WORDS OF INSPIRATION
4 simple words that’ll drive you to being a better creative person
Open your arms to change but don’t let go of your values.
Regardless of what we do in our lives, our why — our driving purpose, cause or belief — never changes. For many of us, it’s sometimes hard to put into words why we do what we do. It’s just a feeling, right?
“People don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it. And what you do simply proves what you believe.”
– Simon Sinek
I had the opportunity to sit down at our agency and really think about why we do what we do — truly figure out our purpose and put it into words. I narrowed it down to just four words. Four simple words. In isolation, they’re strong and independent, yet they’re more powerful when combined.
Create progress people love.
It just made sense. Not just to me, but to my peers too. This wasn’t just business value. This was human value. A universal purpose for all creative people to be driven by. Isn’t that what brands do? They express purpose and allow people to resonate with it. Allow me to dive in a little deeper into each of these words.
Create the future from dreams and ideas that help solve the world’s problems.
The best way to predict the future is to create it. This is about your craftsmanship and how you go about your business. Create is about everything — design, development, marketing, etc. What is the problem? Why is it a problem? How can we make it better?
Often times, we delegate to others to provide answers to what we want. In my experience, very few people have the imagination to look beyond today and come up with answers to push us forward. If we do not try to create the future we want, we must endure the future we get.
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said a faster horse.”
― Henry Ford
As humans, we thrive by being able to adapt and create incredible things to make our lives better. We’re intelligent beings. I mean I can literally have a conversation with a piece of plastic with a blue light plugged into my wall for goodness sake! Creativity is in our blood, and the future is bright.
Progress the status quo and push innovations to solve problems with better solutions.
Don’t imitate — innovate. This is about what you’re creating. Progress comes in many forms, but at its core it’s about movement. We’re simply trying to move forward. Progress is about learning from our past, educating one another, and creating change for the better.
Creating progress can be about a product. About a service. About an internal process. Or simply about a mindset. A great example of progress is trust. Trust is a fragile thing. It’s easy to break, easy to lose and one of the hardest things to ever get back. Some even say it’s the most expensive thing in the world.
“Trust is maintained when values and beliefs are actively managed. If companies do not actively work to keep clarity, discipline and consistency in balance, then trust starts to break down.”
– Simon Sinek
Whether we push our industry forward with the latest trends in design and technology or we push ourselves forward with trust and communication, creating progress is at the core of who we are.
People empowering people every day to enrich life and prosper from one another.
It’s why we do what we do, right? For the people. The solutions we create and the progress we make is to make people’s lives more enjoyable — more delightful. Sure, we may sometimes create something for the robots, the spiders, the artificial. But deep down, it’s about people because we empathize for them. Okay, maybe I try to empathize Alexa and Siri, but that’s to stay on their good side before the inevitable robot revolution occurs.
“Look at the opportunity of design to empower everyone!”
– Dan Formosa, Smart Design
Creators and innovators of today are being more inclusive in their designs. As part of empathizing and caring for other people, it allows us to embrace a more accessible, inclusive mindset. At the end of the day, isn’t it about getting more people to use your creations — your ideas?
Love the people you create progress for.
You always gain by giving love. Our best ideas come from those in which we empathize the people who express the problem. If we can feel their pain, it allows us to put emotion into our ideas and make a better solution. In return, the people we create progress for will — hopefully — love us back.
“Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.”
– Harriet Tubman
Loving what you do and who you do it for is what matters most. It’s why we get out of bed every single day. It’s about creating that delight — that smile on a person’s face. The passion to make something useful and enjoyable. Does that mean something to you?
Final thoughts on four simple words.
It all starts with just four simple words. They’re independent, yet united. They’re concise, yet incredibly flexible. Some of the best brands in the world follow these words, but they never say it. We all love what we do and love the people we do it for.
Love is when the other person’s happiness is more important than your own. If you want to create progress people love — something people truly love — then you have a heart of gold and passion of fire. You’re a creator, an innovator, a visionary — something that cannot be taken away from you.
What is your passion? How are you making a difference? I’d love to hear your story — to share with the world. Together, we can create progress people love.
