Kevin Budelmann is the President of People Design, President of AIGA West Michigan, VP of the Association of Professional Design Firms and the author of Brand Identity Essentials.The last week of February was a busy week for
Yang and me. I participated as a judge in the
inaugural 5x5 Night on Feb. 22, then she was awarded the
AFF Silver Medal on Thursday. Both nights celebrated different kinds of creativity, which got me thinking…
I actually think about creativity a lot. In my high school yearbook, I was voted "most creative," which meant, as far as I could tell, I was least likely to earn a varsity letter. It's funny because while I'm proud of that moniker -- and while one could say that creativity is a key currency of
our business -- there are many misconceptions about creativity that I'd like to address.
The success or failure of organizations of all kinds --
including West Michigan as a whole -- depends on their ability to adapt and solve problems creatively. Misunderstanding how creativity works is a missed opportunity, and likely risks the health of an organization by giving up its competitive edge.
In the advertising world, the word "creative" is often used as a noun. I've never liked that. "Here come the creatives," or, "Now let's look at the creative." The creative what? It's as if creativity can be isolated to particular person, role or moment in a meeting.
Putting creativity into a little box doesn't help. It's certainly no way to achieve those
"out of the box" ideas everyone talks about.
Often, I've witnessed a collaborator standing embarrassed at the whiteboard, disqualifying an idea before sharing it by saying, "I'm not very creative." You have to wonder: How will new ideas ever surface if we don't have the vocabulary, opportunity or means to share them? We need to be more comfortable with the process of creating.
Creative processes require a willing suspension of certainty, and uncertainty makes people nervous. It can be hard for creators and viewers alike. By sharing something of themselves -- something that they created -- creators make themselves publicly vulnerable. Exposure invites scrutiny. Viewers then try to lower the anxiety about the certainty of shared idea by making a quick assessment: "We tried that last year… Let me tell you why that won't work…" We often prove our expertise by telling others what not to do. But what if Google hadn't broadened their field of vision to advertising? What if Apple hadn't branched into entertainment?
Shutting potential ideas down too quickly leads prototyping and teaming experts like
Michael Schrage to warn, "Never show fools unfinished work." New ideas need to simmer.
Artists or designers don't hold the patent on creativity. Everyone knows it, and yet we often act as if creativity is like adding sprinkles on ice cream. Some of the most creative people in my office aren't designers, and the best designers I know are inspired by problems, constraints and other not-very-sexy things that aren't typically associated with creativity.
We all have creative impulses, talents and contributions to make. It's one of the things that make us human. Channeling our innate creative assets is a survival skill for any organization.
Designers -- good ones -- are trained on methods of how to
solve problems creatively. It's not about the lone genius. It's about how to generate ideas and not treat them too preciously, to not prejudge, how to refine an idea, how to prototype, build, test and move on.
Creativity is work --
99% perspiration, as they say. It's not only about being open to new thinking, but also about being critical about what works and a willingness to change. Change is scary, which prompts people to stick with the status quo.
A colleague once described designers as being pessimistic about the present, but optimistic about the future. I think this is quite true. What I fear is the opposite. People who are overly optimistic about the present and pessimistic about the future are the fools Schrage warns us about. If everything is okay today, we don't adapt. If the future is hopeless, we give up.
At their best, creative people help envision a future that doesn't yet exist. Dreaming of tomorrow while fixing today is critical work.
I like today, and the work of improving our condition is among the most rewarding experiences.
Crazy creative people in Hollywood and Silicon Valley continue to create our top exports. Places that foster creativity -- that try new ideas, experiment, fail, adapt and learn -- advance. We should be open to change, separate signals from noise and listen for faint messages from the future.
Creativity isn't a bolt of lightning. It's preparedness, practice, talent and skill. Creativity is a well-cooked meal. I'm
proud of Yang, and to be part of the first
5x5 Night -- two delicious courses.
Simmer. Check for doneness. Let cool.