Where we are & where are we going?

It's tough to imagine a world where there was no written communication. There certainly wouldn't have been anyway for me to be writing this in such a universe.

But in reality, hundreds of years ago, writing was opposed with immense pressure from philosophers like Socrates & Plato.

When writing was first invented as a form of expression, leading philosophers like Socrates believed that it dampened the mind, impairing our ability to retain information. To them, face-to-face communication was the only and best method to impart knowledge onto another.

Even so, today we are allowed the luxury of reading the works of such philosophers almost entirely due to invention of writing.

Yet, at every point that an invention is made, humans have a tendency to oppose it. A similarly strong opposition is being faced by technology at the behest of creative practitioners. Let's find out what the future holds for us.

🕰️Zero hour

The when: Background of how it all began

Technology in essence has its beginning in the arts. When the first came into use in the 17th century, it was used specifically in the arts. Owing to the words origin in Greek - a combination of technē, “art, craft,” with logos, “word, speech.

A huge portion of respected artists, like Leonardo da Vinci, filled their notebooks with ideas about the latest technology, an attempt to be ahead of the future.

And undoubtedly, many strides made in the tech world have ushered variations in expressions of creativity as we know it today. It helped us go from canvas painters to illustrators, stop motion artists to 3-D experts, manual animators to VFX gurus.

Technology enabled creativity to find its place in a changing world. But what does this mean now? In the world of midjourney generated logos and chatgpt authored books, there's a lot left to unpack.

🔥 Smoking Gun

The how: Resources to understand the trend

🖼️Let's first understand that creation through a machine and creation by a human are not interchangeable. Just like canvas painters still exist and frequently sought even in the digital world, so is human empathy and knowledge valued in a super intelligent future.

🖼️New agencies created by seasoned experts, like Beers with friends, have already begun packaging their services as products. BwF lets clients buy beer runs which contain 5-day sprints. The tight timeline helps teams remain focussed and eases customer anxiety.

🖼️The rise of the generalist is gaining pace. As traditional job roles are becoming obsolete, new industries are propping up simultaneously. Job seekers are preferred for core skills rather than previous qualifications. A generalist is able to perform multifaceted tasks, making them invaluable assets.

📝 The Long Haul

The why: 4 actionable takeaways

1. Get there faster. The new generation of CEOs and executives value speed more than anything else. Startups don't want to get stuck in a never ending loop of ideations and approvals - instead, creatives should power high velocity design thinking that cuts the BS and drives results

2. Demystify Creativity as a service. To unlock long lasting relationships with new-age clients, we must begin by labelling creativity as a tool that we use to derive results. Agencies and freelancers need to break away from the shackles of deliverables and SOWs - all that matters is the desired outcome.

3. The next gen. As the largest stake holders of the future, the current and new generations need to be trained in adaptation over everything else. Design thinking should be taught at a school level and empower students to create their own opportunities.

🎙️ Spilling the beans

The who: Industry experts and their take

Technology is and has been inherent to creativity. The printing press, billboards, television, radio, music, records, film projectors, you name it – everything is tech. When we speak about the history and future of creativity, make no mistake that we are talking about how technology has been applied. - P.G. Aditiya, Founder, Talented.Agency for Campaign Middle East

It's important to note that clients are together on the digital transformation journey with us. Creative solutions like Myntra’s Palich Palich Pongal' campaign explore the new doors opening as the world changes.

Alexander Rauser, CEO of Prototype, a digital strategy agency, defined that creativity “come[s] from observing the world, interpreting it and bringing us new concepts and ideas,” while technology has become a new lens through which “to see the world differently [and] access information…”. Creativity helps us to explore new paths, imagine new possibilities, and pursue new careers. - Smashing Magazine

Harnessing new technology as a tool is an important link that needs to be developed in curriculums beyond computer related courses. Stanford’s d.school, run by IDEO chiefs David & Tom is the perfect example of applying creativity in every field.

In his book “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World,” David Epstein argues that in most fields — especially those that are complex and unpredictable — generalists, not specialists, are primed to excel. Generalists often find their path late, and they juggle many interests rather than focusing on one. They’re also more creative, more agile, and able to make connections their more specialised peers can’t see.

In the end, there is no us vs them. Technology and creativity need to come together to ensure maximum efficiency in solving problems. Our key goal is to achieve more integrated experiences in a fragmented world.

Read time: 4 min 35 sec

These days is a collection of my latest learnings in the advertising and media industry, complete with analysis of trends & new developments. I focus on the background, the lead up, peak points and future predictions to some of the coolest things I find on the internet and share them here. If you like what you read, consider supporting me!