The Creative Spiral
The switch from a reactive mentality to a creative one is as simple as moving a single letter. If we put our minds to it, creativity is easier than it seems. There is no need for theatrics, so don’t worry about practicing your best soap opera pose. Instead, apply just a touch of mental gymnastics, something we could all afford to utilize in our everyday. Creativity and perseverance are inseparable, with one always following wherever the other may go, making both of these qualities indispensable allies to professionals everywhere. This edition of UNO focuses on how to wield creativity as a tool for the betterment of our professional experience. Whether it is an impulse, a master formula, a way to empathize, or the utmost expression of genius, readers will discover the key points of creativity and how best to familiarize themselves with them..
At LLYC, we decided that 2021 is the year to dive deep into the idea of creativity, and the first step of any deep dive is contextualization. For too long, popular sentiment has restricted creativity to the domain of the seven liberal arts, as if certain activities summon the specter of creativity while others ward it off. In actuality, we believe creativity is an attitude, one characterized by especially open and constructive behavior and which remains applicable under any circumstances. In short, it is a different point of view that can be taught, practiced, and built upon in our day-to-day lives.
This edition of UNO focuses on how to wield creativity as a tool for the betterment of our professional experience
Curiosity and a broad outlook are key features of the creative mind. Erudition, hubris, and hastiness are much less compatible. Creativity thrives in an environment of diversity, fusion, and blending. Especially in the 21st century, in this era of digitization and hyper-transparency, maintaining a multi-disciplinary, imaginative, open, upright, and cooperative approach has become a professional priority. In accordance with today’s uncertain and contradictory world, business disruption has seized the limelight. Bureaucracy, office-based protocols, and mere industrial production are no longer sufficient to ensure business success. Without creativity, the daunting tasks of transformation, reinvention, and innovation become impossible.
Naturally, there is great need for further research and a larger knowledge base. No project can hope to be creative without a solid scientific and technical foundation. Likewise, a familiarity with and adherence to the fundamental principles and deontology of the trade are critical. Disruption is most likely to succeed when it is founded upon in-depth knowledge of the reality it seeks to transform. This mindset has always been present in the fine arts, and now brands must adapt to the same environment when developing their visual identities, brand attributes, corporate cultures, advertising plans, and sponsorship activities. The time of isolated behaviors and corporations burying their heads in the sand is quickly coming to an end. In fact, it is already gone.
In a sense, today’s creative spiral is a product of a more profound change: Upheaval in leadership and social roles. Society, politics, and especially work are all changing radically. We now seek warmth and empathy in human relations, without them being overbearing or intimidating. Thus, we demand similar behavior from professionals, emphasizing creativity and emotional openness much more than traditional executive roles. And now, with the environment and sustainability becoming such hot topics, many companies that prioritize trust, authenticity, and collaboration are finding themselves with a whole new creative habitat to explore.
Without a doubt, the world is hurtling toward a reality that values creativity above all other forms of expression.
The goal should not be to build individually creative industries or sectors, but rather to bring the benefits of that untapped value to every company, everywhere. We are witnessing a widespread shift in perspective, one strongly tied to equality and diversity as business culture’s newest driving forces. Consensus-based decision making, an emphasis on female talent and diversity as a magnifier of cognitive ability, and understanding are all windows into an environment where creativity thrives, consolidates itself, and produces its best results.
Without a doubt, the world is hurtling toward a reality that values creativity above all other forms of expression. However, we must not limit ourselves to treating creativity as a simple goal to be reached. In order to remain truly efficient and sustainable, any business project should encourage creative values from within the corporate strategy itself. At the end of the day, it is the act of creating, so it should go without saying that the goal of any business is to be creative, or in other words, outstanding, participatory, transparent, and solidary. If we recall the wordplay I used at the start, simply becoming creative is not enough to banish the specter of reactivity. The time of “creactivity” is upon us. The eyes of the world are on those creative individuals who are able to remain constantly active. In browsing these pages, the reader will find a few indispensable clues for how to point those eyes toward themselves.
