Ep 129: The business of creativity
Marketing Agency Exposed Podcast
English - April 28, 2023 16:00 - 44 minutes - 101 MB - ★★★★★ - 22 ratingsEntrepreneurship Business Marketing adagency agency agencygrowth agencyhighway agencylife agencyowner agencyprofit agencytoolbox agencyunfiltered digitalagency Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Subtitle:
As a kid, you were probably taught that creativity is something only for “artsy kids” and that it was “unique” but it wasn’t going to help you make money. In this week’s episode, we challenge that idea by diving into the importance of creativity in today’s business world, and how your creativity is the key to success. We talk about the stigma surrounding creativity, innovation, curiosity, mindset, phases of life, and more on this week’s episode!
Summary:
In this week’s episode, the guys discuss creativity and its relevance in the constantly changing world of 2023. They acknowledge that people are going through their own life changes, including shifting their businesses, experiencing layoffs, and adapting to hybrid or remote work environments, and everything seems to be a little bit upside down. They suggest that this is a great and necessary time to think a little bit differently, and to leverage creativity to find new and better solutions to problems. The guys then break down the stigma surrounding creativity, which is sometimes seen as a non-income driver. However, they argue that creativity is required to be successful at anything, and that it is essential for problem-solving and achieving goals. They emphasize that creativity is not just for creativity's sake, but rather that it is a skill that can be harnessed to create value for businesses and individuals alike. The guys discuss the importance of recognizing an agency's unique perspective and role in creating value for clients. They also touch on the idea that creativity sets humans apart from other mammals, as it allows us to imagine something and then bring it to life. The guys then explore the mindset of successful business people, who have a greater fear of not achieving their ideas than the fear of failing. They emphasize that failure is the key to growth and success, and that it is important to learn from failures and use that wisdom to have a grateful mindset. Throughout the episode, the guys emphasize the importance of being curious and having a pliable mind in order to be creative. They discuss the balance between discipline and creativity, and suggest that removing the word "impossible" from one's vocabulary can help to expand creative possibilities. The guys also touch on the cyclical nature of phases in life, and the importance of realizing that life and career exist in phases rather than one big chunk. They discuss the benefits and dangers of past, present, and future mindsets, and suggest that understanding where one spends their thoughts and time can help them to move forward in a positive direction. The guys conclude by emphasizing the importance of innovation and always looking for ways to improve. They suggest that creativity looks at order, blows it up, and then puts it back together in something new, better, more creative, and more functional. They use an analogy to highlight the importance of staying innovative and continuing to look for new and better ways to do things. Overall, this podcast episode provides valuable insights into the importance of creativity and how it can be leveraged to create value in a changing world. It encourages listeners to be curious, embrace failure, and stay innovative in order to find new and better solutions to problems.
Top 3 Curtain Pulls in this episode:
Be curious. Curiosity is essential for creativity. It drives exploration and innovation by encouraging individuals to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and seek out new experiences. Without curiosity, creativity can become stagnant, leading to tired ideas and approaches. Embracing curiosity unlocks new possibilities for growth and innovation. “Creativity is required to be successful at anything. when there's a problem, you have to have the ability to be creative and get around it.”
Embrace failure. Embracing failure is crucial for creativity. It enables experimentation, risk-taking, and learning from mistakes. Fear of failure can stifle creativity and limit innovation. By embracing failure, individuals can push boundaries and adapt to challenges, leading to greater resilience and growth. Failure is an opportunity for learning and growth, unlocking creativity's full potential. “Be able to learn that wisdom to be grateful, and say, I would have never learned that had I not failed.”
