The Death of Creativity
Every morning, a song plays in my mind as I wake up. It’s the first song I play on YouTube while I take a quick nap on my sofa — a ritual that’s been a part of my life for over 17 years. Today, the song was “Sawaal,” one I wrote a few days ago.
खोया खोया सवाल है,
जवाब की तलाश है
क्यूँ हर जवाब में,
नया सवाल हैLost and searching is the question,
Seeking answers with deep intention.
Why does every answer we find,
Bring new questions to our mind?
This routine is followed by an hour dedicated to AI learning. But today, just as I was about to start, a question popped up in my mind: “Why?” I decided to take an AI detox, a break from the usual digital grind. Instead of creating videos, images, or music with AI, I chose to write with pen and paper. This, to me, is the best way to write before it gets drafted into a document. My topic of choice: creativity.
As I thought about creativity, stories from interviews and conversations with various people came to mind. I realized that many creative professionals don’t create to express or make an impact. They create to impress, to get the fastest approvals. That’s why we rarely see groundbreaking campaigns or memorable work that lasts. We don’t hear new jingles that stick with us, like “Hamara Bajaj,” “Jab ghar ke raunak badhani ho,” or “Kuch khaas hai.” These have stayed with us for years.
Instead, we are flooded with millions of influencers who strive to capture our fleeting attention, following trends that quickly fade away. Brands enlist influencers with millions of followers to promote products, but everyone knows it’s a paid endorsement. We believe in the authenticity of old classics like “Amar Akbar Anthony” more than these forced product placements. Yet, brands think this is the easiest way to build a brand. Films, too, recycle hit ideas, twist them slightly, and present them again and again. This complex simplicity gives birth to what I call the “Death of Creativity.”
When I ask, “What is creativity?” in workshops, interviews, or casual conversations, the most common answer is “thinking out of the box.” Yet, in reality, once hired for this “out of the box” thinking, you are confined within a box sealed with a deadline lock. Often, you’re given references to copy because they are trending or used by another brand. This leads to a condition I call “creative paralysis,” prevalent in all creative fields. People enter the industry with a passion for expression and impact but end up trying to impress others. This relentless pursuit of approval stifles their creativity until it eventually dies.
The death of creativity is a slow but steady process, driven by the pressures to conform, impress, and meet deadlines rather than genuinely express and innovate. To avoid this, one must start working for oneself, creating to express rather than to impress. Even if it’s not commissioned, creating for oneself keeps the creativity ignited and alive. As we prioritize genuine expression and meaningful creations over quick approvals and trending content, we can revive true creativity. By breaking free from these self-imposed constraints, challenging the status quo, and remembering our original motivations for creating, we can nurture our authentic creative voices. This will allow us to produce work that resonates for years to come, keeping the essence of creativity alive.
