Here’s a talk I gave on creativity at Creative Mornings Sydney. While I have never been in a formal “creative” role in the ad or any other industry, I consider my work as being highly creative – whether it be a brand blueprint, a communication strategy, a keynote talk or a half day workshop.
One thing I do know about creative people is that their work is an expression of their ideas, and their ideas only. And it’s a hard sell when all you have to offer someone is your ideas.
For example, if I showed you a MacBook Pro and ask you to pay me $2,000 for it, you’d be likely to see the value and cough up the dough. If I drew up an idea on a piece of paper and asked you to pay me $2,000 for it, it would be a hard sell. “Is it a good idea?”, you may ask me. “Will it work, and is it really worth $2,000?” To which I might reply, “I have no fucking idea really, except to say that I have been doing this for some years now, and my gut tells me it’s going to work really well”.
That’s why creativity is about putting yourself on the line. Because if you don’t or can’t back yourself in, you’ve got little hope of selling your work. You have to step out of your comfort zone, put yourself out there, and go for it. And that takes balls, which is why being “a creative” is one of the hardest jobs in the world.
In this talk I encourage people to step out of their comfort zone by not letting their fears and anxieties hold them back. Enjoy watching it 🙂
