10 Things You Need to Know About Creativity in 2022

Creativity in 2022 will look very different than it does today. As more and more people turn to alternative career paths and side hustles, even holding down one job will be considered less creative than ever before. What we used to think of as work that was highly creative, like an artist or designer, will now be regarded as mundane work that everyone does when not working at their main gig. And our definition of creativity will expand to include the entrepreneurial mindset as it becomes increasingly essential to your financial future. So let's celebrate national creativity month by looking at 10 things you need to know about creativity in 2022.

1) Technology will be more integrated into our lives

Is that even possible? Isn't technology just everywhere. Should we actually look at reducing our reliance on technology? What of artificial intelligence, more of us are using it today, often unwittingly. And behind almost every technology is a billionaire. Can we trust these few with the power we are handing them? Personally, I have always loved technology, and I use it creatively every day. At one point in human history, a pencil and paper was new technology and a significant improvement on the cave walls. Perhaps the challenge is more about balance. Looking up from our phones to look another human in the face is probably a goal one should embrace.?

2) We are all visual learners

It's not rocket science; researchers have found that we remember images much more clearly than words, given we learn to speak visually. More specifically, psychologist John Medina discovered that our brains are approximately two times better at remembering pictures than texts or simple messages. If you're trying to teach something specific, putting your ideas into visuals might be a good idea—it will give your readers a clearer understanding of what you're trying to say. We also learn through stories; they are much more memorable than lists. Just look at your memories, and it's the teachers who told stories that inspired and got us through our exams.

3) We want content delivered to us when we want it

We want to be able to watch, read, listen and interact with content anywhere at any time on a device that we own. And by owning it, I mean not having it tethered or limited by someone else's terms of service. I grew up in the days before we even had VHS recorders. When the first cassette tape came out, and you could listen to your own music wherever you wanted, it was a revelation. On our first holiday together in Corfu camping, my besties and I carried a giant boombox everywhere, all so Herb Alpert could underscore our summer.?

4) Tools don't make you successful; hard work does

The internet has become a get rich quick shortcut to followers and an app for everything culture. We live in a world where we want to put in nothing or a little as we can for maximum return. Hard Graft is a thing of the past. So the challenge for all post boomers is where they get the energy to work hard. Because it is more challenging than ever to make a mark. All the early adopters have skinned the market. Entrepreneurs are even creating new apps to attract new early adopters. It's like a giant Aloe Vera pyramid scheme, or perhaps I need to get down with the new terminology and call the internet one big MLM. I, for one, am grateful for being a boomer; working hard is in my DNA.?

5) Digital tools do make it easier to create

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a moving image must be worth millions. And if you add captions, explanatory or entertaining as necessary, then one second of footage might be worth even more. Today's technology has made it much easier for anyone with an idea and a camera to create. And democratising the creative world with easy access to affordable gear and software is a great thing. I'd love to have had all these things when I started out in my bedroom studio. But you still need creativity, which is knocked out of most of us every day in childhood. So the challenge is to rediscover your creativity in 2022.

6) Every idea can be expressed digitally

How will data and AI change creativity? From handwriting to drawing, we've always expressed ourselves creatively through hard media like clay or paper. But now, digital tools are levelling that playing field and enabling more people to express themselves—creatively and otherwise—through soft media (think emoji). These new creative mediums, including augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D printing, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning, are exciting opportunities for designers. However, while we can all use emojis to express our feeling digitally, they are a defined set of icons that don't have the one thing that makes us different, individuality. My hand-drawn XXX is worth more than a copied and pasted ??.?

7) Creative people have new career options

We think artificial intelligence and robotics advance, machines may be able to complete many traditional jobs by 2022. That includes work once considered beyond a machine's ability—everything from driving trucks and carrying out basic medical procedures to writing poetry and composing music. But the place for really unique and individual creativity is going to be massive. Already there is a demand for different thinkers in the workplace. People with spectrum learning differences from dyslexia to Aspergers are in demand. The creativity that comes from a unique disconnect is vital because it is disruptive, and that's the best form of creativity. When Everyone Zigs, Zag.

8) There are many ways to monetise your creativity now

The gig economy is responsible for many things, some positive and many negative. But as we move away from Jobs for life, we get closer to the Alan Watts philosophy

Do what you love and live completely!?

Ask yourself, are you alive or are you living?

I am so lucky, doing what I love and getting paid for it, I am an expert rather than qualified, but let's be clear, it isn't easy. The challenge in 2022 is to shout loud above the crowd and sustain my income. My very personal challenge is to capitalise on my acceptance late last year that I am the brand.

9) Collaboration and cross-over happens more often than before

The internet has made it easier for creatives from different fields and interests to find one another, share ideas, and see that there's a world beyond their respective speciality. At school, we are told not to copy; let's change that to collaborate, share and be transparent. Tear up the NDAs and shine!

10) Creativity becomes more multi-disciplinary

In 2021 we saw evidence of a creative renaissance, with more and more people breaking down traditional barriers between industries. Expect that trend to continue into 2022, as creatives explore different ways of solving problems. As we've noted, storytelling is the best form of memorably passing on information. So let's allow students to take Art and Physics, Maths and Media Studies. Computer Science and English Lit. Better still, adopt the 360 education delivered in Finland.

To the Future and Beyond

The future is bright. I did actually take Physics and music. More and More flexibility is built into education. We have to fund the arts, post covid this is more important than ever. I am super optimistic. We have battles to fight, economic and ecological. But creative thinking and collaborative working will produce better solutions. Here's to 2022.