The Uncomfortable Truth About Creativity in 2024
Why Creative Work Feels Like Such A Slog Right Now
"I'm on the verge of burnout."
☝ That's what one freelancer confessed to me the other day. He said how weird (a.k.a slow) this year has been, how he felt like he was in constant "pivot-mode" and how every company he reached out to seemed to have their guard up.
I think he was coming to me for some kind of hack... but I didn't have one. I could only relate.
Plain & simple, this is an unmistakably awkward time for creatives. There are 3 major reasons for this: one that's obvious, one that's tough to swallow, and one that's timeless.
1. [Obvious] Companies are skittish about the election outcome.
Besides the economic uncertainty, they don't want to invest in any "out-of-the-box" thinking that may play out unexpectedly depending on how the next few weeks go. (Imagine hiring someone to brand your new collaborative video conferencing product in Q4 of 2019. I know, we'll call it "Co-Vid™!")
And speaking of not wanting to think outside-of the box, here's the tough to swallow truth...
2. [Tough to Swallow] Content no longer needs to be creative.
"Nonsense!" you say, raising your moleskine high with one hand to slap me with it whilst frantically searching for every Steve Jobs clip on YouTube with the other.
Look, I know. I didn't want to admit it myself. But for the past 75 years creative professionals have sold clients that if their content is full of creativity it will out-perform others. However, now that we've created a "race-to-the bottom" media landscape that runs on human addiction, the data proves otherwise. A friend of mine is the Head of Social for an international clothing brand. He confessed to me that their iPhone videos where they simply hold up a pair of pants VASTLY out-perform their expensive studio shoots on the regular.
This is the very reason why you keep seeing Instagram ads that look like real podcast conversations when they're not. If you're selling to an addict, you're not appealing to their imagination, you're trying to feel familiar.
This is also why it feels especially hard for anyone who makes a living orbiting outside the corporate bubble right now. Creative pros who are W2'd, are equally if not more aware of this uncomfortable shift. Employees who once were keen to outsource ideas are currently quite busy trying to protect their own viability and avoid rocking the boat.
Ok, one more downer before we get to the good stuff...
3. [Timeless] Genuine creativity will ALWAYS be expensive...and risky.
There's no way around it. Creativity will always cost an inconvenient amount of time, money or both without any guaranteed ROI.
I'm thinking about how long it's taking me to write this post right now, the time I've spent debating over what stories to include or which phrasing to choose, things that can't be easily outsourced to ChatGPT. And for what? Perhaps this article gets a few likes and comments. Maybe it leads to a huge consulting gig! There's even more of a chance it gets lost in an endless sea of content to be forgotten forever.
{Sigh} Sometimes I think it would have been easier to be a creative in the '90s making animal puppets.
When Julie Taymor presented her avant garde concept for The Lion King musical to the serious suits at Disney in 1994 they were concerned and doubtful it would have commercial appeal. Ultimately, however, Disney's CEO, Michael Eisner, relented to her vision, telling her "it's risky, but the bigger the risk, the bigger the payoff."
That was 30 years ago though. Today, economically speaking, Disney along with every other major studio is coming out of a honeymoon period where investors took big swings on creativity in order to stay competitive with technology and win the streaming wars. Those investments haven't paid off enough to sustain our relentless "up-and-to-the-right" shareholder-driven economy. Their remorse coupled with the advent of shiny new AI tools has had a trickle-down effect on creative professionals everywhere.
So... where does all this leave us?
“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Creativity is only commercially valuable when the market can no longer ignore the wellbeing of its consumers. This is usually cyclical, occurring after a period of social unrest, political instability, and emotional strife (See: The Late Middle Ages shortly before The Renaissance Period or The Great Depression shortly before The Harlem Renaissance).
The good news is that, judging by current events, we’re about due for another Renaissance. The bad news is, right now, there isn’t much value for creativity. Many are too distracted, nervous, and skeptical.
Instead of fighting tooth-and-nail against this reality, I have another option I’d like to recommend…
Creatives: It’s time to cook. Take whatever work you can and channel any extra time to make your best stuff without any limits or deadlines. Hone the technology, but more importantly, hone your point-of-view. Speak to those who are ready to listen. Understand that no one will ever pay you again to make things look pretty, but to compel others to feel something when everyone starts burning out en masse.
Begin to imagine a future where wonder and meaning are in short supply and actively prepare for that day…because it’s coming, and those who have a head start will ultimately win.
“I’m on the verge of burnout.” He said.
“We all are," is how I should have replied. "How exciting.”