Yesterday, I came across this great article trying to bridge the gap between the creative world and the business world. As it came from a fellow creative, I wasn’t surprised to read the words which identified many of those “quirks” that creatives are known by:
- Driven by something other than profit-building
- Intense curiosity
- Interesting viewpoints or “thinking outside of the box”
- Jack or Jill of all trades
- Innovative
- Randomness with a purpose
There were 10 points in all, and it was wonderful to read because Tim Donnelly hit exactly what creatives have been complaining about for years. Their differences should be utilized and not submerged or disparaged. I wish that this was a confined phenomenon, but it really isn’t if you look around you. It’s happening to anyone because everyone thinks that their opinion is the only one that counts. Well, there’s an awful lot of people out there, and if they all thought that way, then this world would really descend into chaos real quickly.
While I wish that this was the only problem, I found an even more alarming moment on this post. One commenter had decided that he would be the voice box of logical reasoning and put up his own rantings in stark contrast to the beautiful message that Timothy and other commenters were working to build: understanding. Believe me, it’s easy to tell a message from a rant.
It’s ok to have your own message that’ll differ from someone else’s. We all have them, and only sometimes are they universal. But is it appropriate to insult a person’s beliefs to look more superior in your own positioning? That’s just bashing understanding over the head with a sledgehammer. I looked into the background of that commentator and noticed that his personality clearly got off on bashing others as it was part of his job. And the sad thing is that he’s only the tip of the ME iceberg.
We’re all taking and giving a lot of beatings to try to be heard in a sea of noise because we all want to feel like we are someone. Well, each one of us is someone with unique gifts to give (and not lob). Seriously people, considering that it’s the hottest time of the year and we’re all miserable, shouldn’t we be making things as pleasant as possible for everyone? If you keep your message on-point and don’t descend into the rantings of a lunatic, I think that you’ll be heard much more clearly. Plus, people won’t cross the street to try to avoid you. I’m pretty sure that most of us would want to hug Tim for his words, and he would deserve every hug he got!
Just a thought…
And to understand just what can drive a creative, here’s a story of a surf photographer, Mickey Smith, as forwarded by DesignTaxi. If you’re one of us or just want that freedom, then simply go out there and do what you love. The world could use a lot more love right now!
