Creativity. In some business circles, it’s almost a dirty word. The world of business is, after all, one of absolutes. It’s a world where stats and figures rule the world, not whimsical creative notions. It’s a world where the bottom line is what’s important, not some artsy-fartsy exploration for truth, meaning or beauty. It’s a world of data, not drama, information, not illustration. Yet, a failure to embrace creative thinking in all its aspects can be to the detriment of even the best run businesses.
There’s a popular myth that there are creative people, and then there’s everybody else. Look into any elementary school classroom, however, and you’ll see scores of children who beg to differ. Our mimetic instincts bring us to make sense of the world through performance and drawing way before we learn to read, write and employ arithmetic. We all have a creative side, and it’s not only helpful in running a business, it’s essential!
Simply put, you need to make sure that a healthy dose of inspiration accompanies your perspiration!
Creativity and branding
If we think of creativity at all in the business sphere, it tends to pertain to fields like marketing and branding. Of course, the success of your brand will be determined (at least partly) by the skill of the creatives involved in constructing it. No successful brand ever arose from a poorly designed logo. Yet, branding is also an expression of identity. Hiring a team of designers like the guys at yesopen.com.au/ is all well and good, but the best branding arises from creative collaboration between a business and its subcontracted designers. Don’t be afraid to put your own ideas, personality and passion into your branding.
Creativity and innovation
Creativity drives innovation and innovation plays a huge part in ensuring longevity for your business. Creativity is an ongoing process of discovery, invention and creation and the savvy entrepreneur puts measures in place to ensure that the culture their business perpetuates is conducive to this (more on that shortly). In the busy and ultra-competitive business market of the 21st century creativity plays a huge role in maintaining your business’ USP and ensuring that you have a competitive edge over all the rest. Creative thinking also drives innovation as it encourages thinking ‘outside the box’ which (while a fairly uninspiring term) is nonetheless important in business. Only by encouraging thinking that expands the parameters of what is possible can a business continue to innovate.
Creativity and culture
Creativity should be at the heart of your business culture. Firstly, inter-departmental collaboration relies heavily on creative thinking, since different departments have different specialisms and different understandings of what is and is not achievable. Approaching problem solving creatively together allows for more meaningful ‘blue sky thinking’ and less division between departmental modes of thought. Likewise, teams should be encouraged to refer to others outside of their team for advice and creative input. Your business should create a physical space that’s conducive to creative thinking. For example, the ‘open plan’ model is not conducive to creative thought as the empty space and numerous onlookers can sap that all-important creative spark. Instead, establishing private work spaces and encouraging working outdoors are proven to aid creative thought and endeavour.
