At POT Branding House, all team members are expected to be able to do their research regarding what project they are currently working on. However, it turned out that there was a growing need for research in the creative world, and that's why it was finally decided that research was a separate body within our structure.
So here I am; a person who used to have no idea the importance of research in the creative industry and was completely clueless about what to do about it.
Therefore, during my first year working here, I faced many doubts. I often doubted my capability and capacity. Combined with my zero experience in the creative industry, my confidence was so low.
But to think about it….
Every person has done some kind of research in their life. Simple things like finding out what type of skincare or clothes to buy are examples of smaller-scaled, personal research in our everyday life. Therefore, if we expand it with methods (qualitative or quantitative) and produce valid data, then that is where research becomes very valuable in the industry.
A researcher provides insights that will form the basis in determining brand concept/direction, as well as a validation of the original hypothesis. I learn that our role might be a supportive one, but without the research itself, all the concepts we offer to clients will feel like a hollow space. We are part of a holistic ecosystem, where everyone has their role and fits each other like pieces of the puzzle.
My job as a researcher teaches me to be more confident and explore self-potential that I never thought I had. The more I practice, the more I realize that research goes beyond theory and methodology. Experience and sense are also needed to guide us in finding more leads.
Even now, I still have moments when I feel really inferior since my knowledge is not as vast as the rest of my team. Sometimes, I feel down knowing how my other teammates can see things from another whole new perspective while I fail to see one.
That’s why I need to remind myself that as a researcher, I need to constantly accumulate my experience to build a frame of thought. And it doesn’t come in one night. It doesn’t come as naturally as blinking one’s eyes.
Hey, at least for now I have experience as a 27-year-old human being. Let’s make my experience so far an investment for what I am currently doing now. The rest...just take things one step at a time and we’ll see what the future will be.
