Have You Unleashed the Creative Person Within?
Wilson Ng, who owns several companies in the Philippines and is an active writer on small business technology issues, is publishing his first book — and it’s a business cartoons book. You can download a free copy here.
I have to say, I was pretty surprised to first learn that Wilson was writing cartoons. Then I found the following insight on his blog, and realized the cartoons are part of an inner desire to get in touch with his creative side:
“I have blogged for 4 years, and I have written a weekly technology article for our papers for 14 years. I like to write, and I analyze, but while I do have a good following, I somehow was thinking maybe I would be good at something else….I like music. I like art …. A few months ago, i decided i would indulge myself to learn how to paint, and go back to piano…. I dreamt of myself painting landscapes, and drawing caricatures and portraits for my friends. After a while, I decided it was not my thing — i like to draw, but didn’t have the time — serious art demands some amount of dedication.
I decided to get an artist to pair with me, and soon we were coming out with good toons, and our website was getting some good traffic. Now, this week, I am pretty excited … our toon book will finally be published and released.
For somebody whose ambitions to be a scholar and writer ( and after writing hundreds of articles and blog posts), my first book is a … toon jokebook!”
How many of you are in touch with the creative person locked inside? How did you do it? Has it made you a better entrepreneur? Share your story in the comments below.
April 17th, 2008 at 2:09 am
HI Anita,
Appreciate that you featured me.
I really am doing some soul searching, and maybe happy and yet confused. There comes a time that after writing serious business and technology articles for 15 years, I am seeing now that there is more traffic the last few days in my humor site which is only 2 month old , than in my serious blog site, which is four years old.
I am still thinking whether making people laugh is a serious endeavor, and is something I want to be known for…. though i did find out that humor is very serious and difficult business. Being able to see the humor side of business do take everything in my 20 years experience sometimes to dig out.
Once again many thanks.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:17 am
I hate that old “think outside the box” phrase, but being able to be creative at and about your work is a definite plus.
You know what’s funny, I’m in a creative business, and even I look for outside creative opportunities. (Lately it’s been rediscovering my childhood fascination with Lego.)
Congrats, Wilson!
April 17th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I guess it is a desire all of us have to be creative, in order to do something which we love, as well as to add some spice and diversity into our day to day lives. I have been blogging for the past 2.5 years and that has really helped me unleash my creative side, and meet some great new people in the process.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Creativity has a huge effect in a small business. When I started the Westinspect.blog (eubankinspections.com/blog/), I didn’t want to focus primarily on my business of property inspections. Instead, I’m discovering how much fun it is to interview interesting people. I have a list of about ten people from all sorts of Western endeavors that I want to talk with. Hopefully we will get some honest views of what it means to live out West. So I get to do some creative writing. Yes, it’s made me a better entrepreneur because I’m looking at people as people, not just as potential clients. And I think it helps others see me as real, not just as a businessman trying to sell my services.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:19 am
Hi Anita,
I think everyone (especially business owners) need to find a creative outlet. It’s great if that’s your work, but it’s easy to get bogged down with details.
-Shama
April 17th, 2008 at 10:59 am
We all are creative, not just the artists. Creativity is part of the human condition. Starting a business from nothing: now that is creativity! Here’s a link to a piece I wrote on creativity, complete with some exercises to help you channel your creative muse.
http://www.my-creativeteam.com/blog/?p=467
April 17th, 2008 at 11:22 am
I think if people give themselves some time to think they can give they can find unique ways to approach common situations and circumstances. So they can not only find ways to utilize their own creativity, but they can also define what creativity is for them.
But it’s hard to do all of that if you’re don’t give yourself a timeout to really think about things. I know I’m trying to, and I do feel more creative… in my own way.
April 17th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
I think anyone with a blog can consider themselves creative. It takes a creative mind to constantly come up with new content and keep readers interested. If you search around, you can find a ton of really creatively designed blogs.
April 17th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I’m not sure I’m ever really in touch with the creative person inside. I feel MOST in touch with my creative side when I’m talking or interacting with clients and friends. I’m also loving all these technical and virtual communities and tools - like blogs, twitter, facebook, etc. I find that when I feel stuck, I only need to connect with this community or any of my others to see, hear or experience something that sparks my curiosity or interest and then I’m off.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I run an IT consulting business, and I have to admit that most of my “normal” friends tell me that it’s one of the most dull things they’ve ever heard of
Since I often insist that I’m really quite creative, last year I finally decided to follow some of those creative urges: I partnered up with some friends to release a fun astrology book (http://eastwestprofiles.com) and a cartoon series for working professionals (http://fridayreflections.com).
Going through this experience has done a number of things for me: one, I’m having tons of fun doing it - my general well-being is much improved. Two, it’s teaching me the value of persistence (because products like this are a harder sell than specialized IT stuff!). Three, it’s bringing me in touch with all kinds of interesting new people outside of my normal field. And finally, there’s nothing quite like seeing something you helped create for sale in a store!
In the final analysis I think I’ll be a much better person and a much better entrepreneur from this experience. My advice; if you have that creative urge - go with it.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Many lifetimes ago I founded a nonprofit, Off The Leash, devoted to helping “normal” people discover their innate creativity. Three of our guiding principles bear repeating: (1) creativity thrives when you focus on the process and release your ego’s emotional attachment to the outcome; (2) creativity demands an environment of unconditional support — even if that’s just your own commitment to yourself to continue creating no matter what; and (3) we are all massively creative — i.e. there is no such thing as “more” or “less” creative, only more or less inhibited. To unleash your own creativity, don’t think you need to be an artist; simply begin by doing something you wouldn’t ordinarily do, saying something you wouldn’t ordinarily say. Make that a habit, and you’re on your way to a richer life than you ever imagined.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
The closest I have come to being creative was when we developed our product. From thinking up the concept to creating and launching the product.
I also think creativity comes to the forefront for a small business when we are faced with a new challenge that needs lateral thinking to overcome it.
April 20th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
[…] Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends appeals to the artist that lives inside us all with her story about Wilson Ng, the tech-writer-turned-cartoonist. […]
April 20th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Wilson Ng:
Great to see that you are achieving your values and you do it with a passion! I recommend you to check out my favorite cartoonists, John Cox & Allen Forkum:
http://www.johncoxart.com
http://www.coxandforkum.com
They have created the logotype and banner for my EGO blog. Click on my name for a post on the creation of my new banner.