5 Skills Every Creative Pro Should Learn in 2023

The Creative Ladder was honored to kick off 2023 by hosting a virtual event packed with wisdom from some of today’s top creative leaders, each from backgrounds historically underrepresented in their industries.

You can watch a recording of the full conversation, presented with generous support from Capital One, below, but we wanted to share a few of our speakers’ insights here too:

1. Have a niche love? Get professional with it

Shannon Miller, Adweek’s managing editor for creativity, creator economy and DEI, shared a surprising story of how her longtime love of Archie comics sparked her to launch a podcast about nerd culture from the perspective of Black women.

Shannon Miller faces the camera while speaking at a virtual event. She is wearing a black sweater with a pattern of white stars, has hoop earrings and has her hair pulled back. Inset is an image showing a cover of Archie Comics — Shannon Miller

“I had to learn how to launch a podcast,” Shannon says. “I had to learn how to edit, how to market my podcast, how to sell myself, how to develop a pitch—and it was because of this one love that I was able to figure out how to do all this.”

The takeaway: “It can be really scary when you’re trying to grasp what your thing is. When you begin to really break it down into parts, you’ll realize there are a lot of amazing hidden talents that are built into this one expertise.”

Santi Pochat gestures to the side with both hands to emphasize a point. He is wearing a black hoodie, has short black hair and is wearing transparent glasses. His background is a light-colored abstract painted design on a wall — Santi Pochat

2. Bring focus to how you consume media

Do you scroll your phone while supposedly watching a TV show? Do you listen to a podcast while also reviewing a work email?

We all tend to blur the lines when it comes to consuming information, but maybe this is the year you become more focused and conscious about how you learn.

Santi Pochat, VP of brand marketing for LinkedIn, urged Creative Ladder’s audience to enjoy streams of information one at a time.

“If you’re going to consume a thing, consume the thing,” Santi says. “If you’re going to scroll through Twitter, just scroll through Twitter. Don’t do it while you’re watching a YouTube video or listening to an audio book or talking to your partner.” The more you use conscious media consumption, the more inspired you’ll be by the content, which will lead to more creative output.

The takeaway: Having trouble finding time? Santi suggests listening to podcasts in the shower or finding an audio version of the book you’ve been meaning to read and enjoying it when you travel. Most importantly, always remember that what works for others isn’t what will necessarily work for you. Experiment with the information you consume and when.

Bernice Chao speaks facing the screen. She is wearing a dark sport coat over a blue top, is wearing white AirPods and has brown and blonde hair past her shoulders — Bernice Chao

3. Make yourself visible

Bernice Chao wants you to learn a lesson that took her years to discover the hard way.

“When I started my career, I was always taught, culturally and at home, to keep my head down, work hard and show great work, and that when I did that, I would show myself worthy of better projects, opportunities and promotions.”

“Now I’m 18 years into my career,” Bernice says, “and I realize, good work wasn’t enough.”

Co-author of the new book The Visibility Mindset and co-founder of Asians in Advertising, Bernice urges rising talent—especially from underrepresented backgrounds—to focus on being more visible at work in 2023.

“Throughout my career,” she says, “I was an Asian woman, usually the only female or person of color in any room or any department. Because of that, you would think I would be the loudest voice or the most-seen voice. However, I found I was the opposite. I realized I was kind of invisible. I found myself left out of the boys’ club and the cliques.”

The takeaway: Speak up in every meeting. Ask for the projects you want to work on. If presenting to groups doesn’t come naturally, find a class and ask your boss to reimburse you for it. Make friends who lead teams in other departments so that you’re always building a wider reputation. Find your voice, and don’t apologize for using it.

Dr. Marcus Collins gestures with both hands to emphasize a point. He's wearing a blue button-up shirt and dark-framed glasses. He has a shaved head and is sitting in front of crowded bookshelves — Dr. Marcus Collins

4. Bring empathy to your work each day

Have you ever tried thinking like a comedian?

Dr. Marcus Collins may be a marketing professor and head of strategy for Wieden+Kennedy New York, but he’s always admired comedians for their ability to observe people and culture, then ask why things happen the way they do.

However, instead of using those observations to make people laugh, Marcus uses them to make people care. It’s why he suggests making empathy a priority in how you approach your work each day.

“Empathy allows us to see the world through the eyes of other people,” Marcus says. “That’s why for some, a cow is leather, for others it’s dinner, and for some it’s a deity. For some, a rug is decor, for others it’s a souvenir, and for some it’s a place of worship. Things aren’t fixed.”

The takeaway: Instead of the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would want done unto you,” Marcus says to try embracing the idea of cognitive empathy: “Do unto others as they would want done unto them.”

Daniel Lobatón gestures with both hands to emphasize a point. He's wearing a light gray crew-neck sweater and transparent-framed glasses. He has a shaved head and is seated in a dark room with framed art barely visible behind him. — Daniel Lobatón

5. Write like a human

Even for Daniel Lobatón, one of the world’s most awarded and admired advertising creatives, work can sometimes feel like it’s falling apart at the last minute. That’s when he reminds himself to embrace his humanity—even in an era of booming artificial intelligence—and write his way out of it.

“We’ve been in situations where one day before shipping a Super Bowl commercial, a client from up top has said: ‘This doesn’t feel human. This feels too ‘advertising’,” recalls Daniel, who was recently named chief creative officer of agency Rethink New York.

“At that moment, I think, how would my grandma say it? How would she explain this problem to someone else? Suddenly I’m this 95-year-old Peruvian woman trying to explain the idea to an audience of hundreds of thousands of Americans. And the words just happen. There’s no more truth than that.”

The takeaway: Struggling with a complex idea or project? Distill it down to a six-word pitch. The six-word pitch will keep it short and it forces you to really think about how you connect with your audience in a human way. For Daniel’s former team at ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi New York, that process resulted in one of the Super Bowl’s most beloved campaigns: “Every ad is a Tide ad.”

Thanks for checking out this recap! And keep an eye on our Events page for some exciting opportunities being announced in the weeks ahead!

And tremendous thanks again to Creative Ladder sponsor Capital One for helping make this and many other programs successful and free for all to attend.