AUTHOR: Zach Lantelme
Have you ever said to yourself, “Someone should make a…..(fill in the bank)”? Well, if you have, you are exhibiting the first signs of creativity and entrepreneurship.
Consider the following:
+ Uber was created out of Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp complaining that cabs were impossible to hail.
+ Airbnb (Air Bed & Breakfast) was created after Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky came up with the idea of renting out three airbeds on their living-room floor and cooking their guests breakfast because all the hotels in the area were full.
+ Knix Wear’s Evolution Bra was the Kickstarter's most funded fashion project after Joanna Griffiths realized that no one had aimed at innovation in sports bra technology.
What do all of these companies have in common?
Besides being founded in the last ten years, these companies' founders pay attention: they have seen problems and designed solutions. The initial thought in each case was not to become rich, but for Uber & Airbnb, the the market now values them in the billions. KnixWear has also hit a sore spot with women as money poured in, and in 30 days $1.1M was raised on Kickstarter.
And here’s another thing: None of the folks who ultimately launched these businesses were in that “industry” when they started.
+ The Uber founders were in web development.
+ Brian Chesky of Airbnb was in design, while Joe Gebbia was dabbling in helping those who suffered in back pain.
+ Joanna was about to be employed by Youtube before turning to underwear.
So, what does this mean for us?
You might think to yourself, “I’m not creative like that”.
And I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong.
How do I know this? Because we are image-bearers of a creative God. In the Bible, Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
So what does that mean for us? God creates mankind in His own image. And we have the attributes of God. We are therefore creators. We have it written on our hearts to create. He has also differentiated our abilities among humanity. We are not all blessed with the same styles of creativity. This means creativity is not just limited to the artists, poets, and designers. It is meant for everyone, but will show up differently. Creation of business is different than creating of the arts, just as much as creating specialty food is different than creating military strategy.
Regardless of how our creativity comes out, the world needs our ideas because ultimately these ideas comfort and bring joy to others.
If you are looking for a community that can help you discover the creativity that is inside you, we invite you to Submerge. If you would like more information about Submerge then fill out the form below and one of our reps will contact you.