What is Creativity?
· Creativity is an art - it's like the cherry on the top, fancy, but kind of unnecessary. Why would an office person or a scaffolder need creativity, BTW?
· Creativity is frivolous, wild talk - you know, those quirky, if not shocking, ideas, all packaged in exaggerating narratives and showy visuals.
· Creativity is an innate talent - only the gifted are creative. Look, I’m not fast or on fire. I can't draw. I don’t wear a cardigan like a skirt. I'm just... not creative, okay?
· Creativity is difficult - why spend time and effort in making things complicated?
· Creativity is innovation – to be creative, you need to INVENT, correct?
Ahem.
Practice Makes Creative
After joining the creative gang for over 15 years, I’d say creativity is more a science than an aha moment. It's neither a reckless gesture, nor a random idea that comes out of nowhere. The use of creativity is an experiment, which you have to go through the process of study, assumption, trial and error, evaluation and, inevitably, restart, with modifications in various scale based on analysis and previous results. Creativity is learnt, not inherited.
Creativity ≠ Design/Fashion/Art
Creativity is also not about picking a Schiaparelli pink wallpaper for your study room. It kicks in when a camper runs out of water, when a teacher tries to deal with a dozing student, and when a kid wants to get his hands on that hottest game console. Let's admit it - living in today's world, you actually want to be creative, so that your friends would think that your IG caption or WhatsApp reply is clever, and you’d enjoy the flooding of Likes of your tweet and Tiktok clip, yeah?
Nothing is NEW in this world *shrug*
And, do any words in the ubiquitously famous campaign slogan "Impossible is Nothing" is new, difficult or unheard of? I mean, no one invents a tomato, even the most creative master chef – most of us weren’t born to be the Creator. Invention is good but not necessary, as long as you pay effort in how to use the 'old', 'common', 'mediocre' things.
So… Why Creativity?
Creativity lies in our daily life. If you won't want the same lunch every day, or a lover who sends you identical birthday gift once a year, why would you expect people to accept your boringness?
At work level (in an agency, specifically), creativity is like air - you don't realise how important it is until you are not getting enough. We are supposed to know and do our job, be it answering a client phone call or planning an event, but what makes you or your work stand out is creativity. An extra 2-paragraph theme added into pitching proposal may earn you a new retainer account, while a brilliant response may turn a PR crisis into triumph. Do not underestimate the seriousness and value of creativity!
How to be Creative?
There are many ways, one of them is to stay curious. Explore the world, of anything from blockchain to BTS. Learn something new every day, no matter how trivial it is. Creativity is loads of fun. Let’s be creative in life.