The Real Secret Sauce to Working with Creatives

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Original article appeared in Church Production Magazine

Article written by David Leuschner and Dennis Choy

How to Work with Creatives and Still Be Friends

The Real Secret Sauce to Working with Creatives? Trust, Boundaries, and Fun.

In the world of church production, there’s one eternal mystery that tech teams and creatives continue to wrestle with: How do you work together without losing your minds—or your friendships? It's like trying to mix oil and water, left brain and right brain, spreadsheets and finger paints. But what if the secret isn’t compromise, but curiosity? Not choosing sides, but choosing to listen?

Let’s explore how church techs and creatives can not only coexist but thrive together.

Different Planets, Same Mission

One of the biggest sources of friction between technical and creative personalities is the way they process the world. Technicians—especially those with engineer-type minds—live in the land of structure, facts, and details. Creatives? They pack their bags and live in a realm where a fork might just be a sculpture, and a deadline is more of a suggestion than a rule.

This isn’t a judgment. It’s just different wiring. Engineers plan for what could go wrong. Creatives dream about what could go right. One builds the bridge; the other paints the mural on it.

This difference in mental processing often leads to breakdowns—not because people are bad at their jobs, but because they don’t understand how the other side thinks. And that’s where the magic starts: understanding the personality, not just the position.

“No” Doesn’t Always Mean “No”

Take a typical scenario: A creative tosses out a wild idea—let's say, “What if we put a live horse on the stage?” The tech person’s brain immediately kicks into structural load capacities, cleanup contingencies, animal control logistics, and whether the stage even has insurance for that kind of thing.

From the outside, it may look like the tech person is just shooting the idea down. But in reality, they’re processing—often aloud—through a checklist of what must be considered before saying “yes.” Unfortunately, to the dreamer, that sounds a lot like “No. No. No. You’re crazy. Absolutely not.”

Flip it around and the creative doesn’t understand why the tech person is so hung up on details like budget, safety, and available gear. “We’re trying to create an experience!” they say. “Why do you always ruin the vibe?”

Here’s the problem: both sides think they’re helping. And they are. They’re just doing it in their own language.

Listen First, React Second

The path to peace begins with listening—not hearing, but listening. That means waiting until the full idea is out before responding. Often, a creative will verbally process a dozen concepts only to land on something totally different at the end. If the tech person jumps in too early with questions and concerns, they may be solving the wrong problem—or worse, stomping on an idea that wasn’t even the final one.

And creatives, take note: sometimes a tech’s hesitation isn’t resistance—it’s respect. They’re doing the mental gymnastics to make your idea reality. Give them time. Ask them questions too. “What would it take to pull this off?” goes a lot farther than “Why can’t you just do it?”

Boundaries Spark Creativity

Contrary to popular belief, creativity doesn't die in the presence of structure—it thrives. Just ask NASA. In the famous Apollo 13 scene, engineers had to build a life-saving air filter using only the items on board the spacecraft. They didn’t have infinite options, but the boundaries sparked their ingenuity.

Church techs need boundaries to be creative. How much time do we have? What’s the budget? When is it due? Those aren’t killjoy questions. They’re fuel for innovation. And when creatives understand that, the relationship gets smoother.

Rather than framing these boundaries as “laws” or “rules” (which make most creatives recoil), call them “guidelines” or “parameters.” You’ll be amazed at how much more collaboration happens when the language feels like partnership rather than policing. For those techs thinking, “How you say things doesn’t matter,” hear me out—language does matter. The way you present your thoughts can either open the door to collaboration or shut it completely. Choosing words that invite conversation rather than command compliance goes a long way. When you speak in a way that encourages creatives to dream and ideate, you're far more likely to get the technical clarity and answers you need. It's not about sugarcoating—it's about strategic communication that builds bridges, not barriers.

Don’t Email the Relationship

Want to derail a collaboration fast? Try resolving creative tension through email or text. Working with creative minds is often a face-to-face game. You need tone. You need expressions. You need to see the lightbulb go off—or flicker out. While creatives will try to handle the entire conversation via text. It’s important that you don’t text it in and you have the right people in the conversation.

Yes, here's a hard truth: not every production person needs to be in every brainstorm. Some tech folks process more slowly or get overwhelmed by the chaotic nature of idea-surfing meetings. That’s okay. Let them join in the second wave—the logistical phase—when it’s time to actually build the concept.

Part of leadership is knowing yourself and where you can be most helpful. You don’t need to be at the table just to say you were there. Show up where you bring clarity, not confusion.

Trust: The Unseen Infrastructure

All good partnerships are built on trust. Not just the casual “I trust you to get your job done,” but the deep kind—the “I trust you with my reputation” kind. It’s the kind of trust that says, “If you’re in a meeting and my name comes up, I know you’ll represent me well.”

Building that kind of trust doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from small relational investments over time: lunch conversations, hallway chats, text check-ins that have nothing to do with Sunday. This is what creates “relational equity”—the invisible glue that holds the team together when the pressure is high and the creative deadline is tomorrow.

If you're only interacting with your worship pastor when you're asking for files, that's not a relationship—it's a transaction. And transactional relationships don't survive conflict.

Show Them the Process

One of the best ways to build understanding is to pull back the curtain. Let your creative team see how much goes into editing that video or preparing those lyrics. Let them sit with you while you render transitions or import footage in real time. Sometimes, watching the sausage get made gives people a whole new appreciation for what it takes to do your job.

And it works both ways. Walk through a creative's process. Watch how they sketch ideas or structure a song set. You’ll learn a lot—and likely discover they’re not nearly as whimsical or careless as you once thought.

Establish Rhythms and Expectations

Success on the weekend starts way before Sunday. You need a defined creative process. That means more than just a brainstorm and then “go.” There should be checkpoints: focus meetings, reality checks, execution timelines, and post-service evaluations. If the only thing on your calendar is a Thursday rehearsal, you're setting yourself up for frustration.

And don’t skip the debriefs. Sometimes the most valuable part of the week is looking back and asking, “What worked? What failed? What do we never want to do again?”

Create these rhythms ahead of time—not on the fly during a crisis week. This helps define what’s expected, where grace is given, and how to handle the surprises that inevitably show up.

Collaboration > Control

At the end of the day, we’re all on the same team, working toward the same goal: to create an experience that helps people connect with God. That means collaboration, not control. Flexibility, not frustration. Asking “How can I help you succeed?” instead of “Why are you doing it that way?”

The road between tech and creative can be a rocky one. But with curiosity, humility, structure, and a bit of humor, you’ll find that it’s not only possible to work with creatives—it’s actually pretty awesome.

You might even become friends.

And that’s when the real creativity begins.

Original article appeared in Church Production Magazine

Article written by David Leuschner and Dennis Choy

Find out more at audiovideolighting.com or information@digitalgreatcommission.org