The Importance of Creativity in an AI World
- julieshannan
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
I’m a crafter at heart. I love learning new things, making gifts for people, and watching an idea come to life. Over the past year, I started watercoloring, and it has brought me so much joy. What began as a way to try something new became a place where I could unplug, quiet the noise of social media and politics, and reconnect with my creative side.
What I didn’t realize was how much my brain needed time to unplug. My job is to help clients stay competitive, stand out, and engage donors and customers in meaningful and memorable ways. I’m constantly brainstorming ideas, developing strategies, and bringing campaigns to life. To do that well, I have to make time to refill my own creative tank.
In a world where AI can create campaigns and emails in seconds, it is easy for everything to start sounding the same. AI can help us work faster, but it can only build on what already exists. Ideas and events that have ALREADY happened.
It is more important than ever to cultivate CREATIVITY in yourself and with your team. Creativity may be the most important thing that sets your organization apart. AI can help us work faster, but our ability to think differently, take risks, and bring original ideas to life is what captures people’s attention and helps them connect with your mission.
That is why we need to give ourselves and our teams the time and freedom to create. We need space to experiment, be vulnerable, and try something new without the pressure to be perfect. Not every idea will work, and that is part of the process. Original ideas begin when people feel safe enough to share unfinished thoughts, take chances, and see where their imaginations lead them.
Five Ways to Refill Your Creative Tank
Try something you have never done. Take a class, test a new recipe, learn a craft, or explore a new place. Being a beginner helps you see things differently.
Create without trying to be good at it. Give yourself permission to make something messy, imperfect, or simply for fun. Creativity grows when the outcome is not the only thing that matters.
Turn off the input. Step away from your phone, social media, email, and the constant stream of other people’s ideas. Give your own thoughts room to surface.
Change your surroundings. Take a walk, work somewhere new, visit a museum, or spend time noticing the colors, patterns, and details in the world around you.
Make creativity part of your team culture. Give people time to brainstorm, experiment, share unfinished ideas, and try something that may not work. Some of your organization’s best ideas may begin with someone saying, “This might sound crazy, but...”
This week, take time to try something new. Look around our beautiful world and get inspired. Turn off your screens. Quiet the input coming at you from every direction. Give yourself the gift of play.
You do not need to consider yourself an artist to get started. Follow the simple directions below to create your own watercolor activity, either by yourself or with your team. The materials are cheap, and NO experience is necessary to start! The goal is not to create something perfect. It is to slow down, try something new, and make space for your next great idea.
Want to help your team think differently and reconnect with their creativity? I'd love to bring a Mission: Create workshop to you! Contact me and let's get creative together!
