Creative work requires freedom. But it also requires the ability to locate files, correctly credit individuals, clearly define rights, meet deadlines consistently, and create systems that enable an idea to go from an initial crude representation to a final product available to the public.
However, too little structure leads to miscommunication, duplication of effort, loss of knowledge, and unnecessary risk. Too much structure restricts creative experimentation and forces undeveloped ideas into rigid categories.
Therefore, the goal is not to choose between creativity and organization. Rather, the goal is to develop systems that allow for creativity without attempting to control the creative process that makes it possible.
Creative Work Is Rarely a Straight Line
Most business systems operate based upon the assumption that there will be a series of predictable steps.
However, creative work seldom operates so predictably.
For example, a song might start with a voice recording, a beat, a title, a sample, a lyric, or perhaps even an unintentional noise. Visual identities can emerge from many different paths. Even event concepts can evolve after performers, venues, technical needs and audiences are included in the discussion. A creative system should allow for exploration as part of the creative process. It should allow for preserving and building upon an idea without requiring absolute certainty prior to that certainty existing.
Protecting the Messy Beginnings
Early creative materials often appear disjointed, contradictory, or difficult to classify. Yet these characteristics do not diminish their importance. A raw recording can hold the emotional core of a finished song. A rough sketch can contain an idea that is lost in subsequent iterations. A rejected design can later be utilized. Records of early work can include who created the work, when it was created, which projects it might relate to, whether it includes third-party material, where the original is located, and why it matters. The ultimate goal is to preserve potential, not to formalize every unfinished idea into a public release.
Adding Structure as Work Approaches Completion
As work moves toward being published, sold, performed, or delivered, so does its level of responsibility.
For example, a song may require a verified title, contributors, songwriting and production credits, ownership information, identifiers, artwork, lyrics, final audio files, alternative formats (e.g., MP3/WAV), release dates, distribution methods, descriptions of the song, permissions required for use, and approval statuses. The appropriate level of structure changes throughout a project's lifetime. A good system enables an idea to start out loosely defined and become more structured as its societal implications grow.
Making the Official Version Readily Apparent
Creative endeavors produce numerous files: takes, stems, mixes, masters, instrumental tracks, clean versions, design source files, exported deliverables, and revised deliverables. File naming conventions like "final" and "final approved" quickly lose relevance. A reliable system identifies the original source file, current working version, approved master file, historical retention data, technical specifications of the file, approver(s), authorized uses of the file, intended destinations of the file, and replacement relationships between files. This prevents releasing or delivering an incorrect file.
Credits Are Integral to the Work
Credits provide evidence of contributions made to a creative endeavor; support recognition for those involved; affect rights and compensation for those involved; and become part of the historical record. Collaborations in creative endeavors can include writers, producers, performers, engineers, designers, photographers, editors, directors, venues, promoters, publishers, and record labels. Collecting credits during the creative process helps prevent misspellings of names, omitted roles of individuals involved, disagreements regarding ownership of the creative product(s), and missing contributors at release time. Relationships established between credits can also facilitate reuse of credits across websites, press materials, release pages on streaming platforms, metadata feeds for digital services, and machine-readable descriptions of creative works.
Rights and Provenance Must Accompany the Asset
Files are easy to obtain digitally; however, files are extremely difficult to responsibly utilize digitally. Rights information stored only in emails, memories, or separate folders will likely become dissociated from the associated file(s). A governed system should link each file with its respective creator(s), owner(s), source(s), creation date(s), permissions/restrictions associated with usage of the file(s), attribution/agreements associated with usage of the file(s), related projects associated with usage of the file(s), authorized destination(s) for distribution/publication of the file(s), unauthorized usage(s) of the file(s), and modification(s) made to the file(s).
Collaboration Needs Context
Collaborating teams communicate via messaging applications (Slack/Microsoft Teams), email exchanges, shared drive access (Google Drive/OneDrive), collaborative project management software (Asana/Trello), teleconference/videoconference meetings (Zoom/Webex), and face-to-face discussions. Each mode of communication retains part of a collaborative team's history regarding a given project. A collaborative system should assist members of a collaborative team in understanding what objective they are working towards; where they currently stand in relation to achieving that objective; what changes have occurred since they started collaborating; what decisions need to be made before proceeding further; who is responsible for making those decisions; what files are needed to make those decisions; what unresolved issues exist before they can proceed further; and what action(s) must be taken next before they can continue advancing toward achieving that objective.
Approval Should Be Clear Without Excessive Bureaucracy
Approval of creative work is not merely about achieving technical accuracy.
Although a mix may be balanced correctly; however, it may still fail to convey the desired emotional impact.
Although a design may adhere strictly to technical requirements; however, it may still feel inappropriate for its intended audience. The approval system should specify which version of the work is undergoing review; which type(s) of feedback are required; who possesses authority to approve/reject approval requests; whether approval requests are based on creative/technical/legal/operational considerations; what occurs during disagreements regarding approval requests; and what uses approval requests permit.
