John Hegarty opened his talk with a universal truth: Principles remain and practices change.
I’ve always believed that creativity comes from within, as he noted: “The more interesting you are as a person, through reading, experiencing diverse things, and living fully, the better you become.” The key here is that it’s not just about experiences in your specific field; it’s about embracing a wide range of life experiences. He pointed out that your unique set of experiences—like the places you visit, the books you read, and the activities you engage in—gives you a distinct advantage.
Types of Creativity:
Pure creativity originates from someone’s mind, like working from scratch on a blank piece of paper
Applied creativity is like writing an episode for The Simpsons, using existing characters. This focuses on solving a specific problem.
And thinking about it this, we always are working on specific briefs and they more about solving a problem. Whereas if I do a passion project just because I wanted to – I believe that would be pure creativity. Moving ahead, I want to maintain a balance of both.
What is at the heart of creativity?
Whenever I’ve worked on briefs , I’ve always tried to find out what was actually good about the brand- which can be especially difficult for some brands that I personally don’t resonate with – but the job is to put our bias aside and look for the the truth of the brand.
“Truth is at the heart of great art” – Boris Groys
“When a piece of art has the truth, power remains with the creator. If it doesn’t, it moves to the observer.” – John Hegarty
This applies to advertising & branding as John Hegarty said – “Everything has a truth and so do all brands – even if its just an observation about how people see it.” That’s why the greatest advertisement campaigns are those that found the truth and exposed it. Because the meaning of life is the seeking of truth – The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
How do you sustain a creative career?
Most creative careers have 10 years when you do the great work. You can’t repeat what you did yesterday. The answer is:
- Curiosity – you keep learning
- Work with the best – to work to improve, surround yourself with other great people
- Read, Consume, Create
Pessimism Kills Creativity
The word “Enthusiasm” comes from the Greek language which means “to be with god”, and there is a real good reason for it:
“Great creative people are optimists – Because you are trying to change the world.”
Pessimism kills creativity – this also is something that I’ve experienced this unit 1. When starting a project, it’s especially important to be in a positive headspace and be non-judgemental of ideas when in the brainstorming phase. Cynicism has its place but doing this right from the start can really dampen the spirits of all the members and hamper creativity.
How to judge our ideas?
Talking about attitude, enthusiasm, passions and the truth – it all revolves around the human emotions. Our ideas are all about influencing these emotions by using emotions.
We are in an attention economy so this is how you judge an idea –
A Triangle:
- Is it memorable? Is it motivating?
- Is it truthful? (Because I am trying to build a relationship)
- Is it really founded on truth?
Creativity as the green industry
A great idea survives a bad idea – it’s a Green idea. And how does one get to that idea? Always make the product the hero – make sure that it comes out of the truth of the product. Think about what it is about the really interesting product?
Business and Creativity
Business at its soul is a creative construct and to stay relevant – it innovates. Business is driven by creativity. Taylor swift is an incredible example – because she is creating value. The next big frontier is understanding the value of creativity.
Book Recommendations:
Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us – about how we are wired to be creative – Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams