Detail of an illustration by Brendan Doyle.
I keep telling my son ‘the great golden era of creativity is coming’. I have told him since he did his first watercolour at 15 months he’s a genius. I’ve cried at every picture he’s ever drawn for they are wonders of beauty. I’ve sat across from him at the dinner table and debated brand stories, slagged off ads, argued the value of a tagline, discussed why certain fonts shouldn’t be allowed the light of day. He’s always my go-to with any creative idea for my business. He’s just 18 but knows more than most creative directors I’ve met.
But I wonder, without coding skills, if he can make money in the new economy?
The magic bullet is design + code + strategic mindset. If you can develop concepts and actually know how to execute them online then you have some leverage. He tells me he doesn’t want a lot of money, he just wants to be happy. I look at the bills in Vancouver and the cost of living and wonder when the shine will fall off his innocence and the reality of living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world will bite him. Hard.
I truly believe that the era of creativity is here and will continue to grow and artistic skills will become a commodity that is worth more than business skills because to register online, to break through, you have to have remarkable creativity. Because it is competitive out there. Cutthroat even. Creativity is the only certain differentiator. But it needs code to grow.
I hope my son will not settle for a regular job. I can’t tell him what to do but if there were a wizard career wand, I’d equip him with magical coding powers so he could fully emancipate himself from the dangers of an uncreative life.
Margaret Doyle 