What does creative mean anyway?

The meaning of the word ‘creative’ was a central point of conversation for me when New Media Age (NMA) wrote an article about my taking over the helm at BIMA in 2006 (it looks like NMA haven’t moved with the times as it still thinks you should subscribe, even to read very old articles). After reading the somewhat negative comments from some industry folk who weren’t sure what value BIMA had added by this point, I asked Janice to setup a lunch meeting so I could learn what they felt BIMA could do better.

During my lunch with Jon Bains from Lateral, I asked what ‘creative’ meant to him as he seemed hung up on the word and how it related to BIMA. In short, he couldn’t answer me. Jon was unable to provide me with a definition because it means something different to everyone. This is probably because it has been bastardised so much over the past few years, by people who use technologies inappropriately. For example, when building a Web site, some feel the need to use flash because they assume they can build something creative. That’s simply not the case.

You can use flash to build something creative, but only when implemented properly and for the right reason. Agencies such as Agency Republic are brilliant at building accessible and successful customer acquisition Web sites using flash. Others who shall remain nameless, are completely useless and as such, obscure the meaning of creative whilst giving technologies such as flash a bad name.

I knew Jon wouldn’t be able to provide a ‘definitive’ answer, mainly because nobody I had asked previously could provide ‘the’ answer. Wikipedia doesn’t even have the answer and it looks like dictionary.com doesn’t either.

Who BIMA represents is naturally at the heart of the conversation. BIMA represents the interests of the entire Interactive Industry with a bias on creative. By Industry, I mean academia, freelance contractors, agencies large and small, technology providers, brands and government. All of whom have an equal voice - this is extremely important and one of the key differences between BIMA and other associations such as the IAB. By creative, I mean the ‘craftsmen’ (and women naturally) responsible for creating interactive solutions that are original, imaginative, inspiring and innovative, which encourage an emotional response from consumers. Ok, even that’s a little woolly.

Below are some pointers I picked up from a blog post from my buddy Hugh MacLeod; arguably one of the most creative people I know. He’s almost as creative as my sister Deirdra and that’s saying something. Oh wait, how can one person be more creative than another when they specialise in different fields? I don’t think they can. Can they?

So you want to be more creative, in art, in business, whatever. Here are some tips that have worked for Hugh over the years:

1. Ignore everybody.
2. The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to change the world.
3. Put the hours in.
4. If your biz plan depends on you suddenly being “discovered” by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.
5. You are responsible for your own experience.
6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.
7. Keep your day job.
8. Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.
9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.
10. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.
11. Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.
12. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.
13. Never compare your inside with somebody else’s outside.
14. Dying young is overrated.
15. The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.
16. The world is changing.
17. Merit can be bought. Passion can’t.
18. Avoid the Watercooler Gang.
19. Sing in your own voice.
20. The choice of media is irrelevant.
21. Selling out is harder than it looks.
22. Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.
23. Worrying about “Commercial vs. Artistic” is a complete waste of time.
24. Don�t worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.
25. You have to find your own schtick.
26. Write from the heart.
27. The best way to get approval is not to need it.
28. Power is never given. Power is taken.
29. Whatever choice you make, The Devil gets his due eventually.
30. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.
31. Remain frugal.

Read Hugh’s entire blog post.

So, what does creative mean to you? Do your colleagues have the answer? Do the digital folk think differently to the guys employed to sketch ideas on a piece of paper? Do many companies employ people to sketch ideas or are graduates coming out of university with great knowledge in how to use software applications such as illustrator but no clue in how to put pencil to paper?