Actual Size Celebrates World Creativity + Innovation Week
“Hanging out with friends and family definitely has a way of bringing out the best in me, although a lot of great ideas come to me in the shower.” - Michael Cauley, Operations Controller
Creativity isn’t defined by department. Our team of Actual Sizers has delivered decades of innovative, imaginative strategy, branding, technology, spatial and motion design. We pride ourselves on injecting playfulness into productive problem-solving, tagging in teams from Gen X to Gen Z, and taking projects from “could do” to “will be”.
This week, people across the globe have celebrated World Creativity + Innovation. The United Nation’s annual initiative is driven by 17 Sustainable Development Goals that aim to achieve a happier, healthier, more sustainable future. The weeklong event is rooted in four core values: collaboration, empathy, empowerment, and mentorship.
“Everything you do is a product of creative minds thinking differently, challenging the norm, taking risks, and learning from trial and error. Everything you do can be a creative act.” - World Creativity & Innovation
World Creativity + Innovation Day is the final day of #WCIW. As we wrap up a week of celebrations, we wanted to hear from our own team of creative minds.
What does it mean to be creative?
“Creativity is a hard thing to define and can be explored in tons of different ways for tons of different people,” says Clare Connell , a forward-thinking, well-traveled Designer. “For me, creativity is all about exploration and expression.”
"For me, creativity is all about exploration and expression."
Hosts of #WCIW would agree: “There may be no universal understanding of creativity. The concept is an open interpretation from artistic expression to problem-solving in the context of economic, social, and sustainable development.”
Larissa Sweitzer, Director of Operations, and Eric Yeamans, Director of Digital Operations both described creativity through the lens of problem-solving.
“Solving problems. Being a designer and also growing up with a focus on art, I was always looking for interesting or unique ways to express an idea or convey information. That, to me, is creativity - finding a way to express an idea or message by grabbing and keeping someone’s attention,” says Eric.
Creative Director, Joe Shumbat, focuses on connection. “In design, it all boils down to connecting with people. Being creative for me is about finding a new way to connect with audiences, a new emotion or response to unlock.”
The definition of creativity has been heavily debated for centuries. The ancient Greeks didn’t even have a word for “create”, describing poets as “makers'' instead. While the Romans introduced the concept of imagination, the groundwork for modern interpretations wasn’t set until the Christian Era. As time went on, creativity started climbing the social ladder, moving from something craftsmen required out of necessity to something Social Darwinism elevated to the upper echelons of society.
Nowadays, creativity is one of LinkedIn’s top skills - outranking things like communication, leadership, and customer service.
What inspires your creativity?
“Everything!” Clare says - with a camera roll full of fun packaging, signage, and album covers to prove it. Eric has a similar mindset. “As a creative, I think one of the most important things I can do is find inspiration in everything.” Eric lists stickers on telephone poles, restaurant menus, and national parks. Joe adds childhood cartoons, recent hotel experiences, and a quote from his 4-year-old to the list. “It all goes into the hopper.”
"As a creative, I think one of the most important things I can do is find inspiration in everything"
Web Developer, Kevin Stewart-Mercurio, acts as our unofficial Gen Z correspondent, giving credit to TikTok. “Sometimes you just need a good scroll.” While the platform has received backlash regarding data privacy and content moderation in recent months, the Creator Rewards Program highlights the app’s more positive contributions, mainly the incentivization of high-quality, original content.
American Psychologist, Robert J. Sternberg described creativity as an investment, listing six intersectional sources of inspiration: intellectual abilities, knowledge, styles of thinking, personality, motivation, and the environment. Harvard Professor Teresa Aambile suggested a more streamlined approach, describing a model that combines expertise, creative thinking skills, and motivation.
Project Manager Addison Reckley gives thanks to Joe. “It all comes down to collaboration.” This supports the well-established theory that positive relationships facilitate creativity.
Do you have a colleague, mentor, or friend whose creativity you admire?
Larissa describes her former boss, Jared DeLoof as a “political strategy and creative mastermind”.
“He’s taught me and so many other people to think about communicating and messaging in non-traditional ways. He’s not afraid to test and adapt his thoughts and I think that’s a really important component of creativity.”
Clare sends love to a close friend and former classmate, Taylor Kuszyk. “I have learned so much about being a designer through our friendship. … She is the hardest worker I know and inspires me to be a better designer every day.”
