What's your reason to be creative?

Why are you doing what you are doing? What's your reason?

What's the reason you get out of bed in the morning?

What's the reason you do the work you do?

The reason you are pursuing something dictates the outcome.

When it comes to creativity you need to think of your reason.

Moreover, you have to believe in your reason.

If the first thing you think of is to make money then your reason is misguided. You're putting the cart before the horse.

If your reason is to create work you can be proud of and that can make a difference in some way then you are closer to the right reasons.

Find your reason. Believe in the reason.

Making a difference with the work you produce can be looked at from many angles. It can be from a social good perspective or purely the act of creating something fresh and uncompromising that had not been done before.

If you can somehow combine those two then you have hit on creative nirvana.

When you wake up in the morning and start your creative work day the amount of passion you put into it relates directly back to your reason. If your reason means something to you then that will reflect in the work you do. It will show.

Do the work. Believe in the work.

The money thing, well that can come if the work you do had a reason to be. If your work stands out and is truly fresh then more people/brands will want to work with you. Also, if the work you are doing is contributing something more to the world then once again more people/brands will want to work with you as they can see more of who you are and what you believe in.

More often than not people hire people, they don't hire portfolios or resumes. They hire the person behind the portfolio and resume. It's very easy for two or more people to have very comparable folios of work, in all the years I ran creative departments I saw this first hand. But someone who exudes why they are doing what it is they are doing stands out head and shoulders above someone who is doing it 'just because' or worse still - just for the money.

Passion before profits.

Yes, there are people who just want to create to make a buck and that is their reason, to each their own. Everyone needs to follow their own path in life. But someone who is truly passionate about what they are doing and why they are doing it will go much further as a creative than the others. And that will pay off in the end.

Find your reason. Believe in the reason. Do the work. Believe in the work.

Rodd

I'm a Creative Director / Writer / Strategist / Thinker and a bit more. I work with clients/brands directly and with agencies and production companies. I also teach creative thinking and idea generation to groups and individuals. You can read more of my LinkedIn musings here. You can also find me on Twitter,  Instagram and on Facebook. Or drop me an email – [email protected]

Words (aside from credited quotes) Copyright Rodd Chant 2018

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