A tool everybody should master (I think): C O L L A B O R A T I O N
Because these days are full of projects i can’t show off yet, I decided to write a post about one thing, I think is really important for everybody working in the creative industries or pretty much any industry: COLLABORATION.
I am happy to work with a lot of amazing people on a daily bases but it is also hard to collaborate in a good way and find the right people to collaborate with.
When I was accepted to study at the university of applied arts in Vienna in 2003, one thing I really was looking for was the collaborations with other creatives and masterclasses as well as the multidisciplinary projects that are going to happen. But unfortunately reality was a little different: we got really pushed to work in teams within the masterclass for graphic design and advertising but beyond that - nothing. And even though we tried a couple of times it was not very common nor really supported by the university system. So I never got to work with an industrial designer, fashion designer or a student that had hardly anything to do with graphic design. I am sure I could have pushed harder but i did not.
Working in agencies I often was „allowed“ to partner up with people for things concerning production. So coder for any web stuff (we conceptualized and designed before), production companies for film stuff (where we did the storyboard), animation studios and sound studios to execute our ideas. But only if we could not execute all those things ourselves.
Only when i went freelance the amazingness of TRUE collaboration set in. Projects where you work with people that are really f***ing good at what they do. People with different views and strong opinions which not only help you execute something but push the project to another level and push quality to a point, you could never do by yourself. And you learn form each other. So much!
Over the last 10 years i think this is one of the greatest things I tried to master really hard as a designer. I think it is not easy to find people you click with but if you do, great projects will come out of it. I feel like it is also a cultural thing that collaboration is not for everybody. Living in different countries over the years I happened to see all sorts of collaboration approaches and outcomes. And I have to say, in Austria it still seams to be hard at times. Either it is an ego issue, a trust issue or the lack of insight that even though you collaborate, everybody needs to have a clear role within the process – I am not sure (still trying to find out and in the mean time push hard). I think it also needs a lot of other qualities such as empathy, or to be able to give and receive constructive feedback, and even if I hate that word: to network constantly and be honest to a point where it hurts.
For me collaboration comes with a lot of energy you have to invest to make it work, but also with a lot of energy you gain out of it. The beauty of it reveals it self only, if you truly respect your partners and if everybody gets enough room to do what they are good at. It seams like a obvious thing to say, though I felt like write about it and to send out a big THANK YOU to all the people I collaborate with on a daily bases.