Columns

Appraising the power of creative thinking

By Christina Rexrode, Times Staff Writer
Published April 29, 2007

My mother is an art teacher, so you better believe that I grew up with a healthy appreciation of all things creative.

But "art for art's sake" was as deep as my understanding got. (Um, sorry, Mom.) Then I attended a recent forum in St. Petersburg on how the arts can influence business, and I started to understand why Larry Thompson, president of the Ringling School of Art art Design, says he'd like to see an artist or designer in every boardroom in the country.

Even the most button-downed conglomerates need right-brainers on their team. Think about it:

A product might function just fine, but consumers are drowning in functioning products. Goods that are aesthetically appealing have a competitive advantage - and that's where the artists come in. That's why Altoids can charge $1.50 for breath mints when Lifesavers sell for 50 cents. Don't get me started on Starbucks or iPods.

Michelle Bauer, former president of Creative TampaBay, said during the panel that U.S. manufacturing is proof of an industry that thrives only when it allows workers to exercise artistic ingenuity. Think West Coast Choppers - those bikes weren't slapped together on a production line.

"That's what puts us head and shoulders above whatever's coming out of some shop in the Pearl River Delta in China, " Bauer said.

Companies need creative thinkers because formulas are no guarantee of success. Sustainability, globalization and other trends will undo many of the rules of working, said Deb Talbot.

Talbot, a former executive at Chase Manhattan Bank, said one of her employees there figured out how to make wire transfers more efficient after watching his son play with Legos.

But a word of advice to you creative minds: You have to market your skills to employers in their language.

Said Talbot: "I don't know if sitting in the boardroom saying, 'I must go down to the seas again' will help me."

A corporate recruiter probably won't care that you can write poetry or paint pictures. But if she sees that you are innovative, or if he sees that you are a problem solver, then you're on to something.

One more thing: The arts/business discussion isn't limited to the bay area. The St. Petersburg panel was sponsored by the MetLife Foundation, which is hosting 40 such forums around the country. Let's hope they have many good returns.

[Last modified April 27, 2007, 18:04:50]