The Dynamic Relationship Between Creativity and Technology

Nick Law, Creative Chairperson at Accenture Song, shares his view on the essence of creativity and the crucial role that technology plays in the creative process. Nick emphasizes the importance of understanding and embracing different mediums to unlock the full potential of creativity.

In 2023, the intersection of creativity and technology has become closer than ever. People can use generative tools to create what they envision, at a speed and quality which has never been seen before. The evolving landscape has brought about new challenges and raised questions about what truly defines creativity. Nick explores the relationship in detail, diving into detail on the nature of creativity and then technology before weaving them back together.

Let’s start with creativity. For Nick, creativity involves the act of creation. It goes beyond merely thinking creatively and delves into bringing ideas to life. While some argue that everyone possesses creativity, Nick thinks that there is a specific group of individuals who excel at transforming thoughts into tangible realities. These individuals possess the ability to navigate mediums, be it digital platforms, physical materials, or any other form of technology that bridges the gap between imagination and manifestation. The creative task, at its heart, lies in identifying and translating unlimited possibilities into meaningful human experiences.

Creative thinkers have a unique approach to their craft. They inherently consider the medium before embarking on their creative journey. Just like an artist evaluating the properties of sand before drawing in it, creative individuals contemplate the potential and constraints of their chosen medium. With experience, they intuitively grasp how to enhance their ideas within the given technological framework.

Because of this, creative people are going to create a new grammar for the metaverse that will mix narrative, design, and dimensionality, which are unique challenges of the medium. And they’ll expand the creative work beyond the confines of familiar conventions, forging new paths and pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

Now let’s look at the other side. When discussing technology, Nick believes that we must broaden our perspective beyond software and the internet. Technology, in this context, encompasses any medium through which creative ideas find expression. The key is recognizing that creativity requires a medium to thrive, prompting us to consider the opportunities and limitations that each medium presents.

New tech is often used in a traditional way at first, but it eventually leads to new forms of creativity and it takes time for the end product to catch up with the possibilities enabled by new tech. For example, early films were often simply theatre products captured on film, before filmmakers eventually fully embraced the possibilities of cameras to create truly new forms of art, beyond the possibilities of stage performances. We are currently seeing this play out in the realm of the metaverse where we are largely conforming to the codes and language of gaming until we understand we get to grips with the full potential of a spatial internet.

Emerging technologies, with their new languages in the case of generative AI, offer novel ways for creatives to express their visions — we have seen this in a previous edition of The Edge. But because technology is moving faster than our imagination, creatives need to be introduced to technology early on, enabling them to become proficient and innovative in their application of creative tech.

You can start seeing how creativity and technology can start weaving together. To be a proficient creative professional, one must develop a deep understanding of the mediums they work with. Whether it’s television, print, or emerging digital platforms, mastering the technology associated with each medium is essential. Mere ideation is insufficient without the ability to execute and bring ideas to life. Nick passionately believes that practitioners should embrace new mediums, continually explore their potential, and cultivate a grammar that best represents their creative vision.

Like before 2023, creativity and technology are inseparable partners in the realm of innovation and marketing; together, they can unlock new dimensions of creative endeavors. But this process has to encourage ideas to flow efficiently in both directions within the organization; from the bottom up and from the top down. That relationship has gotten even closer this year.