?? What IS a Creative, Anyway?
Jeff Lanctot
Current Role: Marketing and Brand Management @ Cyan Worlds ?? Creative Marketing Professional ?? Proven Success Driving Revenue Growth and Engagement ?? Innovative Content Strategist ?? Effective Team Leader
Over the years I've come to prefer the the phrase Professional Creative, over artist when I talk about folks who make stuff. Occasionally this means someone calls a timeout and asks me what I mean when I use the term.
It's a fair question, so let me unpack it a little bit by starting with the second word first...
?? What IS a creative?
Let me ask you: what (or who) do you think about when you think of the word creative?
Perhaps what you see is something specific like a painter, a photographer, someone who plays the triangle in the band, or a kid with a box of crayons.
Or maybe what comes to mind is someone who thinks different (to borrow from Steve Jobs). Someone who just sees the world in a specific way which is challenging... or inspiring... or thought-provoking.
Of course the real answer is... yes!
All those things definitely belong under the broad umbrella I like to think of as "creatives." But who you probably didn't immediately think of was... The garbage man. A pilot. The kid who works concessions at your local movie theater.
?? OK, but so what?
By broadening the scope a little bit, folks who don't think of themselves as "creative people" may realize they belong here too!
Why is this important?
Because I can't think of a profession, industry, community, or individual who doesn't benefit from creativity somehow, and it's only by the application of purposeful creativity that we move forward and improve things...
Whether it's something small like our outlook in the moment, or something huge like transforming a whole industry or the world.
I'll be unpacking this further in future posts, but for today, what are some areas in your life which may not seem "creative" on the surface, but actually can be?
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!