3 Reasons Creative Partnerships Rarely Last

You can't buy mutual admiration like this.

It starts with absolute certainty - in fact, it would be crazy not to be partners in a creative venture.  You're outstanding writers, top-notch artists, or unparalleled performers.  You get along so well that the synergy alone would be worth the price of admission.

So you go ahead and take the plunge.  Sometimes, it's official; other times, it's a loose collaboration.  But make no mistake, (cue the trumpets) a partnership is born.

But somewhere down the line - a few weeks, several months, a couple of years - you can't stand of the sight of your partner.  You even ignore calls just to avoid the inevitable argument.  Or worse yet, you keep it all inside, until one day...KABOOM!

You agree to break up as doubts and anger fill your being.  How could I have been so blind?  If only my partner would have (fill in the blank)...

And my favorite (c'mon, say it with me)... What was I thinking?

Simon & Garfunkel:  It was Paul, but was it Art?

Mired in doubt, you wonder how other creatives pull it off; your partnerships never seem to bear long-term fruit, despite early success.  The answer is (cue drum roll, then cymbal crash)...

Creative partnerships don't work, or at the very least, don't work for long.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but you're better off going to Vegas and putting it all on black.  Better yet, put it on 12. 

I hear your muffled chagrin, or perhaps even gasping (nah, you're probably not gasping) as you recite famous partnerships that lasted longer than a JLo marriage.

Yes, I'm aware that some exist, but it's not a statistically significant number.

Instead, think of your creative partnerships.  All those show treatments, movie scripts, books, advertising agencies, design studios, recording studios, post houses, and songs,  They all followed The March Syndrome.  In like a lion, out like a lamb.  A lamb that couldn't stand the sight of wool anymore.

What happened? 

Here is why you and virtually every other partnership had little or no shot:

1. You don't complement each other.  Two people who do the same thing know in their heart of hearts that their approach is the smart way to go.  But you can't have two headlines.  Better to find someone whose skill complements yours.  You gotta fill each other's gaps, to paraphrase Rocky Balboa.

2. You're convinced you do way more work than your partner.  Back and shoulders hurt from carrying that freeloader?  It's easy to feel resentment, but it would be preferable to understand shifting work flow.  Hey, sometimes your partner isn't pulling their weight, at least as not as much as you'd like.  And sometimes, it's vice versa (hmmmm....)

3. You're both creatives. As such, you're more right brain than left.  You jump in.  When the creative juices are flowing, you just assume everything else will fall in line. Unfortunately, it just ain't so.  And when the train stops, it's smart to admit the trip has just run its course.

Like these two on the right, sometimes creative juggernauts can only be stopped by their own hand; well, that and bad ratings.

Of course, the major exception to the rules here would be The Promo Code.  After all, this is way more than a partnership - it's a mutual adventure in tombloggery.  One with blue skies and green pastures as far as the eye can see.

That's my story, and I'm definitely sticking to it.

-Ed Roth
edrothshow@gmail.com

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