We’re a creative firm. We encourage brands to think “outside of the box” – acting strategically and creatively planning to best position and develop those brands for impact and long-term growth.
But I’d be lying if I told you we are allowed to really, truly be creative without feedback, guidelines, and revision. In most cases, we’re working with and for someone else, and that means it’s a collaborative process. The nature of collaboration is that while we may not always see eye to eye, together, we find the best path to a final result we all love.
For any creative individual, the back and forth collaboration and negotiation can be a little bit stifling. An artist creates a work of art to be appreciated – not to suit a specific need or achieve an articulated goal. That process of uninhibited creativity is something we work to build into our day-to-day – every day.
Some call it a creative outlet. My friend Colin calls it “showing your brush strokes”:
“…something I’ve learned in the time between now and when I was perfect is that real growth is found in showing your brush strokes. There’s value in presenting a finished work, of course, and in knowing how to polish something so that it’s equal to your current level of expertise. But just like a painting, your process and flaws and experiments with the medium add personality to the work you do. They’re what bring texture to the transparent; density to the intangible.”
You can, you should, you must – find an outlet to feed your ultimate desire to be creative without restrictions.
Maybe it’s found in a work of art that you paint. Maybe you discover it in writing words on a page. Or perhaps your medium is best articulated through sound and music. We all have something that lights us up inside – the thing we’d do all day every day if we could find a way to survive doing it. That one thing we can absolutely lose ourselves in.
It may never earn you a paycheck. It may never be appreciated by anyone but yourself. But feeding that creative flame can and does carry over to the day-to-day.
Whatever it is that makes you feel most creative. Whatever it is that inspires you and excites you. Go do that. You need it. The world is counting on you.