Creativity

I work in advertising and have now for about 20 years. One of the coolest things about what I do for a living is using creativity to solve problems. Even more fun and challenging? To try and solve the same problem in a completely new and different way. Over and over again.

Another thing that's fun about advertising is the people I work with are also creative. Some are creative with numbers. Some are creative with paper and ink. Some are creative in ways I don't yet understand.

I'm pretty spoiled to be able to work in such a fun and freewheeling place, even when we're really busy. I get to play in a hot-bed of creativity every day. But sometimes out in the real world, I see something really creative that absolutely floors me. Like at Edward's daycare.

Often they have seasonal door decorating contests among the staff. You should see what these women create. Right now on the door to Edward's daycare room, there are these giant "lollipops" with the kids' faces on them. Af first glance, I thought they were cute but when I took a second look my jaw gaped open.

The woman who made the lollipops really thought them through. She took two paper plates and glued them together so the lollipop was three-dimensional. Then she added sticks and colored the lollipops so they looked like they were big starlight mints. She covered them in clear wrappers and tied small red bows to hold the wrappers in place. Then she made one for each of the eight or so kids. Very impressive looking when you see it all together on the door.

Yeah, yeah. So what's the big deal? Well, she could have covered that door in green paper and stuck a Santa cut-out on there and it would have technically been decorated. But Gretchen thought bigger than that.

When I was driving home that night, I kept thinking about that door and how creative it was. And here I am a week later still talking about it. It really stopped me in my tracks.

And everyone knows that's what good creative does.