Why most creatives never get noticed
We all know the story, it may even be your own.
The outrageously talented creative who is brilliant at their craft, yet they can’t seem to get anywhere with their career.
They can’t seem to get anyone to notice.
They jump from idea to idea, but nothing ever picks up the traction it deserves.
Eventually they abandon the idea for a new one.
The sad truth is that creativity isn’t enough anymore. In fact creativity alone was never enough.
The secret to being an impactful creative
A familiar disorganized workplace for many creative professionals. Photo courtesy of Brian Kusler
Too many creatives put all of their faith in creativity believing that it will lead them to fame, fortune and success.
They believe that if they could only produce better work, someone would notice.
Sadly, that is not the case.
Scott Belsky describes this phenomenon perfectly in his book Making Ideas Happen. Scott proposes a simple formula that sums up the problem that nearly all creatives face.
Creativity X Organization = Impact
With this formula, the most creative person in the world could have zero impact if they aren’t organized enough to finish their work and handle the parts of their craft that aren’t as creative such as business or marketing.
The truth is, a less creative person with the ability to manage their life and organization can make a larger impact than the most talented and creative individual in the world.
This problem affects more than just artists, and designers. This affects entrepreneurs, knowledge workers and anyone who desires to create something meaningful with their life.
The missing variable in Belsky's equation
Belsky’s formula was a brilliant breakthrough in writing on the topic of creativity, although there is third variable missing from his formula.
This third variable can catapult a creatives career forward at a rapid pace.
This third variable is one of the hardest to learn.
This third variable is goal setting.
Creativity X Organization X Goal Setting = Impact
In addition to the ability to organize their creative work, creatives must learn to set goals and stay focused on achieving those goals.
Without having goals or a clear direction to work in, even the most creative and productive individual can find themselves working in a direction or career that they never intended.
Earl Nightingale hit the nail on the head with his simple quote, "People with goals succeed because they know where they're going."
How to balance all three variables
This is not an easy task to balance all three of these elements of the equation. In fact it takes significant discipline and focus to do it.
As I searched through book after book about creativity, organization and goal setting. I failed to find a resource that really connected all three.
So I decided to write that resource in the form of a book called The Focused Creator.
This book is built on the foundations that great authors such as Scott Belsky, Todd Henry, Verne Harnish, David Allen, and others have laid before me.
This book teaches creatives to effectively manage their work, organize their life and stay focused on their goals.
This book will be released on March 25th.
