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Daring Creativity
"Set clear expectations to avoid problems later." (Alison Black bonus episode)
00:12:35
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- [00:00]
Host
Hey, welcome to another bonus episode of the Daring Creativity Podcast. I'm back to unpack some of the gems from this week's conversation, pulling out those moments that deserve a second look and dig deeper into what makes them special. As you know, I'm always on the lookout for the moments and ideas that hit different this week I spoke to Alison Black, who's the managing director of Studio Craig Black. In this episode published a few days ago, which was titled Dare to Bring Compassion Into Business, we talked about Alison's journey, how she was a mental health nurse in prison to now working in the creative industry, and how the skills learned from her previous job are now very useful in running the family business. If you haven't checked out a full interview yet, let me start with these four standout moments from our conversation.
- [00:46]
Alison Black
The communication skills that I learned through the prison. One of the girls I used to work with in the prison, a really good friend of mine, Kirsty, she used to always say to me, ali, you are so good at giving bad news. That's what she and I thought, okay, that's a really interesting skill to have. I didn't realize I was good at that. But good to know. So I guess something I've always kind of thought in my mind and to be fair, to answer your question around what do we do when brands come to us and ask for work to be done and a super quick turnaround? I guess I just need to be good at giving them bad news and a really nice way, sort of explain. If you want the quality of what we want to give you, then it's going to take just a little bit longer. Try and meet in the middle somewhere. Here's what we can do to try and speed up the process, but I'm afraid that what you're asking for isn't going to be achievable.
- [01:38]
Host
I love this quote and nearly named the episode Dare to Give Bad News. But I might be slightly askew of what really the episode is because it's very much about compassion and understanding human beings. But it's a fascinating quote because in the creative industries and now look at yourself and be honest. Let's agree we say yes to so many things we should say no to. We avoid difficult conversations about timelines, budgets, and unrealistic expectations. These moments take so long to learn and so much to mature as creatives that we're not always honest. We are people pleasers. I laid that Alison's ability to deliver uncomfortable truth with grace. She's learned that skill in one of the most challenging environments imaginable. It became her competitive advantage because the prison context here is crucial. Delivering bad news to vulnerable, potentially volatile individuals in a high security environment requires exceptional emotional intelligence, clarity and compassion. When she brings these skills to negotiations now telling a Fortune 500 company that that timeline won't work or the quality you require needs more time, it becomes easy by comparison. What makes this quote particularly powerful is Alison's self awareness in recognizing the seemingly negative feedback as a transferable asset. Most people transitioning careers worry about what they lack. But Alison identified what she uniquely possessed. This isn't about just managing client expectations. It's about understanding that creative excellence requires someone willing to protect work from compromise. Even when it means difficult conversations.
- [03:25]
Alison Black
When reality is the perspective of what life can be like for other people. Their problems are so much bigger than that. So Craig will even say to me, if we have a stressful week, which quite often we do in the studio with things like that, the stress is real. I've seen it within this business too, of course, but Craig will stop me if I get a wee bit stressed or anxious about something. You'll see. But listen, Ali, did anyone die? And it's such, it's such a good point because that is when you work in a. Not even just a prison, but a medical setting in general. There's people who, they come in and they are very unwell. They're potentially life threatening illnesses whatever it may be. And there's people there whose jobs are to manage that and to support them back to full health. And that is someone's job who then go home at night and they think about that and they hope that they're okay and they pray that when they go in the next day the patient will be okay. So it does just put it into perspective. I think sometimes it'll make you realize that your problems aren't quite always as big as perhaps you build them up to be in your head.
- [04:25]
Host
So we talked about stress and we talked about good stress, about willingness to do things right because the stress is ever present in what we do. We often have dramas around deadlines agonizing whether blue is the right shade. We got existential crisis over client feedback. You know, it goes back to the previous moment. The people pleasing like how do we stand back and actually take a view of what we've created? Because in Alison's perspective, made in an environment where actual lives hang in balance. And yes, we talk about prison again. This kind of offers a radical recalibration of what constitutes a real problem. Because when you Think about it. It's, it's. And I will wheel out one of the quotes I must have used on the podcast God knows how many times. But even the best surgeon can't take out their own appendix. You can be equipped with all sorts of tools and techniques, but sometimes the nervous system takes over and we get overwhelmed. We don't have that resilience for the day, you know, being emotional resilience, physical resilience to get through the day. So when Alison talked about the fact that she gets stressed and Craig with his compassion just says, look, did anyone die? Is everything okay? Because it matters. Because it gives permissions to creative professionals like Alison or Craig or to you or to me. It gives us a reason to stop catastrophizing. A missed deadline or a client requesting a change or project that doesn't go as planned. These are genuinely stressful situations, but they're not life or death. I always say, neither of us are driving an ambulance. And I'm very much simplifying what we do because of course we do care. One of the reasons why we get stressed is because life gets in the way, work gets in the way. You know, there's no such thing as end of problems. We always will be dealing with something that is going to get in our way, but that's an opportunity. So Alison was quite apologetic about using the word stress in our conversation. But it's fine to be stressed. I mean, we are caring about what we do and trying to deliver the work that we want to be proud of.
