Creativity Is Key to Changing the World

I recently read a book written by Merlee Cruz-Jayme entitled “Everyone Can Be Creative”. In the book, she shares the valuable lessons she learned from being an ex-nun and how it prepared her for her career in advertising. She is currently  the Chairmom and Chief Creative-Officer of a well-known advertising agency.

I had the opportunity to work with the author before since she developed some of the campaigns for the brand that I was managing for a telecommunications company before. I was always impressed with her creativity and her work but I never knew that she was an ex-nun. It was quite interesting to learn more about creativity from her.

Merlee Cruz-Jayme

In the book, Jayme mentioned that there are two types of creative people: (1) the naturally creative and (2) the learning creative. Those who are naturally creative is one who has inherited his/her parents’ creative skills like drawing or storytelling. On the other hand, the learning creative people are those who try to enhance their creativity by taking up classes or lessons. An example is when one is very good in Math but he/she is also interested in painting so he/she takes up a painting class to learn and maybe even copy a famous artist’s work.

The book is an easy read and what is interesting is that the author gives “Creatips” to readers on how they can enhance their creativity and the illustrations in the book are also made by the author. Below are the Creatips shared by the author:

·         Discipline is important

As an ex-nun, she values her experience in the convent where she learned mental and physical discipline. Discipline is about working smart according to the author as she shared that even if she is a busy Advertising executive she still finds time for her family and balances work and family life. She also mentioned that her four daughters are also creative like her.

·         Learn to silence the mind

It is necessary to unplug in order to have clarity of thought.  This means one has to veer away from digital gadgets, laptops and mobile phones and take time to have some personal quiet time to cleanse one’s mind. One can silence his or her mind by spending some quiet time while running, walking in the park, meditating in a quiet place or praying. By silencing our mind, we are able to focus better and we are able to develop a core idea that can be transformed into a great story.

·         Be an obsessive observer

The author also encourages readers to be an obsessive observer. This means that one has to be able to read people by observing people well. One may have a small notebook and take notes of important observations or a writing pad where one can take notes and doodle some ideas. This enables one to understand their market on a whole new level and discover inspiration, ideas and human truths that can move people.

It is cool to know that I myself can relate to the author’s tip on being an obsessive observer. Yes I do like to observe people when I am in a café, restaurant or at an event. I also like doing this when I travel. I remember people watching at Café de Flore in Paris where I enjoyed observing fashionable French people and from simple observation I am able to distinguish the tourists from the locals. I also take note of important observations and learn more about how certain people from a certain generation think and act. In fact, my curiosity even includes observing the type of food that people order in restaurants…ha ha ha. This simply shows my curiosity as a foodie.

·         Never think that limited resources limit your creativity

Jayme mentioned that one has to be resourceful and to continue to strive to survive and make yourself happy. Remember that sometimes our limited resources makes us more creative too since we end up looking for other alternatives to do things.

·         The best stress-buster is Positivity

It is important to have a positive attitude and spend time with positive people so that you can have a feeling of hope, happiness and stay calm when you face challenges or unfavorable circumstances.

source: pinterest website 

·         Be simple and be happy

Another creatip is the importance of being simple and being happy. The author mentioned how successful people tend to dress in uniforms. Mark Zuckerberg always wears gray round neck shirts and Steve Jobs always wears black longsleeve turtleneck shirts in his meetings and presentations.  As she mentioned, simplicity is the gift of an uncluttered mind and it edits out the useless and cares about the useful. This is certainly true. The more simple a message is, the more it is remembered.

Jayme herself admits her usual outfit for work is a combination of Emmanuelle Alt(Vogue Paris' Editor-in -Chief) and Ellen Degeneres' style.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, always wears
gray round neck shirts

source: forbes.com

·         Have an outlet and do something other than work

Jayme mentioned that it is important to have patience and resilience. Her other creatip is to have an outlet and do something other than work. She mentioned that one must be able to deal with failures, mistakes and rejections. By having an outlet like walking, running, watching movies or playing games, one is able to stay sane, deal with disappointments and continue to improve.

·         Make your creative life difficult to perfect your craft

It is important to remember to not do things that are mediocre and to fight for what is difficult. It takes a lot of practice and hours of practice to hone one’s craft and it is important also to be open to learning from others with great minds.

·         Be relentless, strive for greatness and think with your heart

Jayme shared that by sharing our time, talent, and energy selflessly to others, it naturally softens our hearts. She also emphasized that we also need to help make a difference in this world.  I would say that this advice really resonated with me.

I am able to relate to it since I find that by mentoring underprivileged kids every weekend through a foundation, I am able to use the talent and skills that God has blessed me with and I am able to help them by inspiring them to learn about the importance of entrepreneurship and instill good values that will help them become successful future entrepreneurs and responsible citizens, which is what the world needs today.

Using creativity for a greater cause, spreading kindness and helping others are key to making this world a better place . Cheers!

source: gde-fon site