Break the stigma. Breaking the stigma surrounding creativity is crucial as it enables individuals and organizations to recognize and utilize the potential of creative thinking. It allows individuals to approach problems with a fresh perspective, leads to increased productivity and innovation, and dispels the notion that art and creativity are not viable career paths. However, breaking the stigma requires a shift in mindset, embracing failure as part of the creative process, and prioritizing experimentation and risk-taking. Ultimately, breaking the stigma surrounding creativity unlocks the full potential of human imagination and innovation. “I want to dispel the myth that you’re not creative. As human beings, we have that so we can solve problems and express deeper truths; it is so that we can reframe things in our mind.”
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About The Guys:
Bob Hutchins: Founder of BuzzPlant, a digital agency that he ran from from 2000 -2017. He is also the author of 3 books. More on Bob:
Brad Ayres: Founder of Anthem Republic, an award-winning ad agency. Brad’s knowledge has led some of the biggest brands in the world. Originally from Detroit, Brad is an OG in the ad agency world and has the wisdom and scars to prove it. Currently that knowledge is being applied to his boutique agency. More on Brad:
instagram.com/therealbradayres
Ken Ott: Co-Founder and Chief Growth Rebel of Metacake, an Ecommerce Growth Team for some of the world’s most influential brands with a mission to Grow Brands That Matter. Ken is also an author, speaker, and was nominated for an Emmy for his acting on the Metacake Youtube Channel (not really). More on Ken:
Metacake - An Ecommerce Growth Team
Show Notes:
[1:30] Bob opens this episode by discussing creativity and its relevance. “In 2023, the world has changed and is changing, it's a little bit crazy out there. And we have friends who are going through their own life changes, whether it's shifting their business, maybe going through some layoffs, their leadership styles have changed because people are hybrid or remote, and everything's a little bit upside down. It's a great and necessary time to think a little bit differently.”
[3:14] Ken discusses some of the stigma surrounding creativity. “We're kind of brought up with the idea that creativity is not a is not an income driver.”
[5:17] Brad talks about the importance of recognizing an agency’s unique perspective and role. “In our business, we don't create for creative's sake. We're paid to create.”
[7:12] Ken continues to talk about the stigma surrounding creativity and the importance of recognizing that, “Creativity is required to be successful at anything. when there's a problem, you have to have the ability to be creative and get around it.”
[10:34] Bob talks about the importance of creativity and how we as humans were intentionally given the ability to be creative. “I want to dispel the myth that you’re not creative. As human beings, we have that so we can solve problems and express deeper truths; it is so that we can reframe things in our mind.”
[12:01] Ken discusses the idea that creativity sets humans apart from other mammals. “Being creative is the ability to imagine something and then bring it to life.”
[16:50] Ken talks about the mindset of successful business people and how, “They have a greater fear of not achieving that (idea), than the fear of failing.”
[17:01] Brad mentions that failure, “is the key to growth and success.”
[19:03] Bob discusses the importance of being curious and having a pliable mind in order to be creative.
[20:55] Ken talks about the balance between discipline and creativity as well as removing “impossible” from your vocabulary.
[22:37] Ken breaks down a question he asks himself to break out of a restricted mindset. “Ask yourself, how could this be possible? If you ask yourself that question and really spend time on it, you'll actually find really great answers.”
[25:58] Bob discusses the idea of the “leftover mentality” and the importance of realizing that your life and career exist in phases versus one big chunk.
[28:18] Brad talks about past, present, and future mindsets and the benefits and dangers of each. “Try to understand where you spend your thoughts and your time, because where your thoughts are, that's where you're going toward.”
[32:56] Ken says that it takes creativity to have a grateful perspective.
[33:36] Bob discusses the importance of learning to fail fast and learn from failures. “Be able to learn that wisdom to be grateful, and say, I would have never learned that had I not failed.”
[37:41] Bob talks about the cyclical nature of phases. “In our stages of life, there's order to disorder and reorder, and we're constantly going through that cycle. Creativity looks at order, blows it up and then puts it back together in something new and better and more creative and functional.”
[40:59] Bob wraps up this week’s episode by using an analogy to dive into the importance of innovation and always looking for ways to improve.