DISCIPLINE & CONTROL

Inside how top creatives build structure around their work and deal with control.

Apr 28, 2025

∙ Paid

We interviewed 14 lead ad creatives, captured over 24 hours of footage dissecting how they work, and turned it all into weekly articles tackling what might be slowing your creative growth. A masterclass in creativity—one newsletter at a time.

DISCIPLINE & CONTROL

Behind every great piece of creative work lies quiet negotiations like freedom vs structure or doing it yourself vs letting others do it. In this issue, we approach these two powerful forces that shape every creative's process—discipline and control. Let's unpack how the creative powerhouses we interviewed in Season One approach these two critical topics.

Part I: Discipline

“I think in order to be in the business of creativity, you do have to lean into it (discipline).”
— Ryan O’Rourke (Former Global CD on Nike at W+K and Founder of Someplace)

“I knew I needed to work in three-hour chunks. I couldn’t get up for a cigarette or a sandwich—I had to sit and work, keeping my butt in the chair and focusing.”
— Kevin Mulroy (ECD and Partner at Mischief)

DISCIPLINE & CONTROL

Inside how top creatives build structure around their work and deal with control.

DISCIPLINE & CONTROL

Part I: Discipline

“I think in order to be in the business of creativity, you do have to lean into it (discipline).”

“I knew I needed to work in three-hour chunks. I couldn’t get up for a cigarette or a sandwich—I had to sit and work, keeping my butt in the chair and focusing.”

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