The Two Types of Creatives (And Why The World Needs Both)
Welcome to Creative Constructs, a newsletter that shares systems, tools, and strategies for creative thinkers. (Here’s what Creative Constructs is all about.)
For most of history, “being creative” has been largely equated with “being productive,” and so many of the most celebrated creatives are what I would call Generative Creatives.
Generative Creatives have lots to say, and they say it often. Seemingly hooked up to a steady I.V. drip of inspiration that flows straight into the bloodstream and out their fingertips, Generative Creatives are constantly adding to their body of work, exploring new ideas, trying new things, and pumping out new material.
Drip. Create. Drip. Create. Drip. Create.
Generative Creatives like these don’t merely sustain their influence; they steadily grow their influence in lock-step with their expanding portfolio, throughout their careers and beyond:
Musician Johnny Cash released 130+ albums in his ~50-year career.
Author Danielle Steele has written 190+ books since 1973.
Poet John Bradburne wrote more than 6,000 poems in 11 years.
Artist Pablo Picasso created more than 50,000 works.
Drip. Create. Drip. Create. Drip. Create.
And I’m going to be real with you… that sounds exhausting to me. And if it sounds that way to you too, you might not be a Generative Creative either.
To be creative, one must create of course. There’s no denying that. But creating constantly, relentlessly, and continuously is just one way to create.
For the other type of creative, the inspiration still arrives in a steady drip, but it doesn’t go straight into the bloodstream and out the fingertips as it does with the Generative Creatives.
Instead, for Explosive Creatives, the steady drip of inspiration is collected and saved for combined future use.
Like a giant bucket hanging precariously at the top of a water park, the mind of the Explosive Creative collects each drop of inspiration as it comes down, mixing it with all the others lying in wait, allowing it to marinate. When enough drops have coalesced, and the critical expression point has been reached, the combined power of that inspiration can finally rush forth.
Drip. Drip. Drip. CREATE.
For Explosive Creatives, the creative cycle may be a little longer, but it’s no less powerful.
When Novelist Nelle Harper Lee published her very first novel, “To Kill A Mockingbird” in 1960, it spent 41 weeks on the bestseller list as it spurred important conversations about race, segregation, and civil rights. The book earned a Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was named Paperback of the Year the following year, alongside the release of the film adaptation that won multiple Academy Awards and Golden Globes, and has been repeatedly cited as one of the greatest films of all time in the years since.
Though Lee largely disappeared from the public eye in 1964, she’s been inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor, given an honorary doctorate from Notre Dame, and earned the Presidential Honor of Freedom in 2007. In 2018, “To Kill A Mockingbird” was voted America’s Favorite Book, and the book has remained in the top 5 most checked-out books of all time at NY Public Library through 2020.
“To Kill A Mockingbird” is the only book Harper Lee published in her lifetime. A world that only celebrates Generative Creatives would look upon the volume of Lee’s work and reduce her to being a “one-hit wonder.”1
But she’s not. She’s an Explosive Creative.
Drip. Drip. Drip. CREATE.
If you were to look back at some of the most influential literature of our time, you’d find that a surprising amount of it was made by Explosive Creatives with limited but powerful portfolios. “The Picture of Dorian Gray” was Oscar Wilde’s only novel, and “Frankenstein,” is the only work Mary Shelley is known for. Emily Bronte is most known for “Wuthering Heights,” J.D. Salinger for “Catcher in the Rye,” and Margaret Mitchell for “Gone With The Wind.”
Drip. Drip. Drip. CREATE.
There are plenty of similar examples in TV and Film too. James Cameron’s 2009 film Avatar brought in nearly $3 billion, making it the top-grossing film in history at the time, but the sequel didn’t come out until an impressive 13 years later. The Star Wars films—which have had undeniably historic economic and cultural impact—have release dates spread across nearly 50 years.
Drip. Drip. Drip. CREATE.
Now, to be clear, there is no one “better” type of creative. Both approaches to creating have their merits; the world needs the continuous and consistent Generatives AND the measured and moderated Explosives.
But understanding which type of create you are is key, so that you can align your creative energy and expectations with your creative instincts, instead of working against them.