Do Not Allow Tools to Dictate Creative Direction
Software can assist in organizing options available to creators; tracking feedback received from others regarding those options; comparing different versions of creative work; preserving decisions made regarding creative work; etc.
However, software should never dictate creative direction simply because its user interface presents one method of achieving a creative objective as being easier than another method. Efficiency matters greatly to creative businesses since creative businesses exist to create work that resonates with audiences. Tools should serve purposes that align with intentions behind creating work that resonates with audiences.
Artificial Intelligence Can Enhance Creative Processes
AI can assist creators in conducting research related to their creative endeavors; generating ideas for their creative endeavors; organizing elements related to their creative endeavors; transcribing elements related to their creative endeavors; editing elements related to their creative endeavors; classifying elements related to their creative endeavors; documenting elements related to their creative endeavors; developing elements related to their creative endeavors; preparing promotional materials for their creative endeavors; etc.
Although AI can assist creators in various aspects of their creative processes; AI should always be employed in a manner consistent with creators' intentions regarding their creative endeavors. Creators should understand sources utilized by AI to generate suggestions for their creative endeavors; authorizations granted to AI regarding generating suggestions for their creative endeavors; transformations performed by AI on data obtained from sources utilized by AI to generate suggestions for their creative endeavors; reviews conducted by humans regarding suggestions generated by AI for their creative endeavors; disclosures made by humans regarding suggestions generated by AI for their creative endeavors; impacts on authorship resulting from suggestions generated by AI for their creative endeavors; and abilities exhibited by AI in preserving voices represented within creative endeavors.
Automation Should Facilitate Administration—Not Eliminate Meaning
Automation can automate routine administrative tasks associated with creative endeavors (e.g., preparing records associated with creative endeavors; checking missing information associated with creative endeavors; transforming approved content associated with creative endeavors into formats suitable for distribution/publication destinations; generating routine formats associated with creative endeavors; tracking delivery/publication failures associated with creative endeavors; organizing assets associated with creative endeavors; connecting projects associated with creative endeavors; preserving credits/provenances associated with creative endeavors). The ultimate goal is for creators to spend more time making decisions about creative endeavors; building relationships associated with creative endeavors; performing creative endeavors; generating new ideas for creative endeavors; refining craft associated with creative endeavors—not eliminating meaning from creative endeavors through automation.
Different Audiences Require Different Presentations
A single release may be presented on an artist's website/label website/professional portfolio website/retail website/playlist website/press release website/social media website/etc. Each venue presents a different purpose/objective. A connected content system should maintain common facts across all venues while enabling each venue to present those facts in its own voice/manner.
Creative Organizations Need Canonical Data Too
Canonical data refers to data that represents official/trusted information about something.
For example, canonical data includes official names/titles/contributors/rights/release dates/identifiers/credits/master files/relationships/permissions/status of publication for something. Canonical data does not define what something means artistically/creatively; rather canonical data ensures that something's operational information remains consistent across all representations of that something.
Mission HQ as Creative Infrastructure
Mission HQ is currently being developed as an infrastructure platform supporting creative and operational ecosystems surrounding 1st Drop Music/Free the Line/Bear Cole/etc. It links artists/releases/tracks/credits/assets/articles/playlists/merchandise/websites/etc., providing provenance for assets/credit relationships/access to approved information for all venues while maintaining each venue's unique voice/identity/purpose/objective. AI can help prepare descriptions/compare legacy records/identify gaps/develop destination-specific drafts/etc., but humans remain responsible for facts/creative language/claims/publication.
Technology Should Leave Room for Serendipity
A creative system should reduce avoidable loss while recognizing that creative work may deviate from initial intentions/plans/expectations. It should avoid imposing excessive restrictions during exploratory phases of creative work; retain alternate ideas/options/choices for later consideration; foster relationships between collaborators; and allow for authorized exceptions to rules/policies/etc., governing creative work.
A Practical Framework for Systems Supporting Creative Work
Can people easily generate ideas? Can people easily identify approved versions of their work? Are credits/rights linked to their work? Do collaborators understand context? Does approval align with true risk? Can information serve multiple destinations? Does automation protect human attention? Can systems accommodate exceptions? Does technology maintain organizational identity?
Structure Can Protect Freedom
Creative freedom does not necessitate operational chaos/confusion. Well-defined systems protect unfinished ideas/ownership interests/collaborator recognition/unintentional publishing errors/accessibility to contextual information/etc. Right-sized structure does not dictate what should be created; rather right-sized structure provides creators with reliable mechanisms for advancing their work. Technology should organize what must be dependable/automate what does not require human attention/provide room for uncertainty/serendipity through which meaningful work is produced.
Read Human Judgment Is Infrastructure for more about responsible AI workflows.
Read From WordPress Websites to Connected Digital Ecosystems and When Custom Software Is Worth Building—and When It Isn’t.
To discuss systems for a creative business, label, studio, artist, publication, or event organization, contact info@freetheline.com.