Are We Allowed to Have Fun Again? Asking for a Friend

There’s no shortage of pressure in this crazy business we all chose. And pressure is SO FUN. Budgets are getting smaller, goals are getting bigger. The work HAS to work, and it has to do more than ever before. Seems everything we make has to solve a business problem, engage an audience, create participation, achieve earned media and make waffles. One of those isn’t true. Yet. I swear if you get a brief that says ‘objective: SOLVE A BUSINESS PROBLEM AND MAKE US ALL WAFFLES’ you can blame me. The point is, if it feels like things are getting more serious, they are. But solving serious problems doesn’t have to be unfun. Funless? Fun adjacent? Whatever. You could argue that fun is actually a requirement to making great work. And putting in a ping pong table isn’t enough. To that end, here are 5.5 tips for bringing more fun back to the work.

1. Embrace the ridiculous. 

Don’t just allow the ridiculous. Love it. Try to create an environment where people feel safe throwing out ideas that are ridiculous. That could mean ridiculously wrong, ridiculously off brief or ridiculously hilarious. Usually if it feels ridiculous that means it’s original, and it just might get noticed. And sometimes if it makes you smile or think ‘that’s crazy’ it means it will hit a nerve with your audience. Even ridiculously off-brief ideas can sometimes be made to fit the brief, or the brief can change. And even if the idea is ridiculously wrong people should feel ok taking a swing at it and that can feel good too. 

One of the things I love about working collaboratively with directors, editors and producers is they just think differently. They often think of ideas that will be unignorable- whether visually or in the storytelling - instinctively pushing the ideas, visuals and dialogue to the most provocative place. They haven’t been beaten down enough by clients to know what’s ridiculous. They just go for it. It’s inspiring, and a little scary (in the best way).

2. Celebrate the victories. And the defeats.

We move so fast these days it’s easy to forget to celebrate the victories. The big ones, like producing an amazing idea. And the little ones, like someone nailing a presentation. Or the little little ones, like a team member successfully potty-training a puppy. This one is kind of personal. 

It’s equally important to celebrate the defeats. Is it ok to be wrong? It has to be, or else we’d never open our mouths (or laptops). We’d never swing for the fences. We’d never get outside our own comfort zone. We’d just phone in the simplest, most vanilla version of an idea to fit the brief in a way that won’t make anyone mad or uncomfortable. So make failing feel ok too. Like the famous Weiden quote says: ‘fail harder.’ And then cheer for it. 

One of the best examples of this I experienced was when I worked at Goodby Silverstein and my partner Steve Mapp and I sold and produced a campaign that clients tested and all the respondents said things like ‘this should be a Superbowl commercial!’ or ‘I would love to send this to my friends.’ And the client killed it. They just thought it pushed too far. So what did Goodby do when we got back? He called for an all-agency town hall and had us play the work for the whole company and when everyone cheered, it was the best feeling ever. We felt like we won even though we lost. And we knew we’d be supported for trying brave things. 

3. Get your empathy on, yo.

Some people need group jam sessions. Some need solo time to think. Some love waking up early and writing. Some love staying up late to create. Some need snacks. Most need snacks. It’s all very personal. And when people feel free to create in their own way they have fun working hard. Similarly, try to give your team members the support they need. It can be a push, or reassurance. Sometimes both. Try to approach things with empathy and see it from their shoes. 

When I was just starting out I had a creative director that knew I was really nervous before a presentation and he stopped me in the hall to say ‘don’t worry, great work sells itself’ before waiting a beat to follow it with… ‘so you’ll need to really sell.’ It made me laugh. It helped me relax. It was what I needed in the moment.

4. Make fighting fun. 

Not, like, physical fighting. That’s not fun. Unless you’re a black belt or something. I mean, I imagine. But it is possible to really push each other and the work and still be ok. Isn’t that how most great relationships work? If you make the work the boss, and make sure conversations stay focused on getting great work made, and act with empathy (see above) a good work fight can actually bring people closer together. We are a passionate group. If no one disagreed that would mean no one cared. We care, a lot. And sometimes (all the time) we disagree on an idea, an approach, a piece of feedback or my haircut. That’s cool. Make it ok to disagree. Make sure it’s not personal. Make sure everyone feels heard. And find a way to offer up a conflicting point of view that acknowledges everyone else’s point of view and pushes toward some common ground. 

When we were working on a project with friends at Frida Baby (an amazing company for all parents and expecting parents btw) we fought. A lot. We pushed each other and the work. But we managed to keep everyone thinking about how great it will feel to have people love the work and how satisfying it will be to feel like we are really helping couples. It felt great and helped us make the work that would get us there. It was fun. Even when it shouldn’t be.

5. Try a new venue, partner or dream.

Get out of your rut and find your way to fun by trying something new. It could be as small as working in a different location. Or bouncing ideas off of someone new. It could be as big as starting a new company that combines creative and production and allows both to work together from brief to ship for great content faster and more efficiently. Actually, don’t do that one. We just did and I’d feel dumb if you did it better and then said I told you to do it. Try something else new kk?

5.5 Phone a friend.

When you’re stuck, tired, doubting yourself or otherwise fun deficient- reach out. Tell someone on your team how you feel. Tell your mom. Tell my mom, she’s great. Or just give me a shout. I’m here, and probably feeling the same way as you. Do something silly with someone, even if it’s just for a minute. Heck, play a game of ping pong. Do you have any idea how much that ping pong table cost????!!!. If you’re up for any of that, or have your own dumb ideas to share I’m here at bob@majesticbeast.com. 

Hope you have a fun day. Sorry for calling your ideas dumb.

Your pal,

Bob