3 Genuine Myths About Creativity, and Why You Must Ignore Them

pencil and paper on tidy creators desk
 
 

As a creator or small business owner, your creativity is your unique currency and what sets you and your business apart. This is why you must ignore the 3 myths about creativity you might have heard.

Creativity has become a desired personality trait. Personal skills many companies are looking for in new employees are being creative and good at seeing things in new ways.

Fantastic and about time, says I.

However, there are still myths about creativity in business and education. Don’t get me started about our education system, I’ll stick to business.


3 Genuine Myths About Creativity

1: Creative people are disorganized

This is not true of all creators. What I find is true for a lot of creators, including myself, is that we thrive best when our surroundings and our work are organized because what goes on in our heads is completely disorganized.

It's true we see a lot of studios and workstations of creators that are stacked with books, notes, paint, ornaments, and other bits and they often look messy and chaotic.

The creating process is messy by definition, so that can explain why the place we create looks that way. It might have more to do with having everything you need for this messy process within reach than it is a picture of your whole life.

You certainly have to be somewhat organized to make a living from your creative work, with all the different hats you have to wear.

A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts
— Richard Branson

2: A creative business is selling art

A creative business could be selling art but that is far from always the case. In my experience, a creative business is more about how you do business, the approach to your process, and the way you brand your business. This includes marketing.

Anything from design, florists, gardening, music, writing, building, to …you name it, qualify as creative businesses.

Lego is a creative business, even at their massive corporation scale, they are hugely creative in their approach to doing business.


3: Only some employees need to be creative

This doesn’t hold up, as we’re all creative and creativity is a working process. Yes, some of us are using our creativity more than others, but any business will truly benefit from having employees lead with curiosity, play, and experimentation. And be allowed to make a lot of mistakes along the way.

Also, some of the best creative work is done in collaboration, so investing in everybody’s creativity is a clever strategy, financially and for the work culture.


Your creativity is one of the biggest assets in your business, it truly is your unique currency and a brilliant tool for setting your brand apart from other brands in your niche.

To use your creativity, try and figure out what your creative style is. Think mood, colors, tone of voice, language, design, famous people, and movies you admire and why.

Are you into goth, horror, or heavy metal, or are you more of a slow eco-living kinda gal?

How can you bring your taste and talents into your business?


If you found this post useful, I’d love for you to get my emails too. That’s a place I share most of what is going on in front and behind the scenes. .)




 
Katja Hunter

Creativity coach and business guide, specializing in multi-creative businesses, using processes rooted in small steps.

https://creativesdoingbusiness.com
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