‘i’m just not that creative’
Last week I introduced myself and how I got here. For the next few weeks, I want to tackle each of humble onion’s values, because they shape every facet of the business, the products, and the people that I work with. There are five of them, hence the five rings of the onion you see on the homepage.
Creativity seems like a no-brainer. It’s right there in the logo. But any time I talk with someone who is not necessarily a graphic designer or artist, I get a lot of….
‘I just want to throw this idea out there, but you can figure it out. I’m just not that creative.’
If I asked the vast Internet who relates to the above statement, I can absolutely, 100% guarantee you that most people would raise their hand – including so-called creatives.
In fact, a study by Adobe found that 75% of people around the world don’t believe they’re living up to their creative potential.
Creativity is something everyone has, even if they don’t feel like they possess it. If your boss comes to you and says, “hey, we have this event tomorrow and I need SWAG for 500 kids,” what do you do? (I mean after that initial panic, of course.) You problem solve. You get creative. You look at something through a new lens, with new insights, and you make something out of nothing. You may look at what other organizations do, or what is trending on Instagram or Pinterest. You may check out a vendor’s website, or you may just wing it. But you get creative.
The same is true with graphic design, copywriting, and any marketing. Working as a team, sharing insights, identifying a problem, and coming up with a unique strategy to solve said problem or reach a certain audience is creativity.
And now, more than ever, you have the resources to do it.
I’ve been really transparent that I’m not interested in gatekeeping graphic design or, for that matter, creativity. I’m here to share what I know in the hopes that I can help others and empower them to do good in this world, whatever that may look like.
Despite the same aforementioned survey finding that most people don’t feel they have the resources to be creative, we are living in prime creative resource days.
Canva, a free resource where you can make last-minute flyers, social media graphics, and even videos, honestly had me really concerned when I first heard about it. But as I’ve grown as a designer, I’ve learned it’s nothing to be afraid of – in fact it’s a tool.
Open resources provide different services than agencies and freelancers. Different, but still good.
If you already have a brand with pre-determined colors, fonts, or imagery, Canva is a game-changer of a tool. You can throw something together in five minutes and be ready to post about your organization, allowing your creativity to run wild!
I do want to clarify that while Canva can help you unlock your creative potential, Canva isn’t a designer. You’re not going to get the same depth of thought, marketing, or flexibility as you would with a brand strategist, a graphic designer, or an illustrator. That’s not a bad thing, they just serve different purposes.
Hiring a designer allows you to open new doors to other worlds you may not have pursued, with a broader, outside-of-your-organization perspective. Canva allows you to be creative with designing for your audience after your brand has been narrowed a little. Without a graphic designer or marketing strategist, it’s kind of like running wild in a vast desert. With a graphic designer or marketing strategist, it’s like being given a backpack, a map, and a path to walk down.
When you work with me, I’m working with you, too.
Coming up with an innovative design is not possible without transparent communication. If you’re looking for someone you can hand off a project to and walk away, I can come up with something, trust! But I’d be lying if I said my creativity overpowers yours. Your ideas, your problems and solutions, your knowledge of your area – all of this is going to create a much more powerful, impactful piece of material.
So next time you think you’re “just not that creative,” give yourself some credit. Because creativity is sometimes learned, but more often than not, it’s one of the things that makes us human.