Eric attributes much of his success to a Penn State University professor he and Clare both had the privilege of learning from. “Ryan Russell was my first Graphic Design professor at Penn State.” Eric appreciated Ryan’s “very blunt and honest” feedback. “It helped me grow and think differently about the problems I was trying to solve and the messages I was trying to communicate.”
He stayed in touch with Ryan and brought fellow alum, Joe, to an on-campus event for soon-to-be grads interested in creative careers. During the visit, Eric was asked to join the inaugural board of a new Graphic Design alumni affiliate group.
In the three years since, Eric has spearheaded a mentorship program for members of the junior and senior classes, successfully recruiting and matching over 100 students and alumni mentors.
“These mentorships have provided valuable insight into life as a designer, preparing students and giving them internship and job opportunities after graduation.”
The benefits of mentorship and collaboration have been touted for decades, but there’s a piece of the puzzle that often gets overlooked - the positive creative outcomes of company culture and community. Research shows teams who truly like each other produce at higher levels of creativity and innovation.
“Bob and I have been working together for over two decades at Actual Size and I've soaked up a lot of creativity from him over the years. He always brings a fresh, honest perspective to things”, says Joe. “I also have to give a shout-out to my man Miller McCormick (former Actual Sizer) because that dude's brain is something else and his creativity is super unique. I love seeing his work.”
Larissa pens a love letter to our team. “I’m so appreciative of the creative and development team’s efforts to seek opinions from me and Addison. I think everyone brings a different perspective to a solution, and the creative team here is always looking for feedback and thoughts. They have taught me so much about design and branding and experiencing their process has been really interesting.”
“I admire everyone here at Actual Size for their openness in attempting new prospects, I never feel limited when working on a project here."
Michael shares his admiration for Co-Founder, Bob Kiernan. “Bob’s creativity, particularly from a design perspective, has given me a lot of inspiration. His drive to make the vision a reality is admirable.”f
“Bob and I have been working together for over two decades at Actual Size and I've soaked up a lot of creativity from him over the years. He always brings a fresh, honest perspective to things”, says Joe. “I also have to give a shout-out to my man Miller McCormick (former Actual Sizer) because that dude's brain is something else and his creativity is super unique. I love seeing his work.”
Larissa pens a love letter to our team. “I’m so appreciative of the creative and development team’s efforts to seek opinions from me and Addison. I think everyone brings a different perspective to a solution, and the creative team here is always looking for feedback and thoughts. They have taught me so much about design and branding and experiencing their process has been really interesting.”
As an agency, Actual Size makes space for playfulness and curiosity, taking note from Albert Einstein. “Creativity is intelligence and having fun!”
This mindset propels thinking, enhances productivity, and boosts confidence, giving Actual Sizers the space to share, build, improve, and collaborate. Through monthly book clubs, Spotify blends, and Friday afternoon board games, our team of creative thinkers turns into strategic movers, doers, and overachievers.
Do you have any tips for sparking creativity?
- “Don't force it to happen quickly, spend enough time in the ideation stage to let it happen. Split up creative thinking sessions into big picture thinking and then specificity. Make sure you let yourself be broad with your ideas and exploration before you put practical parameters on your thinking.” - Joe
- “Don’t take yourself too seriously! Allow yourself to make mistakes and enjoy the process.” - Clare
- “Don’t assume you know what’s in style or on trend. Be open to new ideas. If you're not adapting and absorbing as much as you can daily, you’re going to get stuck. Find inspiration in the most unlikely things. Make connections with people whose work you admire. Take chances in your work. Step outside of your comfort zone and always push to achieve things that seem out of reach.” - Eric
- “Stop procrastinating.” - Michael
- “Challenge yourself to create something from a different point of view.” - Addison
- “Do whatever the kid version of you wanted to do as an adult.” - Kevin
“Listen! Sometimes you might think someone has a really bad idea… and it might just be a really bad idea. BUT it could also lead to another creative solution. You should listen to the people around you.”
Actual Size celebrates 25 years in business!
Earlier this month, Actual Size celebrated 25 years in the biz. We’re starting our quarter-life crisis with a rebrand; one that highlights our unique voices, unlimited potential, and decades of experience. Initiatives like World Creativity + Innovation Day showcase the value of ingenuity and artistry, putting a spotlight on the impact of imagination and originality.
Stay tuned for more. We’re just getting started.
#WCID #IAmCreative #WCIW
Contributors: Eric Yeamans, Joe Shumbat, Larissa Sweitzer Michael Cauley, Addison Reckley, Clare Connell, Kevin Stewart-Mercurio
Written by: Cecily Milligan