Creative person in that non-creative role Read this!

Creative person in that non-creative role Read thisCreative person in that non-creative role Read thisIt happened again, as it has several times since 2015.This message shows up time and time again - different forms, different ways. The other day, it showed up in my Twitter feed.Ive worked at the same company for 5 years now as a millennial, which I think makes me like the Cal Ripkin Jr. of under 30s holding a job.This is usually shocking information. Its not half as shocking as what Im about to say nextI actually like my job, AND the work I do for myselfBut who cares about me. I dont have all the answers.However, the picture of a potential creative genius sitting in a cubical believing she is never going to be able to do the work she dreams of is enough to drive me to share a few thoughts on the subject, imperfect as they may be.Here are a few suggestions for you1. Redefine CreativityLook around the internet and across dictionaries, and you will find dozens of different definitions of what creativity is.Heres one I like to useCreativity - Combining existing information in new waysOr, if you like the simpler but less studious versionCreativity - Connecting the dotsPablo Picasso didnt invent paint or the paintbrush or painting as an activity. He didnt discover the canvas. He wasnt the first to learn the most efficient brush stroke.Instead, he combined all these existing elements in new ways, eventually generating a truly new and unique art form - Cubism. This expresses itself mora commonly today in the simple collage.But watch thisBrain Meeks, an expert in Amazon advertising, did not invent Amazon. He did not invent Microsoft Excel or data analysis. He did not come up with completely new or different ways to write copy.Instead, he combined all these existing elements in new ways, eventually generating a truly new and unique practice for looking at data. This expresses itself in the way he teaches others to analyze similar data.Picasso and Meeks are using the same process.Stripped of all the specifics, both men are going through the same steps.Do that, but with your work.2. Stop asking the company to sponsor youMany times people ask this question with a different motivationWell, I just want to write books/paint/draw/design for a living, and its not fair those activities cant generate enough income for my expenses. The company wont pay me to just be creative Nobody ever actually says that, of course.I kind of wish they would.I understand it, I really do. If writing on Medium alone and publishing a book or two were enough to provide me with the lifestyle I desired, the likelihood of me quitting my full time job go up dramatically.Lets address a couple of false assumptions with this motivationa) Those activities cant generate enough income for my expensesThey probably can.It just might not happen fast enough, big enough, or be sustainable enough to please you.This is why you must have an evil plan Work for the man, but build for yourself.S lowly but surely, you can start to bridge the gap.b) The company wont pay me to just be creative In the most basic terms, a company is a structure organized around a need in the marketplace.Publishing companies are organized to meet the need of people who want to read books.Identity security companies are organized to meet the need of people who want to protect personal data.Pet accessory companies are organized to meet the need of silly Americans who overpamper their dogs (guilty)Quite simply, your company probably does not have a legitimate need for what it is you do. And if it does, they are likely getting it from you at the lowest price point they possibly can.*(*This is a paradigm which is slowly changing, thanks to the fact CEOs are realizing robots can do all the work humans used to do, but customers still want to feel they are dealing with a human).Heres how to really blow your bosss mindDiscover what the company is REALLY afterFind creative solutions to help achieve that go al(Regardless of whether or not it fits in your role)Present those solutions to someone with influenceThe mora you help your team/business unit/company win, the mora trust you earn to be creative in the first place.3) Help other peopleI picked this up from James AltucherDo all your work before noon.Do everyone elses work after lunch.This not only gives you a better picture of the company as a whole, but it widens the amount of existing information you have (remember - thats the only critical ingredient to creativity).4) Make a backup5 years into our relationship, my boss and I operate pretty much like thisTami Todd I have this great idea for a thing.Me Cool What are the details.Tami Well, I thought we could blah, blah, blah with the extra blah, company details with a llama at the end to show how ludicrous it is when our managers do that.Me HmmmTami Anyway, thats just what I was thinking. Run with it.I then go off and make a thing. It may have a llama at the end. It may be that I ch ose another silly animal. It may be the llama has been cut, and instead I did whatever I wanted to because I wanted to make a video which looked like Stranger ThingsThe resulting conversation goes one of two waysCONVERSATION 1Me Hey I made a thingTami OMG I LOVE IT. This isnt at all what I asked for, but you totally got what I was trying to say.CONVERSATION 2Me Hey I made a thingTami I dont get it. Can you add a few more llamas like we originally talked about?Me Sure, and as a matter of fact, I already built several llama mockups so we will still hit our deadline.Tami Wow, you sure are great.Me I know.Tami Youre going to write about this experience, arent you?Me - - - At the end of the day, your boss is probably just worried about getting in trouble with her boss, who needs to have work ready for his boss.Take chances. But take chances with your reputation, not anyone elses.5) QuitAh haIf I have learned anything about writing for an audience, its that everyone loves when an inte rnet personality tells them to quit their job.Youve probably been waiting for me to say it this whole time, havent you?Its time to go little bird Free yourself from the chains of corporate tyranny Follow your heart and all the butterfliesWhich is fun to say.Its become less fun over the years as Ive discovered things I write and say actually (get this) generate consequences for people who follow my advice. At times, that works out great and I get lovely emails.Other times, I get angry mothers who dont understand why their children are after apprenticeships instead of college.So sure, quit.If you have the financial resources to not starve, quit.If you can do so without damaging a meaningful relationship, quit.If you are ready to depart without blaming a stranger on the internet, quit.Quit and go find your creativity.Just remember this If you dont have it where you are, you probably wont get it where youre going.Much love as always ?- Todd BInfinite ideasBelieve me when I say nearly e very dollar Ive made in the last 3 years, corporate, freelance, or otherwise, is a direct result of the ideas I have both quality and quantity.I finally got my idea-generating process down in an ebook The Ultimate Guide to Infinite Ideas, which Im giving away for the price of an email address.Get your copy here.Thisarticlefirst appeared on Medium.