Art Direction: Military Lessons in Creative Leadership (transcript)

Jeffery Lawson: As a non-commissioned officer, you're there to invest in these young soldiers and invest in their lives. When you're stateside and you're taking care of these young soldiers and then you go and deploy with them, the things that you teach them will keep them alive.

Host (Wesley Slover): This is the Collab Collection, where we collect stories and useful insights about creative collaboration. I’m Wesley Slover. I think fundamentally people are creative creatures constantly solving problems and discovering how to work with others. Creativity isn't limited to things like painting or playing music; there is a lot to learn from fields that aren't typically thought of as creative.

I’m excited to interview Jeffery Lawson, a motion designer and editor at Bandwidth who is also an Army veteran. He served as an NCO in Iraq and Afghanistan, a leadership role that involves training other soldiers. I wanted to learn about his transition from the military to a career in art and what lessons from his service have been useful to him. Jeffery, how did your journey into art begin?.

Jeffery Lawson: When I was younger, I got into the art side of things. I toured with a few rock bands and did merchandise for them. I spent time in community college studying art and worked at a screen print facility. Then, I got tired of that and decided to try something different. My grandpa was a World War II veteran, and spending time with him really resonated with me and inspired me to enlist. One reason I joined was to afford college, but the other reason was that I wanted to be second-generation military.

Host: Even after enlisting, he didn't stop making art.

Jeffery Lawson: In the military, I found out real quick that people will utilize talents in ways that will benefit the group. They saw that I had this art talent and encouraged me to explore that. Something the military taught me quite well is to seek out those who are willing to invest in us and help us thrive.

You start to look towards people who are setting the standard for what a good leader should be. For me, I gravitated toward Staff Sergeant Thompson. I noticed everything he did and the way he commanded respect through his actions and how he led people. He invested a lot in me, from having conversations about how I communicated with others to making sure I had pride in my uniform.

Host: During his second deployment in Afghanistan, Jeffery decided to pursue a career in art and applied to SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design).

Jeffery Lawson: I used all the art that I had done during my combat tours to apply and got accepted to art school while on deployment. When I got back, I didn't have much time to transition; I left the military on a Friday and was in a college setting on Monday.

Fast forward to now—I regularly lean on the leadership principles I learned in the military. I’ve found it important to seek out mentors and be a person who helps others thrive. If I hadn't sought the mentors I have now, I wouldn't have been an art director for as long as I was. I see people who are hungry and wanting to learn, and I throw every resource I can at them to help them. There are people who invested in me, and it would be a huge disservice not to pass along that education.

Host: One of the key leadership lessons Jeffery learned is about leaders putting their people first.

Jeffery Lawson: Every time we would go through the chow line as a junior, we would always be put first and our leaders would be in the back of the line. If you're out in the field sweating and grueling, and then you see your leaders up front in the line, it makes you feel like they think they are better than you. So, leaders eat last. That builds camaraderie because you are putting your soldiers above yourself.

Host: Jeffery sees a parallel to this in the world of commercial art.

Jeffery Lawson: Often times there is a director leading, but there are junior artists working under them. When you're in a meeting and you're pitching work, how cool would it be if your junior designer pitched the work they spent hours on?. You're there to guide them, but giving them that opportunity builds their confidence and champions them.

Another lesson is the value of communication. In the military, if bad communication happens, people's lives are at stake. While a career in art isn't bombs and bullets, clear communication is still vital for a project to go smoothly. I try to tell people, especially when talking to clients, to be very direct and know your stuff.

Host: Part of that direct communication is being honest.

Jeffery Lawson: Be clear and concise on making decisions and owning up to those decisions and your mistakes. Even with fancy titles like art director or creative director, we all make mistakes. Leaders also need to teach independence and build trust.

We train younger soldiers to think for themselves because leaders are not always going to be there to tell you what to do. The military also trains you to trust the person to your left and right because they're your brother and sister.

Host: Jeffery believes this applies to his creative work now.

Jeffery Lawson: You're on these projects with people days and nights and you start to trust their instincts and decision-making. If you trust the lower person on your team to execute something, they become someone you really trust and then you start to champion them.

Talking with Jeffery got me thinking about leadership and mentorship in my own life. How can I support people? How can I put my team members first or set an example by owning up to my failures?. Projects and clients come and go, but investing in people and raising them up is the real key. People are everything.

Host: This episode was written and produced by me, Wesley Slover, with help from Jake Merritt. It was mixed by Trevor Richardson. Our artwork and branding was created by Audrey Haby, a phenomenal collaborator. If you have any thoughts on collaboration, email us at the collab collection at sanctis.audio. The Collab Collection is a project of Sanctus Audio. Hear our work at sanctis.audio, and if you could use a sonic collaborator, hit us up.