The word “creative” used to be one not spoken in the mainstream business world. Nobody wanted to think you were getting “creative” with your bookkeeping or product claims. I’ve been in meetings where I was labeled as a “creative” and it wasn’t meant to be a compliment; it meant what I do is irrelevant in the business world. They’re ok with the word “innovative” because it sounds more like technology.
Times have changed. Now, if an employee or an entrepreneur is not being personally creative, they could become irrelevant in the current marketplace. Even the stodgy corporate leaders realize they have to be more like real people if they’re going to keep up. And it’s not just about social media.
I recently discovered Todd Henry, author of “The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice.” His podcasts encourage creatives and helps their employers and managers understand the value of giving creatives space. It’s win-win: workers are more productive when they can work with creative freedom, and businesses profit when there’s a vibrant and inspired workforce.
But because many great books are written as support for the corporate environment, I have benefited more from the ideals and principles they espouse, rather than their corporate application. Over the years, a steady diet of great books fed my intuition about good business practices and entrepreneurship. And then I unconsciously produced my own systems based on the best ideals and principles relevant to my work.
Rarely do people get what I get out of the books I recommend. Now I realize that if I recommend a book, I have to be clear about what that book did for me, in particular. Generally, people don’t read the books I recommend because they’re looking for a fix-it application, not ideals and principles to regenerate themselves. In my new book,* I created a map of my journey with a “Chronological Bibliography” and inserted a comment about how each book contributed to my development as an organic entrepreneur.
Creativity is a natural resource
An everyday creative works with autonomy, and then offers that proven work to others. This is not a job or assignment on demand; it’s a personal habit that renews your private inner resourcefulness. Todd Henry has a specific podcast that is directly on point for this because it nails down how a person can discover her/his unique qualities:
My studies of how people work, and then into how people work original ideas, led me to art and science. When I learned the work of an artist, I realized that creativity and innovation are both reflections of a person’s unique unseen qualities.
Like others who move in a business like natural people, I am gaining traction because real people hear real “people speak” and know how to respond.
Come out of the cubicle, worker, and revive your natural self!
Elizabeth was a former SCORE colleague of mine. Her mission is to help creatives find what drives them, internally, before they embark on their business journey. The following post was published by Elizabeth on her blog in August of 2018.
