How Technology Is Boosting Creativity Today

Today, we are all operating, consuming and creating in a world that is truly digital. Social media and fast changing mobile technologies have changed the landscape of human interaction, irreversibly. And technology has opened up a world that was previously inaccessible. News breaks on Twitter today. Research means Google! Online shopping has become an integral part of our life.Technology has changed every aspect of our lives, no wonder it has had an enormous impact on the creative industry.

I know some of you may say that creative thinking can’t be limited by any object, process or subject; but it can certainly be enhanced, or done faster, or be shared and monetised with the use of technology. Creativity has the potential to be revolutionised with technology.

With the dawn of smartphones and tablets, technology has equipped people to give words and directions to their creative thinking at any place and time. Imagine walking into a garden full of beautiful flowers and getting inspired by that arresting summer yellow of the blooming daisies, and being able to use this inspiration at that very moment or being able to save it immediately! Let me take another example; this time, a little more technical. For a long time, creative designers needed to be coders, or needed help of IT professionals to create what they visualised; a website for example or a UI for a beautiful application! With the aid of technology, creative professionals can now do what they are meant to do, that is, be creative and build websites that are beautiful, intuitive and interactive!

Digital art has brought in another dimension of creativity to the fore. It has transformed activities such as painting, drawing, sculpting and music. New forms, such as net art, digital art, and virtual reality, have become recognised artistic practices!

Technology has also given us the power to integrate and harmonise across various domains. Being able to draw out a substance from the tribal Saura art and blending it with Renaissance art from Europe can build a current in a different direction.

One cannot ignore the importance of the platform to share. Creativity and innovation needs an audience. And technology is an enabler there as well. Today, we can find specialised platforms for every arena to share our creations. Behance is the Facebook of creative professionals globally. We have the ability to write a blog or publish an eBook and share it with people. YouTube has become a dais for aspiring musicians and comedians to launch their acts and garner attention.

Besides, in the era of connectedness, collaboration has become immensely vital. Virtual creative teams have become a common phenomenon. Group of individuals who work across time, space and organisational boundaries can collaborate with the help of creative technology to create in real time! Different minds in diverse geographies can now come together and share ideas.

A surveys by Adobe shows that successful organisations have the ability to foster innovation, develop exceptional talent and leadership, and a high degree of brand recognition influenced by its creative perspective, practices, and culture. It also shows that companies that embrace creativity, outperform peers in revenue, market share and competitive leadership.

Finally, creative individuals need to monetise their creativity. Using technology, they can connect with people across the world, who can appreciate their creativity. 

The author is managing director - South Asia,  Adobe
 

(This story was published in BW | Businessworld Issue Dated 20-03-2015)