I never wanted to grow up! As a kid I remember lying face down on my bed, head in the pillow, crying hysterically thinking that one day I will have to leave school and get a job. I was 10 years old and all I wanted to do was have fun, build fortresses, sketch in notebooks, eat pizza and have sleep over parties. The thought of giving up my Ninja Turtle collection would have been harder than letting go of my parents (sorry mum & dad.)
Then it all became reality...I finished university and had literally no idea what I wanted to do. All I knew was that I wanted to keep my creativity, that one piece of still being a kid. A mentor of mine once told me that the dawn of technology will make everybody around us complacent and robotic. He said "our creativity would one day be our only differentiation in business and in life!" I took those words as gospel.
I had a Bachelors degree in Multimedia under my belt, was fascinated by good product design, picked up digital photography and loved interacting with any new gadget I could get my hands on to. I found I was a decent designer, had a good knack for understanding business and could pick up new emerging technologies and software quite well. I was never great at any of them but I was above average at all. That was the complicated part, I was a hybrid of 3 different industries and every role I was applying for needed some sort of specialisation. Finding a company that would give me an opportunity was near impossible. However, every position I took and every company that I have worked in to date, the one skill that I prided myself in and took with me everywhere was the ability to alwaysthink outside the box. That one simple concept "creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes."
Then it all became reality...I finished university and had literally no idea what I wanted to do. All I knew was that I wanted to keep my creativity, that one piece of still being a kid. A mentor of mine once told me that the dawn of technology will make everybody around us complacent and robotic. He said "our creativity would one day be our only differentiation in business and in life!" I took those words as gospel.
I had a Bachelors degree in Multimedia under my belt, was fascinated by good product design, picked up digital photography and loved interacting with any new gadget I could get my hands on to. I found I was a decent designer, had a good knack for understanding business and could pick up new emerging technologies and software quite well. I was never great at any of them but I was above average at all. That was the complicated part, I was a hybrid of 3 different industries and every role I was applying for needed some sort of specialisation. Finding a company that would give me an opportunity was near impossible. However, every position I took and every company that I have worked in to date, the one skill that I prided myself in and took with me everywhere was the ability to alwaysthink outside the box. That one simple concept "creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes."
"Only 2% of people think they are more creative now then when they were a kid!"
Fast forward to today, close to 10 years later and the role I was hoping for actually exists! It's called a Chief Marketing Technologist and it's 1/3 creative, 1/3 marketer and 1/3 technologist. Who would have thought? In essence, my job is to create amazing experiences between companies and their customers all over the world by utilising marketing technology.
The Art of Creativity
Most of the world still thinks of creativity as a mysterious quality that only some of us have. I believe creativity can be taught and anyone can tap into their creative spirit.
The Art of Creativity
Most of the world still thinks of creativity as a mysterious quality that only some of us have. I believe creativity can be taught and anyone can tap into their creative spirit.
- Unlock your story telling ability: find the human story in everything you do. The more emotion and feelings you portray in any of your work, the more people can relate to it and make an attachment.
- Brainstorming sessions and internal workshops: next business problem you need to solve, hold a brainstorming session with a small group of colleagues. Line the walls with paper, the tables with paper and arm yourselves with pens, pencils and post-it notes.
- Meditation: let go mentally by taking up meditation. We concentrate on our physical state but always overlook our mental state. Find 5 minutes in your day to refresh your mind.
- Intuition: the unconscious mind is far more suited to creative insight than the conscious mind. During a shower, long walk, day dreaming and that slight moment before I go to sleep is when I feel in my element.
- Reading: autobiographies, self help books, fiction novels - read whatever you can get your hands on. Knowledge is king and helps you create all sorts of connections when problem solving.
- Humour: while creativity takes a lot of effort, you will enjoy it more if you take it lightly. It's all about having fun, enjoying the process and collaborating with others. Build on the ideas of others and never dismiss an idea without thinking it through.
- 80% thinking, 20% execution: the creative process is not just the output. Creative thinking is how businesses like Airbnb and Uber have been able to get to where they are today. They have fused traditional business models with customer needs. Don't confuse creativity with art or fancy pictures.
“Creative people are adults
who never grew up!”
