On the weekend, we stayed at my parents' house. For my toddler, they brought out some of the toys they had saved when I was still a baby.
One of the successes was a wooden toy train which must now be over 40 years old.
And my kid loved it (even though there were a lot more “accidents” than I remember being responsible for).
It got me thinking about how some things are built to last, while others are built to be consumed and then thrown away. Or in some cases, designed to fail sooner than necessary so people are forced to buy replacements more often.
You might think of examples like fast fashion, which often starts to fall apart after being washed a few times, but that's now why people design or buy it.
Use it a few times, then the next season comes and it's time to buy the next things.
However, this does not only apply to physical objects.
Too many of our ideas, and even our creative output, are now designed to be consumed and then immediately forgotten.
The worst example, I think, is short-form content, like what appears on Instagram or Tiktok.
Small images or videos specially designed to be so short that they trigger a release of dopamine within seconds, then the consumer moves on to the next content.
But is this what we should use our creativity for?
If we aim to produce something specifically intended to be consumed instantly and then forgotten, we are not using those same creative skills to produce something that can stand the test of time or create a deeper emotional impact.
There's a reason novels have thousands of words, music albums have multiple songs, or movies last an hour or more.
It takes time to create characters, story, and conflicts that people can feel invested in.
An art that can be consumed several times, for hours. And which can lead to different reactions each time the same person consumes it.
And it takes a lot more time behind the scenes to produce, iterate and refine the ideas that will give rise to these stories.
It takes stress, blood, sweat and tears to overcome obstacles, starting with a ugly, crappy first draftand continuing to work on it, improve it until it finally begins to resonate.
Yet we are pushing a generation of creators to produce content for one set of algorithms, rather than encouraging them to produce work at a deeper level.
There is room for short-form content in this world.
But if you want to be creativeremember to invest time and effort into producing things that will still resonate after you're gone.
Creativity and Innovation Expert: I help individuals and businesses develop their creativity and innovation capabilities, so you can develop the next revolutionary idea that customers love. Editor-in-Chief of Ideatovalue.com and Founder/CEO of Improvides Innovation Consulting. Coach / Speaker / Author / TEDx Speaker / Voted as one of the most influential innovation bloggers.