With uncertain futures, creatives must lean into imagination

"Despite the upsides of progress and innovation, the future can also be a never-ending source of anxiety. For many, early excitement and enthusiasm for experimentation eventually gives way to massive fears about disruption. For creatives especially, recent opinions about the future typically oscillate between absolute doom and relative boon. Still, I've found that thinking about the future is always worthwhile. In fact, it's when creatives are at our best."

"That's because since the birth of the internet, the rise of digital display, search, interactive video, and mobile, we've seen the value of being the first to try. To fail. To learn. And to keep going. When social media (and later creators) forced us to think and execute at the speed of culture, we embraced that too. And now, in the AI era, we're learning to navigate a landscape where the rules change on a daily basis."

"As the battles are fought to determine the future of business, culture, and innovation, creatives will always be on the front line. Because when everything is changing all the time, it's creatives-steeped in popular culture and driving innovation through our ideas-who have the skills and responsibility to lead. That's why our community needs to be pioneering when navigating the future of creativity. We need to nurture the companies, culture, and talent that push beyond the fear to see an exciting future worth embracing."

Future anxiety coexists with enthusiasm for progress and innovation, especially among creatives who fear disruption despite initial excitement for experimentation. Since the internet's birth and through digital display, search, interactive video, and mobile, early adoption rewarded learning from failure. Social media and creator-driven culture accelerated execution speed, and the AI era continually changes rules and expectations. Creatives occupy the front line of business, culture, and innovation because cultural fluency and idea-driven innovation equip them to lead. Celebrated work centers people, solves real problems, and shapes connections. Democratized tools raise expectations, requiring nurturing of companies, culture, and talent to push beyond fear.

Read at Fast Company