In my professional life, clients still want creativity—probably more than ever before. They just don’t want to pay for it.

A continuation of “WVDDVP” parts I, II, III.

Not a long post. I just thought these two headlines seemed to fit together.

(Great articles as well, btw. Here’s links to the top headline and the bottom one.)

Although times are stressful, I don’t freak out like I once did, back when I used to think that my natural thought process no longer mattered. As all this “digital revolution” mumbo-jumbo started to flood the airwaves, smug Steve-Jobs-wannabes liked to say things like “the truth is, people don’t read anymore” and “people are choosing reality-TV programming over scripted work”. The bros talked about creativity as if it had reached irrelevance. Tough thing to hear for a creative writer. Professionally, I work along a parallel with news reporters and journalists—people who definitely felt the job crunch in the last few years. My professional marketing copywriting world and fiction world…what was up? When I wasn’t looking, did humanity move to Humanity 2.0 and left me and my ways of thinking behind?

Hearing people buzz and obsess about social media, I used to think that my drive, my energy—whatever this creativity thingie is that I utilize to write books as well as rely on to help clients market their products—was no longer wanted…hearing them talk, it felt like this way of thinking faced danger…extinction-level danger.

The world around the post-Recession, as the masses now got freaked out over having a black guy in the White House, it sounded like Silicon Valley and Wall Street figured out some superior alternative to creativity.

Talk about feeling the suck.

Fortunately, my fears were unfounded.

Creativity is still needed. They just don’t want to pay for it.

Once I realized that no one invented a better mousetrap, instead just demonized my mousetrap for costing money, so much stress now made sense.

Once you see that a get-rich-quick scheme is the cause of your stress, you get to laugh. Laugh the type of laugh that releases negativity.

Once I saw this insight, what a crazy new state of mind.

Existential crisis? Over—as well  as overblown.

Whew. I took a few deep breaths and relaxed. After a bit, the bad news began to sink in: while no existential crisis existed, now I needed to develop new mental tools to keep me from slapping stupid people spouting moronic statements. My professional life: “Our new product launch, we’re really excited and think you’d write great stuff…we need breakthrough work. But we really can’t pay any money.” My fiction-writing life: “I don’t read, but I want to hear about your story. Could you tell it to me? If you explain it, I’d be happy to critique, if you want.”

Those people—and the world—still desire creatively interesting content, writers to go above and beyond. They feel people like me do things that matter. They just don’t want to pay for our work.

They want great thinking. They just don’t think it should cost.

Investors got yachts and divorce lawyers to pay for.

A continuation of “WVDDVP” parts I, II, III.

Revolutionizer Alpha, my new book. 

The Revolutionizer Stories. We are not alone.