It is hard to think of a human ability that has had a
more profoundly positive effect on the world than creativity. This
one human capacity has generated so much. It is individual and
universal, intellectual as well as artful, born of inspiration and
made with determination. Distinctly human but often misunderstood,
creativity is fundamental to life. At Landor, it is our life’s work
to constantly build our creative capabilities in service of our
clients’ businesses. Here are some things we’ve learned along the
way.
1 Creativity is in everyone
Forget titles, job descriptions, and hierarchy—creativity is not
a skill set, it’s a mindset, an orientation that resists habitual
thinking and invites courageous exploration. To be human is to be
creative.
Richard Montañez had been a janitor in a California
Frito-Lay plant for almost 20 years when he was inspired by a
message from the company’s president to act like an owner. While
eating a cup of corn spiced with cheese and chiles, he came up with
an idea for a new flavor. He persuaded executives to give it a try,
and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos quickly became Frito-Lay’s top-selling
snack.
2 Creativity is paradoxical
The contradictions of creativity contribute to the mystery
surrounding it. Creativity is intelligent, yet requires a
willingness to ask questions and be open to possibilities. It is
inspired by playfulness, but disciplined toward an end. Passionate
but objective, energetic but reflective, individual as well as
collaborative—these are just a few of creativity’s paradoxes.
The wayfinding system at Great Ormond Street Hospital for
Children uses playfulness to enhance its functionality. Each
building and floor has been marked with a distinctive color and
habitat from the natural world, stretching from the ocean (lower
ground floor) to the skies (upper floor). The cheerful
illustrations provide an easy guide for families to navigate the
complicated hospital.
3 Creativity is constructive
Creativity is generative, productive, and open to many
alternatives. But at its heart, it seeks to make a difference.
Creativity values and celebrates imagination and mandates the
practical application of its output.
Because a reported two million children under age five die
from illnesses brought on by lack of proper hygiene, Global
Handwashing Day was established to encourage hand washing with
soap, which is proven to prevent disease and save lives. The
program’s colorful figurines wordlessly and cheerfully communicate
this message to children around the world, across multiple
languages and cultures. Now, over 200 million people in 100
countries celebrate this day and this lifesaving behavior.
4 Creativity is courageous
Creativity values imagination over image. It requires a
willingness to let go of certainties and think expansively; it also
demands a strong dose of determination and self-belief. History
proves that new ideas and concepts are often met with apathy,
ridicule, or even hostility. This is why courage and creativity are
brothers.
Renowned architect Frank Gehry wants his buildings to be
experienced, not just admired. He deliberately breaks architectural
conventions to create work that elicits an emotional reaction.
Often greeted initially with resistance, his buildings defy the
rules of engineering and lend themselves to diverse
interpretations. To protest the construction of his Guggenheim
Museum in Bilbao, local people held vigils in the street; they
hated it. Today, the museum is one of the most admired in
contemporary architecture and everyone wants to be photographed in
front.
5 Creativity is perceptive
Seeing and perceiving are two different things. Sight is visual
and concrete; perception is individual and interpretive. Highly
creative people have a well-developed ability to perceive things in
new ways, detect patterns, and make connections that others may
miss.
Kim Kiroic is a keen observer of global culture. The Chinese
footwear designer creates shoes that blend fashions of East and
West, from Western-style sneakers with open toes, reflecting a
Chinese preference for sandals, to more conceptual Western
Oxford-style shoes with Qing Dynasty-style tall, sculptural wooden
heels.
6 Creativity can be inspired or suppressed
Environments that allow freedom to explore, exposure to
stimulus, and time to reflect inspire individual and collective
creativity. Imaginative thinking can be suppressed by excessive
rules and regulations, siloed thinking, stigmatization of failure,
hyper-focus on efficiency, and the elevation of conformity over
originality.
When Nike hired director Casey Neistat to create its latest
commercial, Neistat threw out the preapproved script and took his
team on a trip around the world. He filmed their journey and
experiences and presented the footage as the ad. Although Nike
hadn’t approved this direction, it embraced “Make It Count.” The ad
became a viral hit with six million views in three weeks.
7 Creativity is childlike
Children tend to be less self-conscious than adults and this
natural naïveté leads them to ask more questions and think more
laterally. Adults’ experience and expertise can lead them to
prematurely shut down new routes of thinking. Creativity is
often served when we “think like a kid,” unfettered by all the
reasons something might not work but inspired by what could be.
Pablo Picasso once said, “It took me four years to paint
like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” Picasso was
able to continually reinvent himself. Instead of being overly
critical of his own ideas, he freed himself to sketch whatever
struck his fancy. Unlike so many adults who become stifled by
convention, Picasso discovered his right and will to be
free—expressing himself unselfconsciously. Genius.
8 Creativity accepts ambiguity
Most human beings do not like ambiguity; it makes them
uncomfortable. The hallmark of a creative thinker is a willingness
to accept ambiguity, embrace discomfort, and focus on the promise
of possibility. Rather than rush back to what is familiar, the
creative mind lingers, trading comfort for potential.
Glass is traditionally a craft medium, yet most of Dale
Chihuly’s sculptures are neither utilitarian nor functional. His
comfort with ambiguity challenges the modernist idea of beauty and
the art world’s definition of art. One of the first glass artists
to use asymmetric designs in his work, Chihuly is an avant-garde
pioneer whose work has paved the way for future glass
artists.
© 2012 Landor Associates. All rights reserved.