Creativity, like talent, may seem like a trait reserved for a select few. Simply put, creativity is inventiveness as a function of one’s imagination. Everyone has ideas and everyone has an imagination, the products of which vary depending on the environment and the collaborators whom we choose to share our creative journey with.
As a freelance creative, I work with many different individuals, and at this point in my career I have chosen projects that are challenging and to work with people who are enriching. This wasn’t always the case.
I was recently prompted to reflect on my poor early-career choices when, in two separate cases, my artistic friends confided in me that they were experiencing anxiety, stress, and a general lack of appreciation while working on their current gig. This saddened me because I have a lot of respect for my friends, committed and talented individuals as they are.
Each friend had called me over the phone and I listened intently as they vented their frustrations about their current creative environment, and what became apparent to me was a clash in work styles. They simply approached their responsibilities differently to others and this resulted in disharmony and tension.
Around the same time, one of my writers shared a quiz on Facebook with our writing team. It was an online quiz Adobe had created in the style of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. Upon completion of the quiz a person receives a description of their creative type along with suggestions for other creatives whom they would work best with.
There are eight creative types in this online quiz: the artist; the thinker; the adventurer; the maker; the producer; the dreamer; the innovator; and the visionary. I was labelled the artist – seeing beauty, creating beauty – and the quiz suggested that the producer types are my best collaborators. While I saw a lot of my traits in the description, I don’t think that people can be defined so easily. I probably feel the same hesitation about this result as I do about astrological horoscopes. However, the truth that did emerge, for me at least, upon completing this quiz was that we can choose who we create with.
Creative people tend to wear their heart on their sleeve and working in the arts brings about a heightened emotional state. With that in mind, consider who you would allow into your circle. Carefully select who is worth spending your time, your talent, and your money on. Burnout is a real thing, and the workload of an artist is already challenging enough, so surround yourself with creatives who share your vision and respect you.
Be kind to others and be kind to you so that you can enjoy the process of creation. Why not discover your creative personality by taking the online quiz here.
