Let’s talk about creativity…
What do you consider to be your best quality regarding your work? Maybe you’re the super organised one within the team, or you’re brilliant at motivating others, or you never miss a deadline, or you’re always incredibly prepared… These are all admirable qualities and you should never lose them, but what about creativity? Do you feel inventive?
There are lots of reasons why people don’t regard this as one of their best qualities. The world is based on structure and boxes that we’re told we need to remain within, and this can have stifling effects on our individuality. However, creativity (in our view) is the most important quality of all, because it generates happiness and freedom, and a rare chance to separate yourself from the rest of the world in a bubble of self-expression.
Zeat Art is living proof of this theory, and has allowed us (self-employed actors) to open a door we rarely get to open. What we’re talking about here is control. Within our industry, one rarely owns this right. Whether it’s concerning what city we live in, what show we work in, what length to have our hair… these decisions, for the most part, are out of our control. We’re not trying to make you feel sorry for us! We love our job, and we know how fortunate we are to be able to do it and live off our earnings from what is essentially a favourite hobby. Even so, when I asked Anton (ZA founder) what he was most proud of within the last few years of his career, he said ZEAT ART: ‘The posters are born out of an idea that I am incredibly passionate about, and it is a joy to work tirelessly on creating and designing them. I get to have the final say on my product, and I get to be my own boss, and it feels GREAT!’
All it takes is an idea. Actually, that isn’t completely true. After the idea, there needs to be a whole load of bravery. This comes in so many different forms: Firstly, bravery to allow your mind to wander into fresh and exciting (and sometime ludicrous and scary) new pastures. Dare to dream of the impossible, because you’ll find that it rarely is actually impossible. Secondly, bravery to talk to others about your idea. Start with people you trust and those closest to you, and then collaborate (if you want to). Anton was lucky enough to confide in his friend and lodger Sebastian Müllerbauer, who helped make his idea become an actual real life product. His skills within the design industry allowed and continues to allow Zeat Art to grow, and who knows what they’ll come up with next. Thirdly, bravery to unleash your creativity to the world. We are lucky to live in a time where everyone and anyone can launch a platform to display their ingenuity for FREE. It is literally free to design your own website and also super easy to do. The possibilities are limitless, so make the most of it!
If you are reading this and have even the smallest of ideas, or the beginnings of a plan, or the first sketch of a design, then be proud of yourself! You are an inventor and a creative person with oodles of originality flowing through your veins. There were plenty of times, before launching ZA, that we thought of giving up on the idea: it was taking up too much time, or going to be too expensive to package, and “what if no-one likes it anyway?” However, the original plan for the posters was to act as a representation of one’s own creativity; to invent a fresh artwork within the theatre industry, and also, just to decorate our apartment!
If we can do it, you can. Get creative! We promise it will feel amazing.
