How to Defend Your Creative Work and Choose Projects With Purpose: What the Founders of Polytropos Learned

Valeria is a communications specialist in audio and voice-over. Felipe is a communications specialist who also studied film, cultural management and the humanities. Together they founded Polytropos, a cultural boutique that independently makes music videos, documentaries, series and audio productions, especially about art and music such as Mexican jazz.

In this episode we did not talk about numbers or business formulas, and they say so themselves: they do not consider themselves "textbook" entrepreneurs. But they told us very valuable things for anyone who sells creative work: fear of accountants, a case where they defended their rights, how to choose projects and why patience is part of the craft.

The problems they faced

1.Fear of accountants and paperwork

Valeria remembers that in her first meetings with accountants to set up as an association she was terrified: she thought they would come after her. Over time she concluded that the most important thing is to feel comfortable with your accountant, to have them tell you the truth and to be able to question them when something does not add up.

2.Someone using your work without paying you

Felipe told us they produced a television show for years, with research, costs and quality. A state-owned broadcaster kept airing the show after the contract period ended, without paying them. As he tells it, they caught them, sued them and won.

Their reflection: sometimes big companies take advantage of people who are growing and present as a favor what is really someone else's work. If you are right, you have to defend your work, and not get scared at the first comment that "you are not going to win".

3.Pressure to make what sells, not what matters

In their case, both of them avoid advertising and purely commercial work. Making a series about Mexican jazz, they say, makes no sense for the market because "there is no audience". But since they are not only thinking about the market, but about contributing to the community, they did it, and it became a project they are very proud of.

4.Other people's expectations of you

Both spoke about pressure from family and people around them: "art does not pay", "you are going to starve". Valeria says that when she wanted to study theater, her parents were up in arms, and that was when she had to "take the leap". They did not mean any harm, but there was fear and a lack of understanding of the artist's path.

Felipe sees it this way: the hard part is not combining the professional with the academic, the hard part is people's reaction.

5.Projects that take a long time to mature

It took Valeria eight to nine months to get to the recording of her project, and what people see on screen hides the doubts, fears and rejections. Felipe took years to gather interviews for his book De puertas para dentro, and Valeria wrote a song at 17 that she is only now releasing as a music video.

6.Too much optimism and too little responsibility

Felipe calls himself the "party pooper" at the table: he says there is a lot of optimism about starting a business, but little talk about responsibility. He believes that when a project involves several people, you have to ask yourself what you are there for and who you are doing good for.

He also warns that the first two years of almost every business are "a honeymoon", and that it is at the five-year mark that you find out whether you are really delivering what you promised.

What they learned (and it can save you years)

1.Choose projects with a purpose

Polytropos takes commercial jobs, but with a rule: there has to be a differentiator and a purpose. One example they gave is a commercial for a car brand starring a woman race driver, because it has not been easy for women to break into that world. For them, it is not about money for the sake of money.

2.Do not be afraid of being afraid

This is Valeria's advice: do not be afraid of being afraid, because it will always be there. You will never be 100% sure of the result, so the important thing is to move forward little by little and not to dismiss the small daily progress: today I made a call, a sketch, I talked to my accountant.

3.Be patient: it is slow cooking

We are used to immediacy, says Valeria, but real projects are a slow process. Her image: do not get anxious about your garden growing, water it day after day and before you know it the plants have bloomed.

4.Nobody grows alone

For them, supporting each other as artists matters and a network is needed. They also recognize that not everyone has to be a leader: some people are better following someone else, and that is fine. And if you do not know how to manage or keep the books, find expert help.

5.Do not follow formulas to the letter

About the "five steps to success", Valeria thinks tips are a guide, but that everyone must build their own routine. You take what works for you and leave the rest.

6.Keep learning

For Valeria and Felipe, studying is essential: if you do not update what you know, you cannot contribute new ideas. Valeria just finished a professional voice-over course, and Felipe is still studying for a doctorate.

“Do not be afraid of being afraid, because it will always be there.”

Is something like this happening to you?

If you sell creative work, check this before your next project:

Listen to the full episode

This is only a summary. The full conversation has many more details, stories and tips. Watch it in full on YouTube (it is recorded in Spanish; turn on the captions and choose Auto-translate to read it in English) or find every episode on the Pandas Creativos podcast page (in Spanish).