Running a business can be hard. Running a creative agency can be even tougher when your work output relies on generating up-beat ideas and concepts, selling them to clients and delivering to deadline and on budget.
Having an ‘off day’ when you work in a creative environment can also have a huge impact on the people around you and their output. When tight deadlines are at play to deliver campaign concepts, agency life can sometimes be overwhelming.
Healthcare provider BUPA has researched this subject, and found that 50% of bosses don’t think you can be a good leader and appear vulnerable at the same time. The 2015 Chartered Institute of PR member survey showed that 51% of senior managers say they are stressed or extremely stressed much of the time.
In 2016 a report by the job site CareerCast showed that the roles of event coordinator and PR executive ranked numbers five and six respectively as the most stressful jobs behind enlisted military personnel, firefighter, airline pilot and working in the police.
Synonymous with long hours, sweatshop cultures, big, extrovert personalities, heavy drinking nights out and hyper masculinity, creative agencies are often a hotbed of emotion which, harnessed positively, can result in ground-breaking ideas, memorable ad campaigns and stand-out award winning work. But the flipside is that mental health is still a major taboo.
Being open and discussing mental health and workplace stress is the first step in breaking down the barriers around these issues and this blog post caught the eye of the Creative Business News team.
In a candid and personal account about how he is dealing with bereavement, James Neale from Cornwall creative agency Idenna explores what he is learning from the experience.
As the adage goes, sharing is caring and we applaud James for being so open. If you have a personal story you are willing to share please get in touch.
The Flipside of Grief… In life and in work
Just before Christmas, I lost my brother Jason. I didn’t lose him in the ‘down the back of the sofa’ sense – he died. This isn’t the first time someone very close to me has died very suddenly. In fact, Jason died almost 10 years to the day that my mum also died of a heart attack. The reason for writing this blog is to give you a little insight into how I responded to each of their passings and it’s my hope that if I can help even one person not to learn the hard way, it’s worth the 10 minutes it will take to write.
When my mum died, I was working at Pirate FM as their head of creative. Our daughter Ella had just been born and my mum was visiting from her home in Spain. She died in transit on the way back. I was lucky enough to have an amazing relationship with my mum. I adored her and she me. I was heartbroken and shocked, but as a new dad and the only breadwinner in the family at the time, I bottled it all up and kept going.
I worked harder than I had ever worked and refused to acknowledge my feelings and grief. It’s important to point out that my friends, colleagues and family were great – it’s just that I wasn’t. As with most things you bottle up, eventually they see the light of day again and it didn’t take long before I was to become very ill and was told by my GP I would require medication for the rest of my life (I’ll spare you the detail). For those of you who know me, you will no doubt be aware that I set about proving the doctors wrong, I ditched my medication and avoided the sustained use of steroids.
Fast forward 10 years and to the death of my brother and my reaction was very different. Now a director in a family business with 14 on the team, I thought to myself: “Hey, you better make sure you’re okay this time”. I headed straight to the GP for an MOT and true to form, they suggested I take tablets for the rest of my life (this time, for something else). Not overly enamoured with modern medicine, I have accepted their observations – but rather than pills, I’ve been through a rigorous programme of lifestyle changes and been looking after myself really well.
Diet, exercise, meditation, support, coaching and love have been an amazing tonic. As I type, the sun is shining on my back, I have just had a three-hour surf (it’s the weekend), a salad (yes, I had a coffee afterwards, but only two a day now) and I’ll head to the gym before the day is out. Here’s the thing, my changes to how I have been looking after myself have made me feel the best I have felt since I was a teenager and they are reverberating into Idenna.
My attitude when my mum died was one of resistance, nothing must change, keep calm and carry on. When Jason died I had worked it out – things do change and resistance is counter-productive. I have accepted the change and used it as an opportunity to look at my priorities and how I have lived my life. Before he died, I was doing too much – a committed people-pleaser, I was racing from meeting to meeting fuelled only by cheese toasties, coffee, commitment and creativity. Now I am looking after myself, hydrated, healthier and with adequate headspace to be at my best.
Jason would only want to ever see me thrive and I know he would be incredibly proud of the work I have put into feeling better. I have chosen to make sure I am well and feeling good so that I can be at my best for my family (and Idenna), who are hugely important to me. I’ll keep checking in with the doctors as I think it’s important to listen to what they say and important to help yourself!
So losing someone you love is awful and if you let it, can send a wrecking ball through your work and your home life. The way to avoid that? Realise that you are the most important person and if you don’t look after yourself, you won’t be able to look after those around you. Accept change, there is no other choice than to enjoy the moment and make the most of the life you make.
