Approaching the “New Normal”

I would say right off the bat that I hate that term, the “New Normal” as it makes it seem like something we volunteered for.

And it wasn’t.
And it isn’t.

There is nothing ‘normal’ about these last 6 weeks.

And there will not be anything normal about moving forward.

Things have changed… and it will be different, challenging, confusing, and – well, a bit exciting as well.

Movie theaters are gone.
Broadway is gone for a while.
Ballet. Opera. Symphony Halls will all be quiet for quite a while.
Comedy clubs, jazz clubs, folk music festivals. Gone, many forever.

Gone.

As are most stadium sports and large musical performances.

Along with the modern office, restaurants will be changed from the pleasant, intimate experiences we love to waiters in masks, and no one near you.

It may be well into 2021 before movies and TV productions return to anything even remotely resembling the productions of only 8 weeks ago.

Does that sound normal to you?

Sorry for the negative bang against the head, but I have to set up what I am going to say next.

(On a positive note, imagine what sort of things will be coming along to ‘save’ the above, new ways of performing, presenting, composing, and producing this art… mind-boggling, isn’t it.)

A lot of people are expecting the economy to just start roaring after we go “off quarantine”… I do not think it will be roaring right off the bat. It is going to grow again, but there will be a lag.

How long?

I have no idea… long enough for us to figure out what we are going to do with all the workers who have lost their gigs… many permanently.

A downturn in the economy means we have to be prepared for what to do and how to meet those challenges head-on.

If we are going to do more than survive the next 16 – 20 months we need to start planning.

We need to understand what happens when the economy tightens and money becomes a bit more precious.

Clients will be demanding the best they can get for the money they spend.

Quality will be more important that cheap when the brands and advertisers get back to it and begin to compete for the dollars out there.

Yep, being the cheapest on the block will NOT be the best way to get the gigs. That may appeal to some clients who do not have any idea of what they are doing or are more interested in saving money than selling merchandise. And lord knows they are out there.

But they are NOT YOUR client.

The clients of the rest of 2020 are going to be looking for the highest quality, most engaging, most interesting, and most powerful images they can find.

Bloggers and ‘internet marketers’ will turn to Unsplash.

Clients with products will begin looking for talent that can make something that GRABS the consumer – whatever the cost.

You better be ready with a portfolio that says more than “I can make pictures”.

Your portfolio has to say you know how to make people stop to look. It has to be a showstopper as well as a credibility presentation.

“Good enough” may not be good enough.

“Pretty damn good” may not be good enough.

“Incredible” will be what the big clients are looking for.

You have to deliver sharp, intelligent, engaging images with production values a stop or so higher than your strongest competitors.

Here is a list of words and ideas you need to keep in mind as you go out to meet that new normal client.

• Motion (Without it you are going to be second… or third.)
• Production Values that match the style you are working in. As high as you possibly can make them. If you have to spend money to get what you want, you will have to spend a bit more now.
• Clean… we all know what that means. No flaws in your work. None.
• Concise presentations. Showing just the images you need to show will be more powerful than showing a lot of images that are just passable. 400 image tabs are no longer gonna cut it.
• Outside the box… push the envelope… whatever you call it. Be LIT… just make images that capture the imagination, the emotion of the subject, and the engagement of the viewer.
• A real, deliberate, professional, no bullshit marketing strategy with a commitment to getting what needs to be done. Haphazard marketing = no gigs. Bold, exciting, and fresh marketing will get you a chance at the gig.
• Imagination: You have to show yours under a long lens… be sure it shows in everything you do.
• Pricing: cutting your price will NOT get you the important gigs.

Yeah, I think you should think about raising your prices. Raise them to show more value – because you are going to deliver more value.

There are ways to make your work more attractive without cutting fees.

Offer more.

Art direction.
Become a director.
Make motion that goes viral.
Tell stories – tell them with visuals, audio, print… everything is now in your ‘arsenal’
Create content beyond what is considered in ‘your lane’.
Stop wondering what you cannot do and surprise yourself with what you can do.
Be ready to give away something in order to score big at a different level.
Be prepared to be very protective of your work – scarcity creates interest.

The above changes were coming anyway, but now we are coming to the end of one era, and entering a whole new one with pitfalls, challenges, competition, and opportunities that we can only imagine at this point.

I keep saying that you must be standing when the smoke clears.

We will see some devastation around you when it does, but you are going to be standing there ready to get to work, to make images that you MUST make, tell stories that MUST be told, and help the others who are standing to continue to do so.

Here’s to the next chapter in creativity.

It will be interesting.

If you need some consulting or mentoring to get your business to where it should be, please note that I am working with clients all over the world and all of them are currently working through this crisis with methods old and new. I can help you save time and money. There is more information on my website to help you get an idea if mentoring would be good for you.