Creativity versus Business

In our times, we have seen the impact of different types of businesses like industries, factories, technology, and several others. We all can confirm the valuable outcomes and the improvements it has brought to our lives. Regardless of us being witnesses to all this progress, even well-intentioned people, unconsciously sometimes, still try to mix the idea of business with something negative. Something bureaucratic, robotic, or anti-human. How often have we heard the most popular Hollywood phrase “Is not personal, is just business”? There is nothing more human (only attributed to the human race) than the idea of producing and exchanging goods and services. One of the reasons our race has been able to overcome several obstacles. It has improved the quality of our own lives. However, we still attribute the idea of “business” as something evil or even anti-creative. It seems it is a battle of creativity versus business. 

Recently, while listening to a podcast of someone I admire. One of the guests said, “… in our current world… we need more creativity than businesses.” I have a lot of faith in humanity and well-intended people. I strongly believe what this person was trying to say is that we need less unmovable things, less destructive, and evil things. Guess what word came to their mind when thinking about something opposite to creativity? Well, they clearly said it, “businesses”. Why? I would have loved to ask but I can only assume that their unconscious bias played a trick.

I could not disagree more with the phrase. For starters, creativity and business are not mutually exclusive. To be able to start or “create” a business you need “creativity”. I got it, I got it. Some businesses were created years ago, that seem to be stuck on time and barely change. However, this is the exception, not the rule. Most businesses will go bankrupt if they don’t use their creativity to pivot and find better and new ways to cater to their customers.

Yes, I agree we need more creativity, but we also need more businesses. Businesses that don’t exploit our weaknesses. Businesses that don’t resemble the little brat throwing rocks, and the window repair man. We need creative businesses that help with our needs in better and more affordable ways. Nevertheless, this could only be accomplished by having more “creative” and better humans CREATING “businesses”. The real problem is that we have greatly demonized business. We have had to call it other names like entrepreneurship or influencers. That’s why we have countless creative people who don’t want to start businesses, and so many who are not creative that do so.