Blog #6: Thoughts on Creativity

Creativity is such an interesting topic. I think creativity is finding a unique solution to a problem, and it is usually the simplest idea that works best. 

After reading the articles for class and using my previous knowledge, I’m going to attempt to address the topic of creativity and innovation as an individual and within organizations. 

1. What are you personal experiences with individual creativity? Have you had times when you felt especially creative or, even, especially uncreative?

As a graduate student in advertising, we are all expected to understand and embrace our own individual creativity. Advertising is known for being a creative industry and field of study. We have “creative” and “account” people who are often thought to be at odds with each other. The creative sequence of our program is full of graphic designers, idea generators, copywriters and art directors. I’ve always been on the account side – the job that interacts with the client to streamline the creative process. However, I think these department labels don’t define who is a “creative.” I think each individual can experience creativity. We had to create “idea journals” as part of a semester long process in the Creative Strategies class I took last fall semester. They weren’t meant to be advertisements, but just creative visual thoughts. During this process, I realized you can’t force creativity…or at least I can’t. I had to think on ideas, and take time to execute them. Sometimes “mistakes” are the best part of finding something original to present. Below are some of the entries from my Idea Journal. 

I only feel uncreative if I’m in a judgmental environment. Within group projects, I find myself saying “Sorry, if that was an out there idea. Is that weird?” If a group is receptive, I feel free to share whatever ideas I come up with. If I get shot down, then I feel less creative because I start filtering what I say. Creativity can be killed in a close-minded environment, but can thrive if people are open and willing to it. If I feel strongly about something, I won’t let the idea get killed as quickly.

One of the times I felt most individually creative was when I graduated with my undergraduate degree without a job lined up. I knew I always wanted to get a master’s degree, but I was determined to work for a short time first. I hadn’t gotten much luck through online applications, and I didn’t have many strong advertising connections to help get my foot in the door. I always heard that you couldn’t work for your dream company right out of school, but I was determined to try. I decided to start my own personal branding campaign. I made a simple website (using a template), and made a Facebook campaign that targeted my dream companies. It was a fun learning process! It didn’t directly result in a job, but I did have numerous people compliment me on my creativity. Former employees of each company reached out to me with advice about how to craft a cover letter to that company, and several people offered to be a reference for me. I also got a call or email from every company that I targeted. It resulted in several great interviews, and a great talking point for future interviews. I accomplished what I set out to do – some of my dream companies noticed me! 

2. What are your personal experiences with organizational creativity? Have you worked at companies that felt or behaved in ways that made them more creative or, even, especially uncreative?

In the advertising industry, most companies pride themselves in organizational creativity. Since June, I have been an intern at GSD&M. This has always been one of my dream places to work, and I love the culture here. There are so many nice people who work here! Below is a collage of my work environment. There is creativity oozing from the walls. For example, you can see walls covered in AstroTurf, a shark jutting out of a wall, artistic conference rooms, and creative concepts tacked up on the walls. I love the layout of this office. In my team, there aren’t any cubicles. We have long desks where we all sit so it’s easier to be collaborative. As an intern, I was able to sit right next to the SVP of our account. 

 
Additionally, the company believes in community activities. During the summer, the interns put on a pARTy for the agency. We were able to design and plan the whole event. Check out the creativity of our efforts below: 

I think the most creative companies inspire open communication, and provide an environment that facilitates sharing ideas. I think closed offices and cubicles can hinder creativity. I still think there is so much value in face-to-face communications rather than using email or text. I believe more organizational creativity happens during in person brainstorms. Companies that isolate people in cubicles are uncreative.

2. Do you think you, as an individual, are even capable of being creative by yourself? And, better yet, do you think a group within an organization is capable of being creative?
I definitely think I am capable of being creative by myself. It’s nice to have someone to brainstorm with, but I think I can go through the creative process solo.  You have to put yourself in an interesting environment, somewhere stimulating and unfamiliar in order to get the creative juices flowing. It's not always an 'aha' moment when arriving at a creative answer. For me, it's usually a series of ideas and hard work to find the best way to approach a problem creatively.   I love this visual of left brain and right brain thinkers. I try to have both qualities, but I know I lean more towards the right brain description. 

I definitely think a group within an organization can be creative – especially in advertising agencies. I think smaller to medium size companies have an advantage to going through the creative process because they have more creative control. Recently, I’ve heard more advertising companies have new “beta” groups. Goodby Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco has such a team. Learn more here.
 


I think if the company has an environment that fosters creativity, it’s definitely possible for a group within the organization to be creative. However, I also think creativity can be found in unexpected places. Sometimes, open-ended challenges can be daunting. If organizations have limits in place, people will be inspired to find ways to work around barriers to make the creative solutions happen.

4. What do you think about the idea of different creative types of problems and, thus, different creative processes? Should we trust ourselves just to know or sense when we need one type of approach versus another? 

I definitely think there are different creative processes and different creative types of problems. Creativity is about originality, so I don’t think you can limit yourself to one process. Creativity isn’t like a math problem; there isn’t always one clear-cut answer you can work towards. I think you can trust yourself to know what type of approach to take. I have a sense of which direction to go when working towards different problems. Sometimes persistence and an open mind are really just what you need. To me, creative advertising is often witty, surprising and delightful. Creative work should be inspiring.

In the creative strategies course I took a year ago, we read some great books that discussed the creative process. Steal Like an Artist was an easy ready that simplified these steps. Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit is a look at creativity as a product of effort and preparation. You can make a habit out of your creative process. Her book demonstrates that creativity is achievable by everyone who really observes the world. Hey Whipple, Squeeze This! by Luke Sullivan and Sam Bennett is also a good read to understand how come up with great ideas for advertising. The excerpts from the books below also provide insights into creative approaches.