Why are we called creatures if we don’t create? Creativity has long been the driving force behind many technological innovations and progressive ideas. Thanks to creativity, we can achieve another significant thing: standing out from the crowd. Whether as an individual or a company. There are no limits to creativity. But what to do when we’re convinced we are simply not creative? Marketing expert Matej Valo argues that it can be learned. And indeed, everyone can discover it within themselves.
What’s behind your brand Teória kreativity? (Theory of creativity)
The Theory of Creativity is my platform through which I teach how to encourage creative thinking and engage in creative marketing. Whether through quality writing, creative techniques, AI, or brand building, my goal is to help you unleash your creative potential.
The name is derived from my life experience, which has proven to me that creativity can be learned by anyone. It has its own rules, principles, techniques, and patterns that you can master and use to generate ideas.
I’ve tested this theory on myself because I am not naturally a creative person. In school, I excelled at solving math problems but struggled with essays. I studied management and began working in an advertising agency as a project manager.
Matej Valo
CREATIVITY CAN BE LEARNED BY ANYONE.
Eventually, however, I dived more into writing advertising texts. Initially, I was just an average copywriter. I threw myself into education with a desire to improve. Fortunately, I succeeded. I worked my way up to creative director, won several awards, and became a judge at competitions. After 10 years in an advertising agency, I decided that I wanted to pass on what I had learned. I have always been close to education. Educating myself. Now, I’ve expanded this to include others. This is why the Theory of Creativity was born.
And why creativity?
I guess it was probably more of a coincidence. I got a job at an advertising agency and had to write copy for websites. And that’s where I struggled. To boost my self-esteem, I always motivate myself to work on things until I become advanced and receive validation from others. This is a great trait in terms of motivation and self-development. However, it’s terrible if strive to have mental balance and a sense of satisfaction (laughter).
I TEND TO GET EXCITED ABOUT SOMETHING I’M NOT GOOD AT. IT MOTIVATES ME TO IMPROVE.
How do you convince your clients about their creativity? What if they are convinced that they are not creative at all?
I either tell them my story or explain a few creative techniques on how to come up with ideas or write something specific (a blog title, a LinkedIn post, storytelling, etc.). They quickly realise, ‘Oh, it really can be done.’ When you know how to do it.
I learned it myself through marketing books, dozens of copywriting blogs, but mainly by analysing other texts and campaigns. I tried to understand how those creatives from competing agencies write and come up with their ideas. Who would have thought that being an analytical type helped me a lot there.
What I couldn’t find in professional literature, I was able to deduce to some extent on my own. But I always felt a bit sorry that I didn’t have a mentor in the agency from whom I could learn. It’s more efficient. In recent years, I have regularly paid for courses from renowned experts.
SELF-EDUCATION IS FINE, BUT MENTORING AND COURSES ENABLE SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER PROGRESS
Matej Valo
What is copywriting?
Although many people think so, it is not about writing any kind of texts. It is about writing texts aimed at sales or another action leading to a purchase (e.g., subscribing to a newsletter). It should not be confused with content marketing, whose primary goal is to create quality content and build a fan base. Although the lines between these two worlds are often very thin and frequently intersect.
What is your opinion about artificial intelligence?
If you create a lot of content all day long, it would be very inefficient not to use it. At least in the process of research, editing, or finding inspiration for topics. That’s why it is already a common part of the processes in professional advertising agencies. However, if you only write about 2-4 posts per week for social media, you can easily do without it. In many cases, it will even be more beneficial because some people might become lazy and leave everything to AI. In such cases, it is better not to use it at all.
If you rely too much on artificial intelligence and let it write most of the texts, it harms their quality and later on also their engagement. People want to interact with other people on social media. They want to know their common values, opinions, experiences, they enjoy specific types of humor. And AI can’t do that well yet. Fortunately. It would be a shame if it could. However, we will see what the future brings.
Matej Valo at the event of Women in action
Do you think that artificial intelligence has the real potential to replace us?
There are two basic perspectives on this issue. Either it will replace us, or it won’t and we will just use it to help us. I like a third perspective…
We will label content created by humans—even if it is more expensive or less efficient and possibly worse over time. But for us humans, it will have a higher value because of the human touch, and we will be willing to pay extra for it. Just as many of us are now happy to pay extra for handmade products. So we will have content from both AI and HUMANMADE, and everyone will choose what they prefer.
I personally would prefer if AI development stayed where it is now. It’s a nice compromise where AI just helps us out, like the internet or a smartphone. The creation is still primarily up to us and our own creativity. I hope it stays that way.
