My worry is that too many have been shaped by education systems that prioritise certainty over curiosity, exploration and creative peril. As a result, they approach creative challenges by searching for the solution that won’t get them sneered at or sacked rather than embracing the unformattable or uncertain.

In a world of instant access to information and constant digital judgement, the slow, iterative nature of genuine creative discovery can feel alien. Research has become a process of validating preconceived ideas rather than uncovering unexpected insights. The outcome is work that is polished, technically competent and strategically sound, but lacking originality. In a world where AI is already delivering decent levels of craft, that should concern all of us.

After recently leaving lecturing to return to the agency world, I have to remind myself to keep fighting the tendency to avoid the unknown. As an industry, we are too focused on certainty, so we miss the opportunity to play with ideas. Will we never again see a gorilla playing drums or a fat man painted orange slapping another man in the face? When was the last time work really made you jealous?

Creative work means tackling something you may not fully understand, being unsure what to do next but committing to make small incremental decisions to build to an unknown end.

So the inner whisper I tell myself as I shovel teaspoons of soil in a big glass jar is the same mantra I offered my students: Work on it. Mull over it. Experiment. Observe. Reflect. Enjoy.

My terrarium now lives on a special shelf at home; all I have to do is remember to water it every now and again. I hope that each time I look at it and see some growth a little creative joy will sprout in me.

Dave Pettitt

Bottling the joy ▶︎

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