What is The Creative Algorithm?

If you are human, you are creative.

Creativity is the act of connecting things in exceptional ways.

Therefore, creativity consists of action, connection, and exception.

(+) be more

Action requires commitment. Your commitment, the casual and commonplace actions you practice throughout the day, will shape your body of work. How you set this up, how you do the work, how you create a routine to do more is the cornerstone of all things creative.

(>) think better

Connection requires curiosity. Your curiosity, the inquiries you make about how you perceive your world (both inside and outside), will sharpen your focus and improve every endeavour. How you ask questions, how you expand and distill your knowledge, how you find and make associations to think better is paramount to improvement.

(≠) be different

Exception requires courage. Your courage, the strength to counter judgement (both inside and out!), will transform your voice and give your work meaning. How you overcome your innermost fears, how you wield the power of empathy to be different is the ultimate purpose of all true creative endeavours.

showing the work

I could stop right there, and you’d know the answer to “how do you unlock creativity?” But what you wouldn’t know is “how.” In high school algebra (and I won’t belabour this point because some creative types still suffer trauma from it), the common mantra is “show your work.” More often than not, explaining how you got to an answer is worth more than the answer itself.

And I want to show you more than my conclusions. I want to share the tools, tips, tricks, and terminology I’ve tried throughout the years to overcome procrastination, perfectionism, and impostor syndrome. I want to discuss my definition of creativity, then contrast and compare it to the incredible thoughts and experiences of others obsessed with this field. I want to share the evolution of the six Creative Modes I have developed. I want to explain the differences between art, craft, and design. I want to explore how modern technology is reshaping our relationship with creativity (as it always does).

This newsletter is all about showing the work.

welcome to The Creative Algorithm!

I hope you enjoy following this journey as much as I enjoy writing it. I look forward to your future comments, suggestions, thoughts, and conversations as we explore what it means to be human. Creativity is the act of connecting things in exceptional ways, so let’s get started!