Honing your creative strengths
You're good at certain things and not so good at others. Focus on your strengths!
Gary Bloomer | SHAKING THE TREE # 230
Have you noticed how so much of your life is focused on weakness?
Job evaluations, self-help surveys, self-improvement books, and even school report cards, so many of them focus on the traits and qualities you’re deemed to be lacking or wanting rather than focusing on the things you already excel at. But here’s the truth: your greatest potential lies in your creative strengths, not your shortcomings.
For years, I chased after skills I thought I should have, or that I’d been told were vital: being a good manager, multitasking, and so on—only to realize I’ve been wasting time, effort, and energy trying to be decent at things I’d never love doing.
I’ve never been good with numbers and I simply cannot work on three things at once!
But the areas in which I’m strongest: connecting varying ideas to make something new; being creative as a designer; and writing about the things that inspire me—these things delight and engage me, and as a result, they set me apart.
Whenever I’ve upped my efforts in these areas, things have always changed for the better.
Why your strengths will always beat your weaknesses
Flow over force
Creativity thrives in a state of flow—the state in which time evaporates and in which work feels more like play than a chore. You’ll never find flow in areas that bore you or drain you. But when you lean into your innate talents you’ll unlock momentum effortlessly.Authenticity attracts
The world doesn’t need another generic thinker or doer. It needs your unique, personal perspective, your voice. When you focus your strengths on an issue or a project, the outcome invariably carries your mark as a problem solver, which is the sort of trait that gets you remembered.Mastery compounds
Skill grows exponentially when you focus on what already comes naturally.
A small improvement in a strength outweighs a giant leap in a weakness.
How to sharpen your creative edge
Audit your joy
What do you do well without being asked? What projects leave you thrilled, delighted, and energized? Track these moments and do as much as you can to add similar moments to your work week—they’re clues to your creative DNA.Ignore the “shoulds”
Instead of trying to be a well-rounded creative, be a sharp creative. The best designers, writers, and innovators aren’t good at everything—they’re exceptional at a few things.Protect your strengths
Say no to opportunities that dilute your focus and that rob you of your will and spirit. Time spent on mediocrity is time stolen from mastery.
It boils down to this …
Your creative strengths aren’t just skills—they’re your societal fingerprint, your personal and professional signature in your business and personal community.
Hone them, trust them, develop them, and celebrate them. Then let them lead.
The rest is noise.
As always, thanks for reading.
—Gary
Feel free to follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn
P.S. If you found this useful, share it with another creator who needs an ego check (in a nice way). Want more unfiltered takes on content creation? Join my newsletter. No fluff, just the stuff that works.
Next time on Shaking the Tree: Harnessing the ripple effect
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from the U.K., Gary Bloomer is a writer, branding advocate, marketing specialist, and an award-winning graphic designer.
His design work has been included in Creative Review (one of the UK’s largest design magazines). Since 2009, he has answered over 5,000 marketing and business questions in the Know-How Exchange of MarketingProfs.com, placing him among the top 3% of contributors. He lives in Wilmington, Delaware, USA.
David, many thanks for your kind restack.