Expanding the Creative Department

For years, I’d cringe. 

Around me, an assortment of painful eye-rolls, a few forehead-to-table crashes and a smattering of snickers would join me within the Creative Department. Oh yeah, that’s a capital C and D in Creative Department. See not too long ago, Creatives were royalty in the “ad biz.”

“We’re all creative here!” 


That day’s guest and/or quasi-motivational speaker would eagerly declare. Their statement would produce such a visceral reaction for those of us huddled in either a bitterly cold or deathly hot meeting room. Somehow, the temperature calculating people-to-space was always wrong. 

Again. “We’re all creative here!” 

Wait. What? Here? Are they talking about OUR agency!

“Yes, we’re all creative here!” 

All? Like account people, admin, HR, and the FINANCE DEPARTMENT, all? 

The notion that somehow mere commoners without some form of “copywriter” or “art director” in their job title — or those sad, little trophies adorning the top of their cubicles — could be creative?

Preposterous. Outrageous. 

Not only was this phrase discrediting to those “in creative,” it was insulting as well, we thought. And to really chap our black-clad, tattooed-skinned, and head-phoned hides, we even started hearing it from the mouths of our own agency principles — even creative leadership!

Eventually, “we’re all creative” became the mantra used to “fire up the team” by some fancy pants, rah-rah, out-of-towner. With one paradigm shift, the call was coming from inside the house — usually before an all-agency, call to arms for a company meeting, and in response to a “big opportunity,” aka an RFP.

The Big A-Ha!

Well, it turns out that during many of those all-hands brainstorm sessions, the best ideas were sprung far, far outside the vaunted creative department. The proof was in the results and it turned out the “guys that lived in a van down by the river” actually had it right, after all.

Years would pass and Adobe Creative Suite kept expanding with intuitive, easy-to-use creative software.. Meanwhile, social media became a force for self publishing and do-it-yourself advertising campaigns. Today there’s AI, and even the robots are creative! 

But it didn’t take all that for me to realize how creative people — all people — can be. My experiences had delivered the evidence. 

Along my now creative journey, I’ve met so many creatives with day jobs like comptrollers, insurance adjusters, administrative assistant or data analyst. On their time, they do their art. That’s when they write or paint or sculpt or sing. 

I’ve also seen absolute artistry from chefs, mechanics, florists, welders, carpenters, landscapers, and plumbers throughout their day jobs. 


One big shift in my work with M-Bodied Coaching® this year is to not ONLY help those in the Creative Department or any commercial arts but broadening my reach to help EVERYONE move towards more creativity in their lives. 

If you’re ready to learn some of these practices, please reach out today!

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What Stand By Your Man means Today