"Ego is the number one attribute that hinders brilliant work"

"This means you haven't succumb to the thing that gets lots of great creatives. Ego. For me, ego is the number one attribute that hinders brilliant work. It stops people from learning, discovering, and listening to others. Humility is a great trait to have as a creative person and it sounds like you have it in spades. There's nothing wrong with respecting your peers or looking up to them."

"And stagnating as a creative is the worst thing that can happen. Don't forget this is a career - you want it to last another 30 years. I recently attended a session with Amanda Graham and she said something that I haven't heard before. "If you look at work from 2 years ago, you should want to dive behind a sofa in shame." Good creatives always believe their best project is the next one."

Ego prevents learning, discovery, and listening and is identified as the top obstacle to brilliant creative work. Humility supports sustained creative growth and allows creatives to respect and learn from peers. Seeking colleagues who are more talented prevents stagnation, because being the smartest person in the room limits progress. Stagnation is characterized as the worst outcome for a creative career intended to last decades. Good creatives expect their best project to be the next one and continually push forward because there is no final exam or finish line. Small moments of client praise, seeing work in the world, and colleagues' thanks build confidence and should be collected.

Read at Itsnicethat