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It’s Not Easy Being Creative

by T Taylor

Being creative sounds cool, doesn’t it? People see me draw something and you’d think I just cracked the code to life itself. “How did you do that?” Or, “You make that look so easy!” Yet for me it comes naturally. Well, as naturally as someone who has practiced drawing for 50 years!

Creativity, like any good thing, doesn’t come for people who wait.

Man Close UpBeing pretty good with a pencil doesn’t make someone more creative. I’ve seen great technicians with a paintbrush, just like I’ve heard great technicians play a piano, or sculpt, or act, or dance. The creative field is filled with master technicians—mostly professionals, working at the business of their art.

Creativity is different than art. Both are big concepts that have vast meanings. Simply put, art is about creating. And creativity is about a new or different way of expression. When you put them both together, you do have something pretty cool. Think about the great artists from history…DaVinci, Galileo, Bach, Picasso, Disney, Spielberg, and so many more. What made them so creative?

I think the most famous creative people were persistent, hard working and talented innovators who met history at just the right time and place. No one lucked into creativity. It was always very challenging work to get there. They imagined something—a way to do something new—and took great personal risks to make it happen.

It’s not that different in business today.

Company leaders come to us all the time and need help. Their sales are down, business is flat, things are changing in their industry—and maybe they don’t understand the trends in consumer perceptions, attitudes and actions. What do they need to do to get back on track, or be successful?

Well, doing the same things the same way is not the answer! Most people understand that statement, but you’d be surprised at how few people actually want to change and do something different. At first they usually do, however. They think they want to be more creative.

Psychologists say that when we think about anything, we follow the path of least resistance. Without knowing it, we instantly categorize each situation we see based on a previous experience. So, despite our best intentions to do something bold and new, our memory draws us back to the tried and true. Our efforts at creativity are minimized before they get on track.

Steven Pressfield, author of the new book, The War of Art, says this struggle is all about Resistance, and he personifies it: “Resistance is experienced as fear; the degree of fear equates to the strength of Resistance. Therefore the more fear we feel about a specific enterprise, the more certain we can be that that enterprise is important to us and to the growth of our soul. That’s why we feel so much Resistance. If it meant nothing to us, there’d be no Resistance.” He goes on to say, “Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it.”

Like Pressfield, we become counselors, and even cheerleaders to our partners about the need for creativity and doing something different. “Trust us,” we say, “we are going on a journey together; one with new trails and landmarks. The goal is to create something that fits your business authentically, while at the same time providing a new and better way to solve your challenges.”

Sounds like quite a trip, doesn’t it?

Sometimes it is. Great creativity is not always recognized. Van Gogh had many masterpieces, but not any buyers. Not while he lived, anyway! The big cop out is when someone says, “I’ll know it when I see it.” What if everyone else sees it, but you? And being different just for the sake of being different isn’t it, either. The most obvious answer is often the least creative approach. The best creative solutions usually come from the least expected places or people.

Creativity requires courage. It requires faith, hard work and persistence. Visionary leaders are great catalysts for business-boosting creativity. That’s why we specialize in working with these types of companies. It’s great work if you can get it.

“Everyone wants to go to heaven, but no one wants to die.”
–Roy Wesley Taylor