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What Does Creativity Look Like?
Earlier this summer, I celebrated my first anniversary at Asher as a web project manager, which naturally prompted a period of reflection. One thing that really stands out is a question my hiring manager—now my boss—asked during one of my interviews: whether I would miss being in a design or creative role.
This question really resonated with me, and I realize now that I had known the answer even before it was asked. It’s not that I disliked being a graphic designer; I just knew it wasn’t my long-term passion.
OK, Rewind
A bit of context: My professional background is in graphic design, and I’ve always been an artist. From a very young age, even before I could write sentences or spell correctly (a struggle that still persists), I was drawing. I have always particularly loved painting, illustration, and photography. I chose to pursue graphic design because it seemed like the best practical way (for me) to remain creative while also paying the bills.
My first job out of college was a mix between graphic design and diving headfirst into marketing, where I was the sole member of the marketing “team” at a boat company. Although I felt overwhelmed with having to figure out most things by myself, I enjoyed the creative freedom and got to explore exciting opportunities and travel to cool places.
In my next role, I was part of a small in-house marketing team at a non-profit specializing in mental health counseling and social work. There, I had some creative freedom to refresh the outdated brand and explore new uses for it. This position also introduced me to some basic front-end web design.
Now Fast Forward
Fast forward to my second interview for a website project management position at Asher, where I was asked if I would miss being in a creative role.
I appreciated this question because it showed me a lot about the person I might be working with and Asher’s leadership. Not everyone would think, or even care, to ask a question like that.
A year ago, my answer was a hesitant “No… I don’t think so.” I was about 75% sure, but there was still a bit of doubt. Up to that point, a creative role was all I had known, so of course, there was uncertainty. I knew I wanted a career shift for various reasons, and the project management opportunity at Asher just felt right. This opportunity would also introduce me to the world of website design, which was a budding interest of mine. Despite the lingering doubt and a whole lot of imposter syndrome, I still forged ahead and took a chance. I thought, “I’ll figure it out. I always do.”
Today, my answer is a more confident “Nope! Don’t miss it.” Not being in a traditional creative role has taught me some unexpected lessons. I’ve learned (or perhaps, was reminded) that I can still be creative in many ways, even if my job title isn’t graphic designer.
Get Creative With It
I remember something that one of my college design professors would always say, which was that design is problem-solving. If the design doesn’t solve the problem, get creative and rework or refine it. I now try to apply this mindset to help design processes that enhance team efficiency, streamline project information, improve client experiences, and facilitate better collaboration within Asher.
Our world is shaped by design.
Creativity is essential for everyone, not just those who work in design programs like Adobe InDesign or Figma to create beautiful campaign mailers or websites. Engineers, scientists, CEOs, city planners, gardeners, mechanics, spouses, parents (you get the point) all use creativity to find the solutions to the unique problems they face. I had to get creative and reshape the trajectory of my career because I knew graphic design wasn’t what I wanted to do long term.
I’ve also found that not being in a traditional design role in my professional life has given me more space and energy to be even more creative in my personal life. I enjoy applying my design skills to create a cozy home for me and my family, plan out my yard and flower garden, dream about future painting projects, or make pottery to share with family and friends.
Over the past year, I think I finally connected the dots from what I learned in my college design classes to real-world application. I’m so grateful for my first year at Asher, and how much I’ve learned. Here’s to many more years!
Written by Jeanie Creekmur, Asher Agency Web Project Manager
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