It’s Hard Times Working as a Creative in Greece

Finding the courage to create in an hour of true bleakness, is a testament to all creative minds in this country that keep doing what they do, exceptionally well.

The recent developments in Greece that have called for a referendum vote next Sunday, a week-long bank holiday, and capital control imposed on our banking system, have Greece and its people flying untethered. Within hours we have received a number of emails, phone calls, WhatsApp messages and SMS’ from clients, here and abroad, expressing concern, interest, worry, and in some cases even panic.  While their concern about our well-being was enormously touching, to all our clients here and abroad we say keep calm. Why? Because we will keep working! We take control over the few things we can, and that is our creative thinking, our collective skills and talents, our running projects, and ultimately the quality work that we can and have produced. This is something that all creative agencies are doing in Greece, it’s not just us. So hats off to all of our colleagues!

It is rather natural to question the ability of people to perform, especially creatively, under such circumstances, but work, we feel, is the only remedy to any and all situations.  So yes, we don’t know how we will conduct our business transactions, or in what currency for that matter, we do not know who will be governing our country next week, or what the wise Gods of political Olympus will decide, but we refuse to let any of that affect our only constant, which is our work and our ability to create.  Not as a political stance, politics we feel are as stale as day-old bread, but as an action, instead of a reaction, to the recent developments in our country.  Not as a misguided sense of optimism, but because we find it far more constructive to delve into design rather than getting lost in the headlines, we find it far more interesting producing copy instead of reading dooms-day articles, we find it far more dignified to press on.

So, to all our clients, associates, colleagues, friends and family, we say that as far as we are concerned there is no reason for alarm. We will be fine.  If nothing else working in Greece all these years, despite all odds, has taught us how to make the best out of a bad situation. How to grow with just a few resources,  how to persevere, how to cancel-out the noise. It has taught us how to think creatively – and that you can take to the bank, whenever it does decide to open. 🙂