Imagine you were creative. What would you do?

Let's face it I'm not creative. Yes, I am employed as a designer, sort of. Yes, I do make things that people later see in print. But I'm not creative.

I think my designs stink. I think other people think my designs stink. I wonder if it hurts my printer to actually produce my designs.

Flashback to the other day at the HOW conference in Atlanta (I want to post on that but I'm not sure what is worth writing). I was sitting in a session with Sharon Werner, the brains behind brands like Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day and 10 Cane Rum. She was speaking on packaging and how to give packaging personality. She said that at her agency they personify a project, to the level of defining what kind of shoes it would wear. Then everything they do gets tested and compared to that persona.

I started thinking about that. I've always personified everything. I used to personify the letters of the alphabet. I always felt sorry for U because it seemed so isolated from the other vowels. OK, maybe I'm telling a little too much about myself.

Never the less I started thinking about personifying things. During one of the breaks I needed to work on a logo for a client that had a tight turnaround. As I was working I asked myself this question: Imaging you were creative, what would you do?

It seemed simple yet profound. If I were a creative person would I add a flourish here, would I let this go to print, would I take this client? All of a sudden I began to give character to my creative self. I manifest a whole new personality (any psychiatrists reading this can contact me via email). This was my creative persona.

I've now gone so far as to use an inflatable Jerry French as the visual representation of this character.

I was surprised in one other the HOW sessions when the speaker asked how man of you are really good designers and a majority of the room raised their hands. This is not for them. They know/think they are good. But many people I know question the validity of their creative ability.

Many times I've considered giving up design, it's too frustrating. I can't though. I'm an addict. I love it. This idea of portraying the creative part of me as something outward has had an amazing impact on my work thus far. I don't feel the pressure or the rejection like I may have in the past. It's not me, I'm just doing what Jerry said.

I may not be creative but Jerry is.