2020: The Year of Living (and Working) Creatively

“Creativity is a wild mind and a disciplined eye.” The quote by Dorothy Parker immediately brought to mind my younger daughter Raya. She is an enigma in the best possible way and I try to imagine all of the wild and wonderful thoughts that race through her head on any given day. At nine, she shared with me a bucket list that included meeting Katy Perry, petting a tiger, and eating a 7’ hoagie. We were able to make one dream come true. But her mind is an incredible thing; Raya is an artist who specializes in portraits that always tell a story. In fact, she often uses her art as a way to make sense of this crazy world and the troubling times we’ve faced most recently. As you can see as you scroll through the images I’ve shared, Raya has natural talent. But what takes my breath away is that she has an innate ability to draw the world she sees … or perhaps, the world she wants to live in.

I’ve often said that I don’t have a creative bone in my body, but I’m not sure that’s true. (I do draw a mean stick figure.) In the work I do as a marketer, I always have to apply a creative lens, choosing to think beyond what looks possible at first glance. Creativity manifests itself in so many ways. But I think we are all at our best — and most creative — when we are passionate about something. For my daughter Raya, it’s about using art to tell stories. For me, it’s about transforming a legacy brands into something new that reflects infinite possibilities.

Here at Skillsoft, we are dedicated to evolving — and democratizing — learning, and so, coloring outside the lines has become the norm for me and my marketing team. But, I never imagined just how far outside the lines we’d have to venture in response to the “new “normal. Power skills like agility, resilience, innovation, communication, and adaptability are more important than ever. And, guess what? If you’ve been leveraging those skills, you’ve been tapping into your creativity.

Still, during a time when we’re all focused on staying afloat, it isn’t always easy to stay creative. We may feel tempted to fall back on old familiar patterns. The key is to ask yourself what must endure — and what must change. Here are a few tips inspired by the creative artists in my life:

Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes.

Creativity is not limited to visual design or content development. Rather, it is all about problem-solving.

Here’s an example. I had been at Skillsoft about six months when everything — and I mean everything — changed. Seemingly overnight, millions of us were asked to work remotely in response to a global pandemic. We had been working on our annual Perspectives user conference, which was supposed to take place in Florida, London, and India. Suddenly, destination events were an impossibility.

So, we got creative. With the help of our agency C Space, we took the opportunity to shift our thinking and reinvent Perspectives entirely. It ended up a free, 24-hour, global, online experience, featuring more than a hundred speakers and addressing everything from personal development to diversity and inclusion. Amazingly, we reached over 40,000 people around the world.

Creativity is a muscle.

With practice, we all have the capacity to create something new. If you’re leading a team or a project, regularly encourage others to contribute their ideas. Brainstorming sessions can become creative workouts. They’re also a great opportunity to identify each employee’s unique and creative strengths. Some may be writers, some editors, and some artists.

A blank canvas is worth its weight in gold.
When our office rugs were pulled out from under us, it felt scary and strange. But, the organizations that thrive during disruption recognize the light in the shadows; making use of adversity to build stronger systems in place of outdated or ineffectual ones. To take calculated risks and try new things. To sense and respond to topical and timely moments. I think we are seeing this most clearly around issues of equity and social justice.

In fact, for this blog, I’ve chosen to showcase some of Raya’s pieces that focus on activism — her arresting interpretation of the coronavirus; her portrait of George Floyd; her image of a transgender female on Pride day; and my birthday present: a perfect portrait of the late RBG. Raya draws what she thinks and it’s how she tells the world what’s important to her. And because she is so talented, she draws you in … and makes you think more critically and creatively about the topic.

Oh, have I mentioned she’s only 13?

And as a proud mother, I must brag a bit. Raya is still young enough to want to make her Mom happy, which is why she drew Dolly for me; she knows how much I love her.

And how much I love Raya with her wild mind and her disciplined eye. Imagine what we could do if we were all a little more like Raya.