Small-c Creativity: What Does it Mean to Be Creative?

A confession: I hate the word “creative.” (Right now you’re like, “???? ummm but isn’t this email from a ‘creative’ agency?” Fair, allow me to explain.)

I hate the word “creative” when used as a proper noun—when someone says “I’m a Creative” (noun, capital C). Because, here’s the thing, nobody OWNS creativity.

Creativity is about action—trying and failing, thinking and doing differently, collaborating with other people. It’s about creating! (Look at all the verbs!)

A creative agency’s job is not to be the “Creatives” in the room. You know the type: get in, deliver a service, get out—without enacting real change or providing an environment of shared learning. Instead, it’s our job to practice creativity with our clients: to help them try and fail, think and do differently, and collaborate with us and each other.

We don’t see ourselves as the “Creatives” (yuck!) and our clients as the “Business People” (don’t even get me started!). We see our relationship with clients as a partnership with smart people, working to solve problems and create something great—together.

This was originally sent as a newsletter topic for Open Tabs, a monthly newsletter about becoming inspired, making decisions, and building things from the team at Clique Studios.