Let’s talk about process. Not the soul-sucking, bureaucratic kind. I mean the kind that clears the clutter, fuels your brain, and quietly whispers, “Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
Jannine Purkiss challenges the age-old myth that process kills creativity. She says process should not crush creativity; it should make space for it (Image supplied)
We’re in a world where budgets are shrinking, but the expectations? Oh, they’re thriving. Teams are under pressure to be faster, sharper, and yes—still outrageously creative.
So, how do we keep the magic alive without burning out?
Spoiler: It’s all in the process
Here’s the thing: I do my best thinking inside a routine. Give me structure, and suddenly I’m MacGyvering creative solutions before 9 am.
It’s in those predictable moments—coffee brewed, inbox sorted, calendar aligned—that my brain starts dancing.
Ideas show up because the chaos doesn’t.
So let’s challenge the age-old myth: Process kills creativity.
What if we saw process not as a prison, but as a playground? Imagine a space where you can colour outside the lines, invent wildly, dream big—and when you’re done, everything gets neatly packed away, ready for tomorrow’s genius.
The broken crayons get replaced.
The paints are fresh.
The magic is prepped and waiting.
That’s what process should do. It should make space for creativity, not crush it.
Einstein put it best: “Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure”.
The business case for process-driven creativity
Creative output—whether it’s a viral TV ad, a finely tuned media schedule, or a Beyoncé-level pitch deck—has one thing in common: the deadline.
And while the creative act might feel like lightning in a bottle, the real power lies in having a bottle ready before the storm hits.
Let’s talk data (because I love a good stat, almost as much as a colour-coded Trello board):
75% of employees feel pressured to be productive rather than creative at work.Only 25% of work time is spent creating.The biggest creativity killer? Lack of time.77% of creative teams say speed is their top challenge.And yet—65% of creative pros are juggling new responsibilities.*
Time. That’s the thread. It’s not just the enemy of creativity—it’s the whole battlefield.
And process? That’s your armour.
The real creative geniuses wear headsets
Honestly, some of the most creative people I know aren’t holding sketchpads—they’re holding production timelines.
TV producers. Project managers. Ops teams. The way they shuffle timelines, solve resource puzzles, and keep everything moving without dropping a beat? That’s artistry.
And yet, we often don’t value their role in the creative dance. We treat process people like stagehands when they’re actually choreographers.
So who’s leading this dance?
Let’s be honest. The client-agency relationship often feels like a tango with two leads.
Who’s guiding whom? We need to lead more. Confidently. Thoughtfully.
Invite our clients onto the dance floor, show them we know the steps, and assure them they won’t trip.
Process allows us to do that—build trust, communicate better, and stay in rhythm.
Let’s go one step further: what if we invited clients into the creative process itself?
Brought them behind the curtain, showed them how the sausage—and the storytelling—is made? There’s power in that transparency.
The ultimate goal? Harmony
Imagine a world where process enables:
Happy clientsAward-winning workProfitable teams
It’s not a pipe dream. It’s a process thing. And it’s time we stopped pitting order against originality.
The truth? Creativity needs a plan.
And I, for one, love a good plan.
(*Source: Linearity’s Creativity Stats)
