Dear Anna,

I’d love some advice on finding a partner when you’re first starting out as a creative.

I’ve spent exactly one whole year in adland on placements, and having just split with my most recent partner, I’m on the search again for a teammate.

I understand the pros of having a partner: two minds, two lives, two perspectives and experiences, are always going to be better than one. But as a self-taught creative, I don’t really see myself as a copywriter or art director. I was shit at both, so I put in the time to learn both practices. So what do I look for?

I know the difference between a clear, original idea and one that isn’t. But other than that, what should I be trying to find? A partner with shared moral standards? Mine are low, ngl. Do I find someone who is a strong writer, or an AD, or someone who’s better at collaborating the whole process through? Is there a compatibility test? Are there matchmakers? Is there a creative partner Love Island? Please send help.

Anon

Dear Anon,

A creative partnership Love Island would be quite the show! If only it were as easy as a dating-style matchmaker or compatibility test. In fact, given we spend so much time at work, one could argue that the choosing of a work partner is just as critical as finding the right spouse. Unless you’re happily ‘self-partnered’, a la Emma Watson, of course. It’s big, it’s important, and whichever path you choose will have a massive impact on you. 

But don’t fret. You’re just starting out in your career, so this is a great time to think about what’s important to you and what you need to flourish as you move forward. And although you’re looking for a partner, the place to start is with you. Because what you have informs what you need any partner to bring. 

Given we spend so much time at work, one could argue that the choosing of a work partner is just as critical as finding the right spouse

I say any partner here because I’ve got to admit I don’t have the deepest experience of that very particular partnership dynamic that exists in the advertising world. So, to be as helpful to you as possible, I’m going to talk in more general terms about working partnerships and how to approach them. Which in short should be about what drives you, what you bring to the table, and where you want to get with whomever you work with. 

Start by mapping exactly that. You’ve already outlined a few things in your question, so you can hit the ground running. You mention you split from your previous partner. Previous partnerships are a treasure trove of information on how you might want to move forward if you examine them well. 

You’re clearly tenacious, because you’ve worked to understand art and copy after deciding you were “shit at both”. Though that last bit might not be true, and if I’m right then maybe one for the list of what you need in a partner is someone who stops you from being self-deprecating. What else are you good at? What are the bits of the day that give you energy? What will you procrastinate doing before finally doing in a rush every single time because it drains you? Are you a ‘completer-finisher’ or a ‘blue sky thinker’? Insert a dozen other management-speak clichés here as a way of trying to give a fair picture of what you think you bring to the table. 

Previous partnerships are a treasure trove of information on how you might want to move forward if you examine them well

In fact, think about that as a dating profile post. If I gave you the brief to be as open, honest and funny in an advert for yourself as a creative partner, what would you write, draw or create? Give yourself that as a fun task and don’t just look at the end product, but notice what in the process excites and absorbs you. Note it all, as it will be hugely useful. 

Then, after you’ve done that, think about what that means you might need from another person, and what you would offer them – because this has to be a two-way street. Hopefully you’ve got things in there that encompass work style, creative talents and goals, because they’re all important. It’s brilliant that you’ve got a great nose for originality. A lot of people don’t, so that’s a big thing that you bring into the mix. 

Then get out there: ask friends and colleagues who they think is interesting, and look up and contact people whose work you admire. Stick your neck out. As my nan always said, “Don’t ask, don’t get.” This is one of those occasions when you need to be as bold as you can. Talk to people. Test the mix. 

At this point, we can return to that dating analogy a bit more, because that early spark is important. Do you like the person? Are they funny? Do they make you look at something in a different way? Is there something there that means it’s worth exploring more? Then great. Do that. But don’t expect a perfect match because no relationship is perfect. That early meeting and first flush of collaboration can be magical, but like a romantic relationship, it’s all about the work of making it work from there. 

Get out there: ask friends and colleagues who they think is interesting, and look up and contact people whose work you admire

A good example of this: I used to run a company with a brilliant producing partner. I’m an early riser, smashing through as much as I can in the standard working day in order to spend the evening topping up that creative energy by enjoying other people’s creative work. But my partner was a night owl. For about the first year of our partnership, it drove me nuts. I had to wait a good two or three hours in the day for him to get up to speed and be ready to work together, then when I left the office he’d be driving through things without me at the opposite end of the day. 

But that wasn’t actually a deal-breaker. I realised that all we had to do was respect each other’s patterns and then make the most of that time in the overlapping part of our particular Venn diagram. Because that’s the trick to any good relationship – you have to do the work to look outside of yourself, and have enough trust in the working partnership to bring up an issue, discuss it, try to see both sides, and work out the best way forward together. And that work is constant. But if you have someone who doesn’t just complement your skills, but also supports and challenges them at the right time, then it’s worth it. 

And because in this instance it’s work and not love, the upside is that if you don’t find ways through the incompatibilities, you can split more easily from your partner. You don’t have to worry about who gets the kids/cat/house. You may have to fight over your D&AD Pencil, but there are worse things in life to have conflicts over. It’s worth the work. After all, the don of all evolution, Charles Darwin, notes that “it is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed”. 

What about polyamory? What in this marvellous, modern world is stopping you from thinking about different teammates for different projects or clients?

Finally, I’m going to throw in a curveball for you in your quest to find a teammate: what about polyamory? Again, not in the love sense. I saw a Louis Theroux documentary about that once and it just seemed too exhausting. But what in this marvellous, modern world is stopping you from thinking about different teammates for different projects or clients? 

This is a lot, I know. But remember that if “it takes two flints to make a fire” (Louisa May Alcott), then surely there’s a potential creative blaze awaiting you if you can strike with more people. A bit like The A-Team. Different characters for different challenges that, despite a lot of misfits, end up being entertainingly brilliant. 

That particular path is, of course, for you to choose. Either way, I hope you love it when your plan comes together.

Anna

Anna Higgs is head of entertainment at Facebook. If you have a question for her, send it via CR’s social channels, or email [email protected]