WeTransfer

SXSW is the ultimate playground for creatives—which is probably why we got the invite. But humblebrags aside, we went to Austin on a quest to understand how creativity and collaboration have evolved to reach audiences anywhere and everywhere. That’s why we made our home base at the WeTransfer Lounge—think of it as a creative oasis—while on the ground at SXSW. To further immerse ourselves in the creative process, we met up with WeTransfer’s Tiffany Yu, head of music, and Julia Shapiro, VP of marketing. As two people who are always thinking about creators and the resources they need to make mind-blowing work, they are uniquely positioned to help us understand where the creative process is headed. Now that we’ve reemerged from our BBQ-and-tacos food coma, we pooled our thoughts to recap some things we learned about how collaboration is at the heart of the creative process, including how WeTransfer makes it even easier for creators to get work done.

MORNING BREW

CREATIVE STUDIO

March 31, 2022

Insights from inside SXSW: creativity, collaboration, and ice-cold margs

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What we heard from creative minds across SXSW was that a good idea doesn’t just appear. It takes planning, tools, and resources. Creativity comes from experience and insight, and being able to organize that inspiration makes it that much easier to formulate something that is authentic and grounded in truth. It takes a team with a focused vision and the right tools to go from concept to reality. Take it from us (and all the creatives we spoke to in Austin): Having an idea is the easy part. Refining it, evolving it, and releasing it is where the real work comes in.

The “light-bulb moment?” It’s a myth.

“The pandemic really opened up working together in a way that people maybe didn’t even realize was possible.”

Tiffany Yu WeTransfer’s head of music

“The idea of a platform that allows you to share your work and progress with somebody, get feedback, get opinions is really, really important. Because everybody knows you don’t just send the work when it’s done.”

Sharpio

MORNING BREW

CREATIVE STUDIO

That said, making a bomb slideshow to present your vision shouldn’t get in the way of what matters most: creating the work itself. If you’re like us, you’re eager to get started on a project and show off your work rather than just talk about how it’s going to happen. You want to jump into the filming, designing, writing, or whatever your medium may be, as opposed to tinkering with the decks that can’t *quite* convey what you’re trying to bring to life. And for the many folks on the ground at SXSW, it was clear that ensuring authenticity (without the noise) of what they’re pushing out into the universe was no. 1 on their minds.

How an idea is presented impacts how it’s perceived.

Having flexibility to pivot quickly and learn new ways to promote your skills on the fly is both encouraged and expected. No longer are you limited by a title or past work, but empowered by new platforms and opportunities to think beyond. You can be a chef and a cooking influencer. A graphic designer and a Tik-Toker. A milliner and a many-hat-wearer. Multihyphenate careers that span industries and promote thought sharing are becoming mainstays as ideas are no longer restricted by their proverbial lane.

There’s always another way to showcase your skills…

With so much pressure to go BIG, go ~viral~, and bReAK thE IntERnEt it can be stifling (not to mention, exhausting) to make inauthentic content just for engagement. The expectations of audiences are becoming more refined—they want content that has a sense of connection, community, authenticity and trust.

…but you have to trust your own instincts.

“I think because we're consuming so much [content] that you do sort of see the same stuff over and over again…and it just doesn't leave a lot of room for discovery, innovation, delight, and tension, which are obviously core ingredients of creativity.”

Shapiro

The last thing creatives often want to do is admin work, which TBH, often feels like a complete waste of time. And even pinging a friendly reminder can leave you feeling like it’s you vs. you as that deadline inches closer and closer ????. Keeping all of your work’s assets and feedback in one place can help you stay organized during what seems like an endless feedback loop with no end in sight. Going over tens of drafts without coming up with a *better solution* – or feeling like you have to chase down your collaborators (instead of working with them) – is so 2019. WeTransfer’s Reviews feature helps you keep organized and stay on top of communication with your collaborators from the first draft to the final sign-off—and every minor change in-between.

Receiving feedback shouldn’t feel like failure. Trust the process.

“It’s wonderful that the world is opening back up again. But I actually think that this is a new way of working and that people will continue using a lot of these tools that they were introduced to during the pandemic.”

