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The Modern Creative, Sixteen Years Later

In 2010, almost 100 creative professionals answered questions about the modern Creative Director. This is round two. Several questions repeat 2010's wording exactly so the answers can be compared across eras. Results debut at SXSW 2027 (fingers crossed) and will be published either way. It might take you five minutes, and it's completely anonymous.
1.Is the work facing the Creative Director of 2026 more or less complex and chaotic than it was 15 years ago?(Required.)
2.Please rate these skills independently in terms of their importance to being a modern creative leader(Required.)
Not Important
Mildly important
Important
Most Important
Hands-on craft (design, writing, making)
Directing and using AI tools and systems
Ability to curate
Taste and judgment
Consumer strategy
Selling ideas to clients
Teaching and mentoring
Building and maintaining a public body of work
3.If a creative leader could pick only ONE of these skills, which should it be?(Required.)
4.If you're a Creative Director: What skill set do you lack today that is holding you back? (Please tell us why it's holding you back and what you plan to do about it.) Or, if you work with a Creative Director: What skill set do they lack today which you think is holding them back, and why?
5.Think about the last time you hired (or helped hire) a creative. How much total time did you spend in their portfolio before deciding whether to interview them?(Required.)
6.Beyond the portfolio, what else did you review before that decision? Check all that apply(Required.)
7.How much do you agree: 'I can no longer tell from a portfolio alone what a candidate personally made/created.'(Required.)
8.Has either of these ever happened to you?(Required.)
9.Do you keep a complete archive of your own creative output – everything, not just the curated highlights (e.g. presentations, prototypes, work that got killed, etc.)?(Required.)
10.If you could ask one question of a candidate's entire body of work – every project, every draft, every dead end – what would you ask?
11.Which best describes your current vantage point?(Required.)
12.Where are you based?(Required.)
That's it. Thank you, sincerely! Results will be published in my newsletter whether or not the SXSW gods smile. If you know a creative leader who should take this, here's the link to share of the survey you just took: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/25BSN9N
Current Progress,
0 of 12 answered