Creative Project Planning

I started Essajees Atelier in a highly competitive industry, and it nearly broke me mentally because I was: > Hungry for work > Desperate for clients > Didn’t want to say "no" to work So, I took on clients who neither valued my work nor me. Now, with nearly 2 decades of experience, I wish I could tell anyone in my shoes these 6 things: 1. Think like the buyer: Don't chase every client desperately. Instead, look for the right clients. This mindset shift changes everything. You're offering valuable expertise. 2. Your 1 best work is worth 10 bad projects: Quality >>> Quantity, always. So I would tell myself to focus on excellence, not numbers. A single great client can lead to a beautiful portfolio piece and future referrals. 3. Trust your gut feeling: Energy and vibes matter more than you think. Bad matches lead to stress, heartbreak, and subpar work. If something feels off during initial meetings, it probably is. 4. Take your time to interview clients: Ask tough questions and do background checks. Make sure the client's vision aligns with yours. A proper vibe check isn't just nice – it's essential for project success. 5. Being selective isn't a privilege, it's smart: You don't need hundreds of inquiries to be choosy. Even with few options, prioritize clients who resonate with your values. The right fit brings out your best work, regardless of your experience level. 6. Low conversion rates are okay: We now convert very few inquiries into actual clients at Essajees Atelier. This ensures we work only with our ideal clients, leading to better outcomes for everyone. Remember, we're not just selling a service but actually curating experiences and relationships to last years. What's one thing you wish you knew when starting your business? Share below! #Entrepreneur #Interiordesign #Business #Lessons

I’ve realised that almost everything that works well, whether it's a project, a story, a team, even a routine, shares the same four qualities: clarity, cohesion, consistency and conciseness. Clarity is knowing what you’re trying to do and why. When that’s missing, everything feels confusing, no matter how hard you work. Cohesion is how the parts fit together. The way your goals, your priorities and your habits support one another instead of competing for attention. Consistency is about showing up the same way, again and again. It’s not about intensity; it’s about rhythm. And conciseness is removing what’s unnecessary so what matters can stand out. These four Cs apply to everything. Clarity keeps you focused. Cohesion keeps you balanced. Consistency builds trust. Conciseness keeps things light.

As a creative who specializes in photography filmmaking, I usually receive emails and messages from creatives seeking advice. Over the years, I’ve written down and reminded myself of certain key points with each project. I thought it would be beneficial to share some of these ideas here on LinkedIn. 1. Debrief: After each project, taking the time to debrief is essential. Reflect on what you did to achieve the goals, identify the challenges faced, and consider how you and your team can learn from the experience. Evaluate whether your ideas were too ambitious or if the brand or client didn’t fully connect with your vision. Gathering all this information helps you refine your approach and apply these lessons to your next project, guaranteeing continuous growth and improvement. 2. Clear Communication: Establishing open and transparent communication from the start ensures that everyone is on the same page, from the production team to the client. This helps manage expectations and keeps the project moving smoothly. 3. Collaboration: Successful projects are built on collaboration. Engaging with your team, valuing their input, and working together towards a shared vision is key to creating something special. 4. Adaptability: Flexibility is crucial in creative work. Whether it’s adjusting to last-minute changes or finding creative solutions on the fly, being adaptable keeps the project on track. Remember to be Nimble! 5. Storytelling: At the core of every project is a story. Whether it’s a photo shoot or a film, the ability to tell a compelling story that resonates with the audience is what sets the work apart. Story is everything. 6. Attention to Detail: The little things matter. Paying close attention to every element—from lighting and composition to styling and post-production—elevates the final outcome. It's all in the details. 7. Client Relationships: Building and maintaining strong relationships with clients is just as important as the creative work itself. Understanding their needs, keeping them involved, and delivering on promises fosters trust and long-term partnerships. Remember no client is the same. 8. Passion and Purpose: Bringing your passion and sense of purpose to every project keeps the work authentic and impactful. It’s not just about the final product, but the process and the message behind it. This is your personal stamp and DNA don't forget it. 9. Professionalism: From meeting deadlines to maintaining a positive attitude, professionalism sets the tone for the entire project and ensures a smooth experience for everyone involved.

