Gen We packs the creativity, and they’re using it to revolutionize everyday tasks like their scheduling, outfit choices and home décor. Their planners are becoming photo-ops of colorful, bullet-journaled pages, and their clothes are often DIY and upcycled. What’s the common factor in their newfound inventiveness? Gen We is re-defining what it means to be creative. And discovering their own identities in the process.
According to Gartner Iconoculture, Gen We says for kids their age, creativity is more of an important characteristic than being open-minded, possessing leadership skills, or having athletic ability. This may come as a shock to some; however, this may be because creativity adds an irreplaceable human stamp to one’s thoughts and work.
See how Gen We’s getting creative in real life (analog creativity) and online (digital creativity).
Analog Creativity
Instead of going to the store to purchase a planner, Gen We is transforming ordinary notebooks to work for themselves and their style. This planner isn’t just a planner- it’s an outlet for organization, imagination, and goal setting. Most of the bullet journal is typically a calendar, but you can use the white space on the pages however you may please. Some popular bullet journal additions include habit-tracking, weekly goals, money saving charts, illustrations, and more. This allows customization of certain elements of your life you care about most, and how you would like to see your personal progress tracked. You can personalize elements such as color, or font if you’re artistically talented. And it’s not just for artists; anyone can make a bullet journal and easily find inspiration to get started online. There are entire Pinterest boards dedicated to bullet journal topics and colors for inspiration.
Along with personalizing organization, many Gen We creatives customize aspects of their lives like clothing. This could be as simple as upcycling an item of clothing from a thrift shop or creating their own clothing items from scratch. One Gen We woman shared the month-long creative process of creating her own graduation dress on Twitter. It included creating the base, selecting the right fabrics, painting the exterior and more. She was not a professional dressmaker by any means. Nonetheless, her post went viral and inspired others to create their prom, homecoming, or graduation dresses too. The artist even made a YouTube video explaining the process to fans and sharing her story.
Gen We creatives may be more likely to engage in analog activities with the help of the internet to learn step-by-step tutorials or gain inspiration.
Digital Creativity
Creativity doesn’t have to be expressed through analog artistic ability. Some exhibit their sense of personalization and design through videos, podcasts, blogs, or social media. The ability to digitally express yourself is now more available than ever thanks to the accessibility of technology.
One blogger, India Severe (better known as “Indy Blue”), inspired people globally to experiment with mediums of art like photo, video, and blogging while targeting emotions related to experiences. She’s documented her world travels, video montages of yearly highlights, and blog posts creatively expressing her message to viewers. Her work has inspired a popular trend of creating videos that highlight a specific trip, year, or time of your life. This is a great example of the upcoming generation combining their creative capacities with technology to express themselves.
The digital creative realm is also connected to the social media marketing of influencers. Influencers use social media as outlets for their lifestyle, passions, and aesthetic, and in return, gain a large following. Usually, influencers have a common theme they live by or a consistent message for their posts. Influencers typically have relationships with companies and promote products they are passionate about. For more information on marketing with influencers, read our influencer blog post.
How to keep up with Gen We’s creativity?
Gen We is changing the ways “being creative” was originally thought of through new trends in analog and digital. They’re making the most of technology instead of being limited to strictly analog creativity.
Business owners and marketers need to recognize these newfound creative processes and build on them to advertise effectively. Gartner Iconoculture says the best tips for marketing to this innovative generation are to encourage creativity that takes place in digital and real-life, leave creativity open to interpretation, and invite Gen We creators in for a sneak peek at creative business processes. As generations’ ideas of innovation and creativity are changing, companies need to have the ability to morph their advertising strategies as well.
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