others around you.
But it doesn't stop there... You also need to follow through on what you say, because when you meet deadlines and deliver on your promises, you prove that reliability and trust.
As I write this, I feel that there are countless things I could say about building and maintaining trust that I could make this section it's own whole post, but let me finish this portion with one more pointer... Don't forget that being approachable and able to be communicated with is just as crucial. If people feel comfortable coming to you with questions or concerns, it makes the entire process smoother.
3. Problem-Solving on the Fly
If I can guarantee one thing in live production based on my experience, it's that things won't always go according to plan. A mic might stop working mid-show, a bump in could be taking longer than expected due to certain elements, or permits could change that affect where an event can be held. All of these are very real things that I (and I know many others) have experienced.
In these moments, clear and calm communication helps extensively to keep things on track. Especially when so often this problem-solving has to happen quickly and efficiently when in a time crunch.
Panic doesn’t solve problems. Talking things through and focussing on solutions does.
Keeping calm during moments of high-pressure can be one of the most important things you can do. And being able to communicate through it, will set you apart. How you adapt your communication in these sorts of conditions will help you soar... or nosedive. The communication needs to be quick and to the point, reducing confusion and allowing problems to be resolved effectively. Again, focussing on solutions rather than dwelling on the problem is key.
4. Fostering Collaboration
I've always had the opinion that the best ideas are only nourished more through collaboration. You can have a great idea and it can be... great. But, being able to open it to a collaborative environment allows it to flourish even further. No matter how much experience or creativity I can bring to the table, putting it forward to someone else or a team always manages to spark other things I would have never thought about.
But, collaboration - just like communication as a whole - is a two way street. It only works if people feel heard. It's not enough to just ask for input. The environment in which the input is received and heard needs to be a place in which people feel comfortable sharing their ideas.
You need to actively encourage input from everybody involved, making sure to actively listen to what they're saying. As humans, our default isn't always necessarily to have collaborative communication or attentive listening, especially based on past experiences or pre-conceptions. Which is why we need to intentionally foster this environment where people feel heard - requiring our conscious effort.
When someone offers a suggestion, follow up with further questions to dive deeper. And when these suggestions are built on, always ensure that credit is given where credit is due - people should be acknowledged for their contributions.
5. Delivering the Experience
Similar to the first point of aligning visions, we then need to actually deliver on those visions. At the end of the day, most of what we do is for the final product. The audience of this final product can vary from event to event. Which is why it's first important to be aware of what your final product is and who it's for (but more on that another day) and therefore how to best enhance that experience.
For some events, your 'Who It's For' might be as simple as the audience, but for other events like community theatre, I'm sure your 'Who It's For' is more extensive than just the people coming through those doors to watch the production.
None of this can happen if the communication behind the scenes isn't solid. We want every element, be it lighting, audio, set design, visuals, graphic designs, social media (and on and on) to work together seamlessly for the event to reach its potential, right? That only happens when everyone involved in these departments communicate clearly and frequently.
Keeping regular check-ins dispersed throughout the lead up to a project is a sure-fire way to ensure everyone is on the same page. Keep them short and to-the-point, so that they're effective, efficient and effortless. Clear up any potential issues and help keep everyone on track, ensuring nothing is falling through the cracks. And then, after the project wraps up, take the time to debrief. Go through the greens (the good stuff), reds (the not good stuff), and possible improvements for next time, so that you can apply what you've learnt to the future.
Final Thoughts on Communication
Now... I don't have communication all figured out. I wish that I could have been here to tell you that I do, but it's something that I'm still working on. In fact, it would probably actually be worrying if I thought that I had communication all figured out, because that would probably only show poignance to some arrogance. Nonetheless, it's something that I also hope you can work on so that we can continue making a positive impact in our creative, chaotic industry. I truly believe that it is one of the most important skills that anyone in this industry (and probably most industries) can develop.
And no, it's not black and white, like most important things.
No matter whereabouts you find yourself in this industry, I think that we can all agree that better communication means better outcomes for all. And when push comes to shove, isn't that what we are all collectively striving for? What's art if there's no community to love it?
I appreciate you taking the time to take in what I've put down. I hope that I've been able to encourage you to join my journey to focus on communication skills as a gamechanging skill for our ever-evolving industry.
If you're looking for more info on how to communicate better, get in contact and let's chat!
