Creative Hijack
A few weeks ago each person on our team took a personality test. The test centered on interactions in the workplace, and we hoped that it would allow us to frame an identity for each person. After working with these folks day after day we knew they had their own unique personalities – quick to help, slow to argue, didn’t take to coaching, loved a good fight, etc. – but we wanted to figure out how to help all of us really work together.
After getting the results back we stood around the office and laughed at each others quirks on display, “dude, blunt to the point of hurting others feelings, that is totally you”.
As we read we gained a sense of identity, and we started to understand the small nuances that make our team go.
We were perfectionists, results-oriented, creative, and objective-oriented. There were now reasons for so and so not working well together, a lack of communication from this person, and why that person always seemed to disappear in the midst of brainstorming.
But the big surprise was who got labeled as Creative. Two people in fact, and the two who most of us would have labeled as practical. Both are keen on running numbers, ensuring budgets, and are constantly pushing systems and processes to enhance productivity. They are problem solvers with a knack for getting things done while making everyone else efficient in the process.
Honestly, they were the two people I would have associated with “practical, steady, on point”, not… Creative. Talk about conviction, I immediately sat down and took another look at my thoughts on the word -
Creative.
Breathe this word in for a moment. For those of us who work in and around it every day, its filled with bliss and awe; a trendy title to bare and a gift to practice. We celebrate its ideas in brainstorming sessions, good music, and fresh perspectives. We see it as a responsibility that no one should take lightly. And then, sadly I realized that the term has been hijacked.
We have lumped creativity into this vague cloud of ideation, wide-rimmed glasses, and always, always starting over. We think of flighty leaders and gibberish speaking web designers. Haughty fashion designers, airy european painters, and beanie sewing hipsters. Our idea of creativity has been lost to the cliche machine.
Our idea of creativity has been lost to the cliche machine.
Being an initiator is a gift, but starting isn’t everything. Few people and teams have the ability to finish the task. Be reminded that starting comes with inspiration and energy. To finish the task means preparing for daily challenges, pushing tedious reminders, and constantly reminding yourself of the objective. Creativity is one of the most beautiful terms on the planet. Let’s not lose its substance to a society that wants to take credit for more than its accomplished. Bearing the label “creative” comes with tremendous responsibility and expectation.
