Okay, so this whole Creative Director thing at Diesel Skills hit me fast. One day they’re like, “Hey, we need fresh ideas,” and bam, I’m steering the ship. Zero warning. Felt like jumping into a freezing pool – panic first, then gotta swim or sink. Here’s how I clawed my way up without drowning.
Week 1: Total Chaos Mode
First, panic shopping. Grabbed every design book I could find, watched ten “How To Be A Creative Director” videos in one night. Woke up with my laptop still on, brain fried like overcooked bacon. Realized fast: info overload ain’t helping. Needed to chop the problem into bits.
- Stared at the team’s last project. Not bad, but safe. Boring.
- Asked myself: “What’s missing?” Answer: boldness. Everything looked like last year’s leftovers.
- Made a stupid-simple list: Ideas. Team Vibes. Diesel “Flavor”. Client Stuff. Deadlines.
Getting My Hands Dirty
Started small. Stole (borrowed?) an old project file. Opened it up and just… broke things. Changed colors until they screamed. Swapped fonts like changing socks. Messed with layouts till they looked drunk. Goal? Make it feel dangerous. Like Diesel’s ads – ripped jeans, not polite sweaters.
Then showed it to Pablo, our grumpy senior designer. He squinted. “Hmph. Less ugly than I expected.” High praise! We argued for an hour about why teal sucked. But he smiled after. Lesson one: Fight, but make it useful.
Speed-Drilling The Big Stuff
Couldn’t waffle. Team meetings felt like watching paint dry. Cut that. Now:
- Brain dumps, not brainstorms. Told everyone: “Dump your wildest crap on Slack by 9 AM. No filter.” Got garbage… but also gold.
- Ruthless trimming. Killed half the ideas myself before meetings. Felt like a villain, but saved three hours weekly.
- Stealing time. Blocked two “fake meetings” on my calendar just to stare at mood boards and listen to gnarly rock playlists. “Research hours.” Boss bought it.
Embarrassing Fail Pile
Tried pitching a neon-pink diesel truck concept. Client looked horrified. “We sell work boots, not Barbie cars.” Cringe. Forgot: Diesel’s rough, not silly. Another time, okayed a photoshoot location that smelled like wet dog. Team mutinied. Had to bribe them with tacos.
What stuck? Mess up fast. Fix faster.
Where I Landed
After eight weeks? Not some genius. But:
- Team stopped sighing when I talked.
- Last campaign had actual edge – dirt, grit, grease stains. Client high-fived us.
- My brain doesn’t melt down every Monday.
Still winging it daily. But now? The pool’s still cold… I’m just swimming harder. And maybe growing gills.