Most portfolios blend into one another. Out of every 100, only a few genuinely stand out. The format, structure, and depth of thinking in many portfolios are often superficial. They rarely showcase work in a structured problem-solving narrative, leaving it unclear why the work was created as it was. Also, many folios are underdesigned and don’t reflect their creators’ ethos or thinking. They come across as just another folio, or worse, a slideshow. Your work should reflect who you aspire to be as a creator. If time has been a barrier, take the opportunity to create work that showcases your intent, passions, and talents. This is the single best investment you can make in yourself. You only get a moment to stand out. So make it count. A portfolio is more than just a layout. It’s a narrative. Create a clear story about your work, explaining why it is interesting, how it works, and where it is effective. Personalise it. Make it compelling. Discuss each project’s significance and why it works for its intended audience. Avoid regurgitating the brief. Highlight what makes your work distinct and showcase that. Display only your very best work. Articulate your creative approach and what makes you an engaging collaborator. Guide people, explaining what sets you apart and be explicit about what you offer and how you could enrich a studio or relationship. Research the places you wish to work with; this understanding will help you know what you’ll gain from them and what they will gain from you. If you were hiring, why should you be chosen? Imagine you’re hiring. Is it clear why they should choose you? View your portfolio as if you were someone outside the industry. Would they understand it? Review fifty portfolios of your peers. Identify recurring trends, tricks, derivative work, or traits that cause you to blend into the crowd. Address these issues. Look at great agencies to see how they present their work. And it is worth repeating: if you haven’t yet created work you love, take the time to do it now. + A decent basic structure for projects: Create context: Clearly define the problem and how your idea addresses it. Instantly prove it works: Nail the idea in a single killer slide. Highlight the ‘Wow’ factor: Emphasise what makes your work uniquely impressive. Prove resilience: Illustrate how your idea handles challenges. Show unexpected applications: Demonstrate versatility and creativity by stretching your concept. Explain audience resonance: Articulate why your work resonates with its intended audience. Present a vision: Outline how your approach could evolve. Quality over quantity: Focus on fewer but more potent ideas. Create memorable names: Make your concepts sticky and easy to recall. Be authentic: Include only work that you genuinely believe in. End powerfully: Conclude with a strong executive summary that leaves a lasting impression. This approach ensures your portfolio stands out, not just blends in. _

You spent two years on the wrong project. All that writing, recording, editing. All those late nights perfecting the details. All that passion poured into something nobody wanted. But hey, if YOU wanted to make it, then you made the right choice. Artists should make want the love However, if you had aspirations about audience and recognition... The problem wasn't your execution. It was your strategy. Military strategist Carl von Clausewitz identified three levels of war: Strategic: What to fight for Operational: How to organize the fight Tactical: Day-to-day execution Most creatives live in the tactical world. Mixing tracks. Editing chapters. Perfecting brush strokes. But the real battle happens at the strategic level. What project should you choose in the first place? Here are 5 strategic lessons that will save you years: 1. Ask the brutal question first Do what you want to do, but be honest about audience potential. Organizations that emphasize strategic alignment see 20% higher success rates, according to PMI's research. The question isn't "Can I make this great?" It's "Do I want to spend 1-2 years on this?" Your move: Write down your current project idea. Set a timer for 2 minutes and list every reason someone might not want it. 2. Be the only, not the best I try not to work on projects or ideas that have been before. Harvard Business Review calls this "Blue Ocean Strategy" - creating uncontested market space. Your move: List 5 projects similar to yours. If you can't differentiate clearly in one sentence, pick a different project. 3. Stack your skills for uniqueness Uniqueness comes from combining what else you love. McKinsey found that strategic decisions based on diverse data improve success rates by 40%. Music plus politics. Writing plus science. Art plus business. The intersection is where you find open territory. Your move: Write down your main skill and 3 other interests. Find one combination no one else is exploring. 4. Choose projects with regret protection Some projects haunt you if you don't attempt them. A 2021 PMC study on regret aversion found people regret inaction more than failed action on meaningful investments. This is your strategic compass. Your move: Ask "Will I regret not trying this in 5 years?" If yes, that's strategic clarity. 5. Test before you commit Strategic thinking means validating demand before investing years. Share one song, not the whole album. Write one chapter, not the entire book. Post one piece, not the full series. Your move: Create the smallest version of your idea this week. Measure response before going bigger. The project you choose shapes everything that follows. Most people perfect the wrong thing. Choose strategically. ♻️ Share this with someone stuck perfecting the wrong project 🔔 Follow Kabir Sehgal for creativity frameworks

Scarcity vs Selectivity Working with you should be a privilege, not pressure. Business psychology often encourages using scarcity to bring in clients or accelerate decisions. But real growth is built on selectivity. Selectivity brings clarity. Clarity strengthens value. Be selective about the clients you serve. Impact is higher when alignment is strong. Be selective about collaborations. Partnerships work best when values match. Be selective about what you create. Meaningful work comes from intention and focus. Growth comes from choosing right, not choosing impulsively.

