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“I am not my work”. Try repeating this. It sounds dumb but it could be helpful. The feedback is about the work, not you.
Edit: I understand the challenge. I ask my team to care A LOT about the work. I’m asking you to care about yourself more.
Tsk. What a nice (and true!) response 👆🏼
Chief
I don’t get so anxious that reading client comments is difficult, but my anxiety definitely kicks in when I see they’ve responded with “notes.”
I’ve been in this biz for many, many years and I still feel my blood boil every time I read client comments. You need to take a deep breath as you look at the feedback and remind yourself to pick and choose your battles. Everything is subjective and a line you loved may not resonate with your client at all. It’s a matter of deciding that you can live with some comments and be willing to stand up and argue with others. If the clients still insist on making ridiculous changes after you’ve stated your case, then consider them advised and you’ve done your job.
Yup. You can serve them filet mignon but if they still want a greasy burger, that’s their choice.
Lexapro had personally helped me. My anxiety was bad and figured it was time to really treat it. I’m on a low dosage and it has helped me manage things more head on at work
You guys put these long responses on via mobile or on desktop? I could never thumb type this much.
🙃
Never take it personally. The client asks you to do the job because you are the one who knows how to do it, so their comments will never be a reflection of the professional you are. Of course, if the feedback comes from another professional, the story changes, but the best I can recommend is to try to see what you can learn from that feedback and not be so hard on yourself. If you need some time to process all the comments, take it.
It's always disconcerting when the client feedback is negative to the point of causing anxiety.
My first thought is to look at the process. Preparation brings the best outcomes.
Client and creatives ought to be in lock step. Nothing should be a nail biter, sitting-at-the-edge-of-your-seat kinda surprise. Creative briefs start the process along with a strategy deck, brainstorms, mood boards and plenty of check ins.
The ideas sold to the client feed the executions. And creatives should pull up a seat for the client to partner, contribute and react along the way.
Client quirks of personal taste can throw a wrench at the work, but then we need to remind them of all the prep that came before that was agreed upon. Remaining faithful to the work, client personal taste should not undo all that thought and effort to appeal to their audience.
The prep work is paramount. Easier with the clients that are more trusting and understand the process, but an important bridge between us and them, managing expectations all around and minimizing missing the mark.
Crazy clients are out there, and the above doesn't work so well for them. Recognizing that can bring some perspective and solace, hopefully, in that you and your team did your best.
So well said!!! I feel like my best client relationships are those where the account team really take ownership of helping keep the client in lockstep with the agency team.
highly recommend that you take up meditation and journaling along with doing work that is just for you.
you are paid for work that someone else owns and that will require collaboration and letting go of criticism and changes that don’t align with your personal vision. there will be times when someone will see your work and leave it untouched but that is rare and not what the experience of advertising is mostly about.
you should cultivate work that is your own to bring you joy and know that no one else can affect what you want to put out as your vision. at the same time cultivate a practice of meditation that is focused on letting go which will help with the stress.
hopefully you will find a way and time when challenging feedback is less, but there is little accounting for taste. if you have your own work that is separate from work you will flex the creative muscles in ways you love and no one can comment on it.
breathe and find joy outside of the work and it will bring a greater ease to the work you are paid to do.
To have self esteem, we need to do esteemable things. Do things outside of work to build your self worth, and you won’t feel destroyed by feedback.
well I didn't want the answer to this question to be "get a side project"🥲
My response wasn’t meant to be mean. When nothing changes (especially us), nothing changes. Were you looking for validation and comfort or a solution?
I can relate big time. It seems a lot of responses are assuming the source of your anxiety is that client feedback diminishes your sense of self worth.
Not sure about you, but that’s not it for me. For me, it’s more about understanding how to course correct when the work is really thoughtful and follows a course of logic. Like, are we supposed to just start all over?
Specifically, it helps me to just listen/skim/ stay quiet while they give all their feedback. Then I take time away from it to try and cool off.
yeah, the self esteem thing hasn't come across my mind. looking for more mental toughness tips. this helps!
Everything you ever create will elicit reactions from other people, your ability to face, digest and reconcile that feedback will make you much more talented. It’s a trap to dismiss all notes as bad. Some are. Some are good and make things better if you are really open minded. Clients are tough because it’s their call end of day and they will have rough feedback. But the more you face feedback, the less it bothers you. It’s just their opinion of an idea, not you.