Tag: creativity

Several years ago, I was fortunate enough to be offered the job of Development Manager for the Creative Quarter in Nottingham.  It was fortunate for several reasons.  It had the word ‘creative’ in the title; Nottingham was a place I had not ever really visited properly and lastly but not insignificantly leastly, I had a part to play in developing links with our local universities, with a view to offering graduate internment opportunities.

Over the summer of 2015 we were lucky enough to be graced with the presence of some five luminescent graduates who made life in the CQ shine and resonate with their young energy, ambition and clarity of desire.  They had clearly not experienced life in the ups and downs of the start-up venture and were all the cleaner and fresher for it. Costas, Rachael, Emma, Paige and Matt made that summer sing with possibility, endeavour and a productivity born of skill, talent but above all desire and the whole CQ crew – Kathy, Cathy, Raj, Claire, Jane, Rory and me – were enamoured with their energy and spirits. One of us, who shall remain nameless for the sake of decorum, openly wept when being presented with a proposal to produce a marketing booklet.   Such was the impact those young people had on us.

And the one impactful moment which stayed with me over that heady summer was when Matt, after a few beers, a pub crawl around Nottingham and endless deliberations about what it meant to be ‘creative’, asked me ‘Why don’t you write a blog called A Day in the Life of the Creative?’ That was all I needed.   Within weeks a blog was forming and then soon after a book – Mess Theory – was shaping up.

Mess Theory was inspired by my belief that creativity is dependent entirely on mess.  We need scrap, junk or any old rubbish to exert our creative muscles and this book is no exception.  It plays with the challenges of getting and securing gainful employment in the creative industries whilst providing an alternative insight into what that work can entail. ‘Creativity’ is one of those words which conjures up all kinds of shiny, warm and cosy feelings: but there is a darker side to that moon and Mess Theory pulls no punches in showing us what that is. It’s in two parts: “How Not to Get a Job” and “A Day in the Life of the Creative” the latter part of which is of course my response to Matts’ suggestion all those years previously.   Here’s a snatch from A Day in the Life of the Creative.

What’s in a name?

Well loves, it’s about time I set you straight about what the life of The Creative is all about. You might think it’s all about jetting around on roller skates, partaking in the odd skinny fat café olé and playing Pac Man until the early hours waiting for the muse to text you and tell you where she’s been the last two months. But no, the life of a creative these days – sigh – in times of flat pack austerity – sigh – is not the golden time beloved of many a script writer, radio jock or Daily Mail bombardier.

No, the life of a Creative is an altogether different proposition and it’s incumbent on me (known to many in this large multinational organisation whose staff canteen is the size of many large football pitches strung end to end) as the resident Creative, to set the record straight.

First things first. Those words: ‘The Creative’. The fact is love is that if I am The Creative at the office party that rules you out. There is only one thing you can be – the non-creative, the un-creative, the collateral damage – call it what you will. But we can’t all be The Creative one now can we? Otherwise that would mean that none of us were and that would rule me out of a job – or several small portfolio development opportunities – straight away.

So please: let’s be clear. To be ‘The Creative’ in the workplace (and this huge workplace in particular) is a mark of respect and you should use it whilst simultaneously doffing your metaphorical flat cap. You can do this in real space-time continuum, or you can do it virtually: the choice loves is yours.