This article was taken from the July 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by <span class="s1">subscribing online.
Creativity is often the relentless pursuit of difference aligned to relevance. Of staying ahead while also cultivating desire. These twin factors are fundamental to success, but as exciting as a creative career might be, it is still precarious. Burnout, rejection, misfortune and failure are all waiting to disrupt that career in which so much had been invested -- more commonly than in almost any other profession.
It is said that most creative careers, such as music, art or writing, have a roughly ten-year ascendancy, when the artist produces their great work. If you're lucky you can go on repeating that initial, mould-breaking work, exploring that theme for the rest of your career. Mick Jagger can travel the world singing "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and 30,000 people will turn up and applaud. He and Keith Richards wrote it in 1968. Or if you're Lichtenstein you can explore your comic-book painting style until the day you die.
But what if you can't go on reflecting a single theme? Jackson Pollock failed to move on from his drip painting and was said to be bitter at other artists' success. His legendary drinking was arguably a result of this frustration. Or what if you work in a milieu that requires you to come in every day and have a different idea? How do you break out of the ten-year cycle and turn a ten-year career into a 30-year one? Where do these peoples' ideas come from? How can they go on creating, being at the cutting edge of change? Of course, change generates problems as well as opportunities. This is one of the reasons why, despite being irreverent beings, we also become quite conservative as time goes by.
I believe there are three things every creative person should remember when attempting to lengthen their career. The first is never become a cynic. Cynicism is the death of creativity. The belief in your idea and the belief that it can make the world a better place is crucial to your inspiration. Doubt undermines belief, but cynicism kills it stone dead.
Remove the headphones. Inspiration is everywhere -- you just have to see it. If you accept that creative people are "transmitters" -- they absorb all kinds of stimuli, thoughts and ideas and they reinterpret them and send them back to the world as pieces of inspiration -- then it's obvious that the more you see, connect and juxtapose, the more interesting your work will be. The more you stay connected and stimulated, the greater the relevance of your work. By walking around in a digital cocoon you push the world away; great creative people constantly embrace it. You need to nourish your soul and your imagination.
Lastly, always mix with the best. Whether we like it or not, our ideas are in constant competition with others'. There's a reason why creative people want to congregate with others. It's not just about the coffee; it inspires, challenges and supports. More than any other profession, creativity feeds off this sense of community.
This is fundamentally important in the advertising world, where creativity is essential but where it's most challenged. Being in an agency that nurtures and promotes its creativity, as opposed to one that just sees it as a resource, is crucial. Yes, those companies pay their creative people large amounts of cash, but these employees have sold their souls to their bank account. Remember, money has a voice but it doesn't have a soul.
It's constantly said the future is creative. Just make sure you're part of it.
John Hegarty is cofounder of advertising agency BBH. He is the author of Hegarty on Creativity: There are No Rules
(Thames & Hudson)
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
