It was 7am on a Tuesday. Dark clouds over Tema. Our client's signboard was half-painted, and their opening was in three days.
We could have called and rescheduled. The rain was legitimate. But we promised them a sign before the weekend. So we grabbed tarpaulins and went anyway.
Painting under plastic sheets
Two of us held the tarpaulin over the signboard while the third painted. Rain dripped down our necks. Paint kept thinning from the moisture. We redid sections three times.
By 11am, the rain stopped. By 2pm, the sign was finished. The client brought us tea and joked that we looked like drowned rats.
Was it glamorous? No. Did we want to be there? Honestly, not really. But we said we'd do it, so we did it.
Why we tell this story
Running a creative agency in Ghana isn't about big offices or awards on the wall. It's about tarpaulins in the rain. It's about figuring out how to print flyers when every shop is closed. It's about driving to Kumasi at 5am to install a banner before a client's event starts.
The work we're proudest of wasn't done in perfect conditions. It was done when things went wrong, and we figured it out anyway.
"You showed up" is the best compliment we ever receive. Because it means we kept our word when it would have been easier not to.
That's studio life at Creativelines. No airbrushing. Just work.
