Creativity Squared: Why Routine Is Everything for Lizzy Perry

Born in Western New York and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, Lizzy Perry is a senior art director at The Brandon Agency. After graduating from Charleston Southern University, Lizzy was hired at Brandon and has had the pleasure of working with lots of clients such as Idahoan, Guy Harvey, Sutter Homes, Daytona, and many more.

When not staring at a computer screen, Lizzy loves to do just about anything outdoors. Whether that’s hiking, kayaking, or camping she enjoys getting out in nature and experiencing the world around her. 

Person

You know how some people say they have a daily routine? Well, that is me, but times 10… I am a very routine person. As in, “No I can’t hang out because I need to be in bed by 10,” routine person.

If you combine that with my incredibly competitive personality, I have concluded that the best way to describe me is that I am a perfectionist.

Early in life, I used to get so frustrated with myself when something didn’t turn out exactly how I pictured it should. I actually remember getting upset in college with my boyfriend, now husband, when he told me that “It is okay to get a B in accounting and not an A. That is not even what you’re going to school for.”

For the record, I’m terrible at math, but it was my mission to get an A in that class so I could graduate with a 4.0 GPA. It didn’t matter that my degree wasn’t accounting; I had a vision of getting a 4.0 GPA, and nothing was going to stop me until I achieved that goal.

Funny part is that now to this day I can’t tell you anything about that class. All I can tell you is that I worked hard toward my goal, and no matter what it took, I was going to reach it. Now, later in my life, I am realising more and more that what I thought was just competitiveness and wanting to make sure I went to bed early are the qualities and traits that have become fundamental to my career. 

While my creative nature is great for my work and career, I also catch myself analysing everything around me. Looking at nature, conversations with people, passing billboards, walking down streets and looking at storefronts—creativity is everywhere, and it is fundamental to our world. I love going for walks, or on a hike, and taking in all of the creativity both natural and created in the world around me. Everywhere you go, there are glimpses of a creative mind on display. 

Product

When it comes to looking at the creativity of a piece of work, it is all about emotion.

What does this picture or headline or display draw out of you to make you react one way or another? Does it make you happy? Sad? Excited?

I feel that an ad is successful when it grabs your attention and tells you a story convincingly enough to want to find out more—to draw you in and hold your attention. Half of our day is spent looking at ads. On TV, social media, the side of the road. And if an ad isn’t compelling enough to grab your attention, then it’s not doing its job well.

My favourite campaigns I have had the privilege to work on came from the craziest, wildest ideas I thought for sure would get shot down immediately. Sure enough, those were the ideas the client picked. I always remind myself of those times when working on a new campaign and push myself to share my ideas with the team, even if I think no one will like it. I think that’s part of what makes someone a great creative, constantly putting yourself out there and not being afraid to keep trying if your idea doesn’t get chosen.

Process

Like mentioned earlier, I have always been a very routine person, and I truly believe it has helped a lot in the creative process of my work. Inspiration is always the first step.

What’s new in the creative world? What new trends can be integrated into the design to help elevate it to the next level?

From there, I usually have about a dozen partial ideas flowing through my head that get sketched out. To anyone else, my sketch book probably looks like ancient hieroglyphics, but for me, it helps to comb through the good and bad ideas that were the conception of what will become a great piece of work.

From there, it’s usually a long messy process of trying an idea, going back to sketches, tweaking another idea, looking for more inspiration, and so on until I feel it is perfected.

There have been more than a few late nights where I completely scrapped the idea I originally had because I didn’t feel good about it. Until I have a true sense of pride in the piece I am working on, it doesn’t get published. On large projects, having a team to work with is imperative. Everyone interprets something different, and it can spark some fresh ideas when we all come together. Sometimes, you just need to talk some ideas out loud to realise it’s either really good or really bad. 

Having a routine when it comes to the creative process and continuously working on it until you have that sense of pride in whatever you are presenting has been imperative to my work. I think having a routine can be very valuable, but it can also cultivate an environment that dislikes changes. Because of this, I constantly push myself to try new things, experiment with different techniques or styles, to make sure I’m not keeping myself in a bubble. 

Press

Growing up, I could quote about half of the commercials on TV. I remember at an early age being able to pick out a good or bad commercial based on the emotions it evoked within. I always enjoyed watching the Super Bowl but mainly just for the commercials.

When I was younger, my sister and I used to make fake commercials featuring our friends. We would video tape it on an old camcorder and show it to the whole family. This was the norm for me in my early years.

Whether it was setting up fake photoshoots for my friends, or filming a spinoff of Beauty and the Beast featuring my dolls and dog (who was always the beast), I was always doing something “creative.” What was then a fun hobby that was something I felt like I was good at, was years later developed into a more polished expression of that creativity—becoming a graphic designer.

It wasn’t until later in life, in my early years of college, that I discovered the expansive field of graphic design. Prior to that, in high school, my passion was photography. Friends’ photoshoots, prom photoshoots, family portraits, events, gatherings, and just about anything else—you name it, and I was probably there with my cameras. Toward the end of high school, I was introduced to the world of graphic design and started to fall in love with the endless possibilities of things that could be created. 

In this industry, the more you push yourself, develop new skills, and are open to further learning, the quicker you grow. With every project I have had the privilege of being a part of, I’m constantly pushing myself to do better than the last one I did. This industry is constantly evolving, and if you’re not with the new trends and technology, you’ll quickly fall behind.

That’s one thing I think Brandon does well. We’re constantly evolving our process and discovering new ways to create great work. Our team is also diverse in skillset, and we learn from one another, which helps spark new ideas. With all of this, I think it’s important to have a process, to push yourself to explore the craziest idea, and have a team that shares that same drive.