Supporting Creative People: The Creative Bill of Rights

Supporting Creative People

• What is the relationship between your creativity and the people you serve?
• Do you find that your work environment fosters or inhibits your creativity -- and what do you attribute this experience to?
• How do you think others can be supportive -- or more supportive -- of creative people?

Here's one idea:

Creative Bill of Rights by Joan Throckmorton

1. No creative person shall be denied reasonable access to product, service, market or test information.
2. Creative people must understand the "big picture" and how the specific assignment fits in.
3. Creative people need time to work productively...to research, ponder, write, design and revise with perspective. They do not work best under pressure. (No one does.)
4. All creative people are entitled to working privacy, peace and quiet. (Their work is especially hard on the head.)
5. Creative people should be given the opportunity to present and explain their own work.
6. Creative work must be respected. It can be critiqued, criticized and discussed, but only the creator should revise, cut, edit, amend or rework.
7. Creative people deserve to know - and understand - the results of their work, for better or worse.
8. Creative people need on-the-job support, encouragement, reinforcement, stroking. (If you present an assignment with enthusiasm, it will be received with enthusiasm.)
9. Creative people deserve internal recognition as well as rewards for good work. (A sincere compliment does wonders.)
10. Good pay is even better. (It's hard to overpay a top creative person.) You'll find this out the minute you lose one!