Identifying And Managing Your Creative Energy
You Might Be A Generative Creative If…
You talk/write/create about things as a way of understanding them
You often feel like you have more to create than you really have time to create
You prefer high-frequency creation schedules (daily, weekdays, weekly, etc.)
You like the pace of social feeds and/or create social content easily and quickly
You like to create many pieces of work in rapid succession that build upon one another (Series, episodes, issues, and similar multi-part works)
You Might Be An Explosive Creative If…
You need to think things over before you talk/write/create about them
You often feel rushed to create, even when you don’t feel like you’re ready yet
You prefer lower-frequency creation schedules (weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc.)
You dislike the pace of social feeds and/or struggle to create social content quickly
You like to create stand-alone pieces of work with substantial breaks in-between (Books, films, seasons, and similar long-form works)
What To Do Once You Know
You won’t be able to change everything about the way you work to align with your creative type immediately, of course, but it’s worth reflecting on your work habits and style to try to optimize for your creative patterns:
Work Sprints: Generative Creatives may find they’re more productive during longer or more intense work sprints with focused creativity, while Explosive Creatives might experiment with more intermittent work schedules that include breaks for “marinating” in-between.
Content Frequency: Generative Creatives might consider more frequent publishing schedules (daily, for example) to match their energy, while Explosive Creatives might thrive with less frequent publishing cadence (biweekly, for example) to allow for more time to think between each creative piece.
Deadlines: Generative Creatives might be totally fine adjusting to quick turnaround projects or waiting to tackle projects until the last minute, while Explosive Creatives might need to start planning and thinking further in advance to get work done on time. Knowing this can help you gauge which projects and commitments might be a good fit for you, and how many you can do at once.
Energy Schedule: Everyone has different energy arcs throughout the day, so track when you do your best work, and attempt to arrange your days accordingly, if you’re able. (I do my best creating thinking and writing in the afternoons, for example, so I try to do appointments, errands, and admin-type work in the mornings before my creativity “kicks in,” to help keep my afternoons free for creative work.)
Interactions: Track how your interaction with others impacts your creativity too. Consider designated “deep work days” with no calls or meetings if you need to protect thinking time, or intentionally mix creative time with interaction time if conversations fuel your creative thinking.
Creative Sparks:
“Step into your creative identity with bravery,” by
/ . If you feel any level of discomfort talking about your creative work or owning your identity as a “creator,” “writer,” etc, then this is the post for you.“Tune back into your creativity,“ from
, by & . Give this a read if you’re feeling stuck or if you find yourself tempted to do less of what you love in the name of audience engagement.I recently became aware of SARK, who describes herself as an “Artist, Mentor, Transformer, Uplifter + Laser Beam of Love,” and honestly, I can’t disagree. I came across one of her 18+ bright and colorful art books focused on creativity and living your best life, and her dynamic visual style drew me in. Check SARK out on Instagram for a little visual inspiration.
“How To Read More,” by
of . You need new inputs if you want new outputs, and reading is a huge part of that. I recently got the “Your Remaining Audible Credits Expire in 30 Days” notification and am about to begin a period of serious reading as a result, and this was a timely piece about making reading time more enjoyable, more approachable, and more plentiful.“7 Steps I'd Take If I Was Starting My Creative Practice From Scratch in 2025,” Episode 492 of the Creative Pep Talk Podcast by
. If you’re in the process of starting or revamping a creative project, this is a great reminder of some good starting foundations.
More From Me:
I’ll be giving the closing keynote of MarketingProf’s Content Marketer’s Crash Course on April 16th. You can register here for all 10 weeks of live weekly classes, culminating with mine on content idea generation on 4/16!
I write a second newsletter here on Substack, called
, all about what I’m learning about why autistic women like me go undiscovered and undiagnosed until later in life.I appeared on episode 388 of the Leading Learning podcast, talking about the role of trust in our marketing. You can
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As the famous quote attributed to Albert Einstein says, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
Glad I finally got around to reading this one. As an explosive creator I feel so seen 🤯
Oh I loved this and so needed to read this now. Thank you!