How to Maintain Relationships With Your Creative Partners
When nonprofit organizations in Chicago need professional grant assistance, they turn to Creative Partnerships. Established in January of this year, Creative Partners is a comprehensive collaborative effort to offer professional grant assistance to local artistic organizations. Launched in January of 2021, Creative Partners serves national acclaimed performing arts organizations, enabling each organization to prioritize the artists who make their productions significant and contribute to their development as artists and create the necessary resources to create more and better artistic work... The organization was established by veteran grant writer, David Gamache.
Each artistic organization creates an "Artistic Partnership" with the other artist(s). One partner works on one project while the other works on another. Their agreement often allows for one partner to receive partial credit while the other receives none. These projects are done through professional artists from both artistic organizations. The "artist" who receives credit is usually the one who has the most experience in that particular genre and/or who fits with the overall vision of the organization. The "non-artist" or the administrative person in charge of the Creative Partnership handles the day to day duties involved in grant writing, billing, and making the creative opportunities available to creative partners.
The most common creative pairings are Theatre and Dance, Music and Visual Arts (MVA), and Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). Each partner brings specific strengths and talents to the table that make them great contributors to the cause. This is how Creative Partnerships begin. It is important to understand, though, that there is no "One Best Partner" for every organization.
It really comes down to what kinds of projects the creatives wish to engage in and for what purposes. These projects may include art exhibits, short-run/mini films, corporate creative services, corporate training videos, short-run/micro films, concerts/rallies, charity auctions, public speaking engagements, TV commercials, radio shows, website content, consulting jobs, nonprofit project development, PR campaigns, press releases, branding, book manuscripts and creative services. Agency are endless. While most creative partnerships are initially formed to fulfill a particular need or to complete a particular project, this doesn't mean that the partners need to limit themselves to those projects alone. In fact, it is the ideal situation to seek additional partnership opportunities when it is possible.
One of the most beneficial aspects of working with multiple creatives is the possibility to offer creative services that span many genres. Many times, the partnership will start out focusing on one or two arenas. They may find that the genres don't complement each other, which leads to the need to develop complementary skills and to continually explore new areas. However, many times the partnership isn't open to trying out new activities. In this scenario, helpful feedback from the others in the group can provide a valuable source of information regarding what consumers would expect when they hire the firm to work on their projects.
The key is maintaining the openness and flexibility needed in creative relationships. New partnerships can prove to be difficult for some creatives because it requires them to ask questions to ensure that the partnership is truly right for them. For others, however, the benefit of creating a variety of creative relationships allows them to expand their range of skills and to become a more versatile creative partner. They can offer their services to companies of all sizes, helping to shape the creative culture of that specific company.
When looking to find a great creative partner, it's important to keep in mind that these relationships take time and effort to establish. There are a lot of long-term commitments that must be honored by both parties. Agency takes a great deal of trust between the parties. If Agency are looking for a long-term creative partner, you'll want to work closely with your creative shop during the first few years so that you establish a level of trust and understanding.
Overall, creating and maintaining great relationships with your creative services company is important. When working with a new partner, it is crucial to establish a level of trust that will make it easy for the two of you to collaborate and use your creative services to the best of your ability. If you're trying to get a social media company to help boost your brand or promote your business, it is important to have open communication with the provider to get useful feedback. By providing helpful feedback, you can easily see how your creative services company is doing and can tailor your social media strategy to better suit your needs.