In the last post, I talked about the two kids who fought over an orange and eventually figured out that one wanted the peel and the other wanted the fruit inside.  In a similar way creatives and technical artists want two different parts of the same whole: a great process or an amazing end result.

We both want the service to be amazing and moving, yet we both have a very different focus for how to get there.  So how do we go after this ideal from our different vantage points?  Here are some ideas:

Technical Artists:  Explain what you need

For you technical artists out there, in order for the process to get better, you need to be talking with your creative counterparts about what you need.  And not just a list of demands, but a conversation about why certain deadlines matter or helping people understand why the budget is bigger than expected.

If your process isn’t the best now, is there something you could do to help make it better?

Creatives:  Work hard at giving your team what they need.

Most technical people I know aren’t just making up deadlines and budget numbers out of thin air, they actually mean something.  If you are someone who is creating services, work hard at understanding what a process could look like for your production team, then work really hard to provide them with what they need.

If the technical artists on your team feel like you are doing your best to make the process the best it can be, this will reap huge dividends in teamwork and relational equity.  You’ll suddenly have a group of technical artists who are excited about helping your ideas become reality, which unfortunately isn’t a common experience.

Creatives:  Explain what you need

For the process to be good, the production needs to have a great understanding of what you are thinking.  More important than this, is a willingness to enter into dialogue about what’s possible and what isn’t, without feeling like your idea is being attacked.  For technical artists to help make your idea a reality, we need to hear your ideas and your passion for your ideas, in conversational form rather than just a one way flow of information.

If you can help technical artists get a vision for your heart and intent, you will open yourself up to being amazed at what an engaged production team can do to make an element or event far more than you originally imagined.

Technical Artists:  Work hard at giving your team what they need.

As more work is being done of the process side of the equation, it is important to acknowledge all that work the creative side is doing, by rolling when the changes come.  With the creative team working hard to give you what you need on the front end, now it is time to give them what they need, which is a willingness to make whatever changes are possible to make the service the best it can be.

The orange is made up of the peel and the fruit.  You can’t have one without the other.  A service is made up of creative content and the technical arts, and in most of our churches, you can’t have one without the other.

As we get closer to understanding the needs of each other, our services will only get more and more effective…and we’ll enjoy working together.

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There are two sides to any large event.  There is the event itself and then there is how we get to the event.  For many production minded people, the process of getting to the event matters more than the event itself.  Without great process, chances are high that excellence in  production will have to be sacrificed.

From a non-production stand point, maybe we could call it the creative stand point, once we see the idea, if it isn’t good we need to change it.  At the end of the day, if something isn’t working, who cares if the process was amazing.  So what often times happens is the process is the first thing thrown out the window in the light of making something that is actually worth making.

As a leader, I am always trying to balance out the needs of production…process, with the needs of the service or event.  I tend to lean on the side of doing what is necessary in the moment to make the service happen.  However, I have noticed that when we have really tried hard to make the process work, then change plans, I am much more ready to do whatever is required.  If the process has been bad, I am usually worn out from all the changes I have already had to make and I tend to be less willing to do whatever is necessary and still have a good attitude.

Unfortunately, the natural wedge that exists between creatives and technical artists is made wider by bad process.

To a creative, process feels like shackles that hinder creativity, while process is the life blood of the technical artist.

For a creative, being able to adjust in the moment feels like a non-negotiable, while the tech artist wants to know everything that is going to happen so they can prepare.

Like the two kids who fought over an orange and eventually figured out that one wanted the peel and the other wanted the fruit inside, creatives and technical artists want two different parts of the same whole.

How can we work on giving the other what they need, so that we can have the outcome we all want, which is to partner together to help create life changing moments for people?

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