Shapiro

If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that we can work effectively with people from around the world. Whether you’re looking at what you want to accomplish in the remainder of the year or planning even further ahead, it’s clear that collaboration will be even more important when it comes to content creation. And with the new features that we now have at our disposal, like those from WeTransfer, working remotely together is easier than ever before.

Find out how you can use WeTransfer to fuel your creativity and collaboration

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“Sharing work with each other as creatives is how you get to great ideas. And nobody wants to create in a vacuum. And if you do, then you’re probably missing a lot of opportunities.”

Julia Shapiro WeTransfer’s VP of marketing

Perhaps our biggest takeaway from our time at SXSW (and trust us, that is saying something) is that creating is pretty much always a team sport. The idea of the lone artist holed up in a cabin creating a masterpiece with no outside input is not real. In truth, the sharing of ideas is what leads to the greatest creations. It’s these new perspectives that allow us to go from good to great. Find your collaborators, have honest conversations, and challenge each other when necessary. If it sounds easy, well, that’s how you know you’ve got a great team behind you.

Creating is sharing.

There was content everywhere we looked at SXSW. It’s literally splattered on the sides of buildings and blared from speakers, and we may or may not have gotten lost in the metaverse once or twice. But the stuff that stuck with us? It was the work that felt real and true to its creators. It may seem like everyone is chasing a trend, but putting your spin on the work is what makes it stand out. Put simply: Create the work you love and the audience will follow.

Authenticity above all.

“If you’re a multi-hyphenate artist, then you need to actually believe in what you’re doing. I think trying things is always important, but at the end of the day, it comes down to the craft and how much you love doing it.”

Tiffany Yu

The last thing creatives want to do is admin work—which, TBH, often feels like a huge slog. And even pinging a friendly reminder can leave you feeling like it’s you vs. you as that deadline inches closer and closer. Keeping all of your work’s assets and feedback in one place can help you stay organized during what seems like an endless feedback loop with no end in sight. Because the reality is, feedback is an integral part of the collaborative process. Take WeTransfer's partnership with Little Simz on her short film I Love You, I Hate You. When the singer-turned-multi-hyphenate-visionary wanted to make her first film, she turned to Tiffany and her team at WeTransfer to fine-tune the script. It took a couple dozen drafts and many video calls before the content was finalized, but the review process itself was a great example of efficient and streamlined collaboration.

Feedback isn’t failure. Trust the process.

“Anyone we’re invested in, we go all in. That means helping to pair Little Simz with authors who have a similar writing style. That is 22 drafts of the script. That is Zoom calls every step of the way. But that’s what I think our team represents.”

Tiffany Yu

Just the fact we were able to attend SXSW at all felt like a dream. Because if the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that “working together” does not mean you have to be together. Seeing all of these panels and events in person only reiterated what can happen when people are on the same page (and not necessarily in the same room). Putting on an event—like the WeTransfer Lounge, for example—takes hours of planning, discussions, and tough decisions. And yet, what would have stopped us in our tracks just a few years ago can barely slow down the creative process now. With the right team and the right tools, distance is nothing but an afterthought.

The new normal is pretty weird. Embrace it.

“The amount of new resources that have come out in the last couple years to continue to facilitate remote collaboration … I think is pretty incredible.”

Julia Shapiro

So, what’s the moral of this story? What we create may change and how we create may change, but why we create never does. It’s about making something true to you that can inspire millions. And it’s about having a vision—while being visionary enough to make it a reality. SXSW will always be a place that inspires and excites, whether you’re building a portfolio or the next great digital masterpiece. And all we can say is, 🤠 hats off to that.

The last thing creatives want to do is admin work, which TBH, often feels like a complete waste of time. And even pinging a friendly reminder can leave you feeling like it’s you vs. you as that deadline inches closer and closer ????. Keeping all of your work’s assets and feedback in one place can help you stay organized during what seems like an endless feedback loop with no end in sight. WeTransfer’s Reviews feature helps you keep organized and stay on top of communication with your collaborators from the first draft to the final sign-off—and every minor change in-between.