- [06:44]
Alison Black
Craig had always said to me from the start that he wanted this to be a family business and he wanted us to work together. But I guess my own self doubt and lack of belief in myself, I guess led me to believe that I probably wasn't good enough to support him. I probably felt as though he needed someone better than me to make sure that he was going to succeed and be what he wanted to be. The last thing I wanted to do was to hold him back. But anyway, we sat down, we had this conversation, and he said, I want you to be the person that comes on board to help me. It needs to be you. It makes sense. You know, the business, you've been there from the start. We've got the same goals, we've got the same aspirations of where we want to be.
- [07:24]
Host
This is really interesting because I believe whatever Alison was equipped with from her experience working in prison, dealing with very, very complicated characters, it almost made it as a fantastic prequel for what she was going to do next with Craig. Let's be honest this quote, it reveals a little bit about imposter syndrome. It also can capture the narrative of talented people from pursuing opportunities. Alison had been with Craig from the beginning of his career. She understood business very intimately, shared Craig's vision completely, and cared more than anyone else possibly could. Yet she wasn't still convinced that she was qualified. So the reasoning here is heartbreaking and universal. I might hold him back. This is exactly how imposter syndrome operates and it's almost insidious. It disguises fear as a concern for others, making inaction seem noble rather than self sabotaging. What was really great to hear that in this conversation, Alison realized that she is very much who Craig needed to step in and work with him. Because they, yeah, they, they knew each other really well and how they can proceed. And what was really great to know that the industry rallied around and there was a lot of people who sent her messages of encouragement to make her still feel like an outsider. Because ultimately, when you think about it, and unless you come from family that has some sort of legacy in the field or the industry, ultimately we are all outsiders because until we step in and spend some time in, we'll be on the outside and that is fine.
- [09:06]
Alison Black
But this is quite an interesting thing about Craig, I guess, going back to me being good at giving bad news. Craig's really good at suggesting ideas that aren't even in the brief. And I think that it's a skill that I really admire in Craig where they'll come along. Quite often, brands will come on along and they'll say, okay, we're looking for this, this and this in. Craig will say, oh, well, have you actually thought about that? Because this would be better. Sometimes I'm on the call going, oh, Craig, that's not what they've asked for. You know, just, they've asked for this, so just let's do what they're asking for. But Craig's probably got a confidence in himself that brands really like. They respond really well to where he goes, I really like what you're asking, but I think this would be better. And I think if you really want to make a difference, you should think about that. And here's why.
- [09:52]
Host
I mean, we all know, lots of us would know creative brief that promises a lot and might not likely to deliver much in the end because it can change. But it's that moment when we step in and drive it. I mean, you know, the project will either happen to you or you will happen with the project, if that makes any sense. What I just said. But it's that tension between playing it safe or pushing for excellence. And it sometimes can show a calculated risk taking is what separates exceptional businesses from just competent ones. Alison's instinct represents how most people operate. Give clients what they ask for. Don't rock the boat. Minimize friction. It's safe, professional, but it's limiting. So working with Craig and working with Craig's approach when he's confidently suggesting something better toward what was requested, requires two things most creative people.
- [10:50]
Deep knowledge of their craft and the courage to assert that knowledge even when it contradicts the brief. What can be remarkable here is that the brands more than often accept his suggestions. This proves that clients often do not know what they actually need and they need someone with a vision to show them. From my memory I always say there's one thing that you want and one thing that you need. So Alison's learned to trust Craig's creative instincts even though they make her nervous, while he benefits from having someone who initially asks questions whether he's overstepping that creative tension between boundary respecting project management and boundary pushing artistry is what produces extraordinary work and projects. The underlying message here is that if you're truly an expert in your field, you have a responsibility to guide clients towards better solutions, even when it means gracefully pushing back on their initial brief. That's not arrogance, it's professional integrity. Thank you for joining me on this bonus episode. I hope you check out a full episode with Alison Black and I'll see you on the next one. If you enjoyed this episode and would like more accessible resources to help you discover your daring creativity, you can pick up one of my books on themes of mindful creativity, creative business, branding and graphic design. Every physical book purchase comes with a free digital bundle, including an ebook with and audiobook to make the content accessible wherever you are and whatever you do. To get 10% off your order, visit novemberuniverse.co.uk and use the Code podcast. Have a look around and start living daringly.