Creatively Calculated: A Local Museum Professional’s Take on Creative Strategy
By Aaliyah Freeman
There’s two types of people in the world: those who are data-driven and those driven by creativity. Then, there’s Jessica McCadden, a former museum professional who has merged her passion for creativity and strategy over the course of her career.
I recently had the privilege of interviewing McCadden, who provided an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes in museum communications. She also encouraged aspiring creatives to know the calculations, or, strategies, behind their creative decisions.
Jessica McCadden is the former director of communications and content strategy at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). Her job was to share the museum with the world through the oversight of its advertisement, public relations, branding and more.
McCadden, who transitioned out of her role at the ICA in late November, led a communications team of full-time staff and interns during her time. Her department helped advertise a multitude of art exhibits as well as the pilot of the VPM+ICA Community Media Center’s podcast festival. 
Though fully immersed in the museum industry for about two years, her career prior to the ICA might come as a surprise to some, according to McCadden. She spent five years working at Capital One, as a strategist.
Jessica McCadden is the former director of communications and content strategy at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). Her job was to share the museum with the world through the oversight of its advertisement, public relations, branding and more.
“...There’s a lot you can learn from the data and understanding the strategy [behind creative choices],” McCadden said. Since being in her role at the ICA, she realized the value of her background in strategy, and allowed it to influence her team’s creative choices.
McCadden referred to the ICA’s social media strategy as an example. Being a visual organization, the ICA often uses photography and videography to advertise their services and exhibits.
Therefore, the communications team puts the most money, time and effort into Instagram, because it’s an app meant for photo and video sharing. Twitter on the other hand, not so much, because it’s best for sharing written content, according to McCadden.
“There’s so many channels [now] for advertising. Each channel requires you to take your creativity and adjust it a little bit,” McCadden said. She later added that “...sometimes leaders don’t realize how much time it takes to do [social media] well.”
The latter statement brings up another element of the creative-strategic dilemma, which is that sometimes organizational leaders don’t fully understand the depth of creatives’ work, according to McCadden.
“Anyone working with a creative team should understand the basics of what it takes to write, produce, design, and work in that creative way for business,” she said, later adding, “...if your job is to go into your own mind and own imagination and create something from nothing…that’s very hard to do.”
What makes this lesson so important is how relevant it is to current students. VCU is a large school with a multitude of majors and disciplines, but it’s most widely known for its creative students and VCUArts program, ranked #4 nationally for “Best Fine Arts Programs,” according to U.S. News.
“Anyone working with a creative team should understand the basics of what it takes to write, produce, design, and work in that creative way for business,” she said, later adding, “...if your job is to go into your own mind and own imagination and create something from nothing…that’s very hard to do.”
Aspiring creatives can benefit a lot from merging strategic thinking with their creative pursuits. I’ve personally found that taking courses in mass communications, marketing, and/or business is just one way to hone strategic thinking skills that can be applied to a career in a more creative field.
Having creativity is one thing, but calculated, or, strategic creativity, according to McCadden, is invaluable in today’s job market. “Respect and understanding [for] what everyone is doing will get you far,” was her parting advice for creatives, strategists, data analysts and more.
McCadden plans to take her lessons learned about the importance of calculated creativity into her new role at Adobe.
Photo courtesy of Jessica McCadden