I've seen professionals who: - Chase every opportunity that comes their way. - Spread themselves too thin across multiple projects. - Burn out trying to do it all. I've been there too. For years, I said yes to: - Every speaking engagement offered. - Any collaboration proposed. - Every "good" opportunity that crossed my path. The common advice I heard: ~Never turn down an opportunity. ~You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. ~Success comes from saying yes. But I've learned a crucial lesson: Saying yes to everything means saying no to focus. Why did I start saying no to good opportunities? - To create space for great ones. - To deepen my expertise in specific areas. - To maintain my energy and passion. It's counterintuitive, but saying no has led to: ✓More meaningful work. ✓Stronger professional relationships. ✓Accelerated growth in my chosen niche. The hardest part? Overcoming the fear of missing out. But remember: Every yes is a no to something else. Your time and energy are finite. Invest them wisely. Saying no to good opportunities isn't about limitation. It's about intention. It's about making room for the extraordinary. What's your experience with selective opportunity-taking? #linkedingrowth #linkedinforcreators

In 2025, I turned down 50+ projects and took on only a total of 7 projects. Most projects aren't just a fit for what we do. The industry rewards volume with more clients, faster timelines, constant output. But I've learned that saying yes to everything is the fastest way to dilute the work you're actually capable of. When you're stretched across too many projects, you can't give any of them your full attention. And the clients who deserve your best thinking end up getting a fraction of it. Most designers I know struggle with saying no. We're taught that turning down work means turning down opportunity and losing margins. But the opposite is true. Saying no to misaligned projects creates space for the ones that energize you the industries that pull you in, the visions that challenge you, the partnerships where you genuinely care about the outcome. That's when the work stops feeling transactional and starts feeling like something you're proud to put your name on. Quality, passion, and genuine care for the client's goals will always matter more than volume. It's not about being selective for the sake of exclusivity. It's about protecting your ability to do work that actually matters to you, and to the people you're building it for.

Everyone says: “Know your worth.” “Say no to what doesn’t align.” “Only work with dream clients.” But when the invoices are small, the bills are real, and you're just trying to get things off the ground - saying yes to everything feels like survival, not a compromise. And that makes things murky. You start convincing yourself: "This one gig won’t hurt." "I’ll just manage the red flags." "I need the experience." "I can’t afford to say no." But here’s what I’ve learned - the hard way: 🚩 The client who doesn’t respect boundaries on Day 1 won’t magically evolve. 🚩 The project that feels off before it starts usually ends up costing more than it pays. 🚩 The early ‘yes’ that feels like a win often leads to long-term drain, not growth. Being selective doesn’t mean you’re arrogant. It means you’re protecting your time, your energy, and your standards even when they’re still under construction. It’s not easy. It feels counterintuitive when you’re building. But the truth is: not every project is worth the price your peace will pay. And if it costs your integrity or identity, it’s already too expensive. #HardTruths #FoundersLife

I’ve reached a point in my career where I’m far more worried about saying yes to the wrong thing than missing a good opportunity. I get a lot of inbound now, new companies, advisory roles, fractional CMO gigs, technical consulting work. Most of it sounds reasonable, but now I’ve stopped trusting gut feel alone, and started using this framework to filter + decide if something is worth my time: 1. Does the opportunity make sense economically? What does the business actually do? Who are the customers? How does money get made? What has already happened with fundraising, dilution, and incentives? It’s surprising how many people join companies without understanding any of this at a basic level. 2. Is this a problem I’m actually prepared to help with? Not whether I could contribute in theory, but if my specific experience changes the outcome. If the role turns into herding sheep or sitting in meetings without real leverage, that’s usually a no. After that, I focus on the people. I care a lot about working with good people, but strong personalities don’t fix a broken economic setup or a mismatched problem. If the first two don’t work, the rest doesn’t matter. When I do get to the people questions, I’m looking for signals. How they think about time. What they learned from past companies. What they want to repeat and what they want to avoid. Whether they’re driven by outcomes or validation. Whether they’re building a company they would actually want to work at. Most of these questions exist because I didn’t ask them earlier in my career and paid for it later. Being selective is about protecting your time, your energy, and your ability to do your best work with purpose. PS - I wrote an in-depth guide about this a few weeks ago in Growth Stack Mafia here 👉 https://lnkd.in/efhWsvCd