Tips, news and views from Green Light Copywriting

Can creativity and business really be friends? 31 March 2010

If you put creativity and business in the ring, who would win the fight? David Parrish’s new book, T-Shirts and Suits: A Guide to the Business of Creativity, starts by challenging the common misconception that the two don’t get along. In his view as a business advisor for creative people and the founder of the T-Shirts and Suits Creative Enterprise Network, it is possible to combine both worlds successfully. As a self employed copywriter for almost seven years and part of the team behind the new CreativeNottingham blog, I was interested to see what this book had to offer. What you get is a thorough, well thought out game plan of the main issues. The familiar, but vital topics are all there, such as marketing, finances and business feasibility. For an information aficionado like me, the cross referenced chapters with links to different pages are great, but this multi-layered approach doesn’t suit everyone. Similarly, the depth of knowledge shared is good, but might be overwhelming to some. However, the summary bullet points at the beginning and end of each chapter pinpoint the main themes. The chapters focus on the theory while the case studies bring in the more personal side of creative businesses.

T-Shirts and Suits gives you a lot to take away and refer back to. The reality of being a creative (or any type) of business is that a lot of the time you’re learning as you go along. The ‘business of creativity’ is often about adapting to challenges as they arise. This book provides valuable background and ideas for while you’re doing this.