All creatives should spend a short stint working in an agency setting. This isn’t because agency creatives are any more talented than non-agency creatives. It’s because at an agency, creatives are expected to produce a lot of work in a fairly short amount of time. This benefits the burgeoning creative in the obvious ways. It fattens their portfolio and it allows for hundreds of repetitions that compound into mastery. However, there is another lesser-known benefit that’s often overlooked. With time, the creative realizes that extraordinary work is the byproduct of quantity. It’s not because of luck. It’s not because of God-given talent. It’s not because of some fleeting moment of inspiration. It’s because the creative makes the ongoing decision to produce a lot of good, bad and mediocre work so they can eventually land on something extraordinary. If taken seriously, this lesson will serve the creative for the rest of their life.