Being a Creative in a World Built Against It
I used to hate my creative brain. Not because of what it created, but because it lacked consistency.
I’m a planner. A Type-A, organization loving girl who can’t function when her desk isn’t perfectly pristine. The type of person who notices when her boyfriend moves one thing in the bathroom drawer because she knows exactly where she placed it last. The kind of sister who counts exactly how many fries she has in her leftovers so her brother can’t get away with stealing any. I like everything a certain way, ya know?
I first started studying accounting in college (I know right?! Me? Accounting!?), and you know what? I was damn good at it. But come on, can you imagine me as an accountant? I quickly pivoted to marketing, searching for a career where I could mix the analytical part of my brain with the creative side, and maintain the practicality of getting a job that actually, you know, makes money. Can you hear alllll of your family saying pfffft you can’t go to school for art (spoiler alert, you totally can. and still land a lot of the same jobs as a marketer in today’s world).
But here’s the thing. I landed that job. I landed that job in social media marketing with a little bit of photography and a little bit of planning and a little bit of writing and a little bit of design. And yet, I was still struggling.
Why?
Because the typical business world isn’t built for creativity. Let me explain.
Creativity isn’t consistent. That is a simple fact. That is what makes creativity creative. But a typical creative person, in a typical modern business world, is expected to perform on a typical business schedule. Nine-to-Five Monday-Friday, baby.
Perform, perform, perform. Photograph this project, calculate these projections, answer these emails, create this marketing plan, evaluate this marketing strategy, plan these posts, write the copy for these stories, direct this video, design this booklet…
But creative people need time to sit around and do nothing.
Creative people can work all day and not produce a single piece of work they’re proud of. Simply because they didn’t have the time to allow the ideas to come to them.
Creativity cannot be forced. In terms of social media, it’s the exact reason why the reel or post that you shared on a whim performs infinitely better than the one you spent hours planning and perfecting. As humans, we can feel each other’s energy. And when you try to force it, it just. doesn’t. work.
Rest is a natural and necessary part of the creative process. If you’re feeling burnt out, or are having creative block, or don’t like a single thing you’ve created, you probably just need a break. A moment to sit around and do nothing.
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So how does this filter into the business world? The corporate world? Your typical 9-5? Hell if I know.
To be completely honest, it’s a huge part of why I went freelance. Because the more time I give myself to do nothing, the better my ideas are. The better copy I create for clients, the better photographs I snap for families, the more aware I am of the way the light plays with my surroundings, and the better content I create.
I guess the moral of the story here is that I’ve learned to love my creative brain. Because it’s not broken, it’s just different. And you best believe that’s my superpower.
(And probably yours too)
Love,
Anne