In this article:
What is a creative?
It’s a relatively new term and a label by which people identify themselves. Not unlike hipster, yuppie, or starving artist. In the simplest of definitions, creatives see the world differently than others. They see potential and beauty, whereas others might simply see reality.
Creatives want to well… create. The rest of the world may view things in black-and-white and put everything into neat little boxes, but you don’t. You want to blur the lines. You see the gray areas, and you want to fill them with color.
And as we mentioned, most church tech leaders identify as creatives. As the founders of ALTA Systems, we identify as creatives too. And it’s no coincidence we worked in technology for some of the most well-known churches in the world.
But as church tech leaders, we have a problem on our hands.
Our technology often holds us back from being creative. The very tools we use to create become a barrier to the creative process. It stands in our way.
After all, we can only do our best work when we have the right tools. As a creative, I can tell you there is nothing more frustrating than dealing with an instruction manual, or a troubleshooting video, than actually creating something. I love designing, but I hate fixing the tools I use to design.
And these days, it almost feels like we’re wrestling against technology. When it comes to managing our tech systems, we’re herding a group of rambunctious ostriches… instead of wielding our tools like Picasso wields a paintbrush.
Then there are the constant alerts and attention-grabbing banners. There are weird, outdated helpdesk websites and hidden menus. Did I mention the experience of finding a “Yahoo! Answers” post from 2006 with the same problem… only no responses?
Sometimes it feels like simply using a pen and paper would be easier… or maybe a chisel and stone. We have the vision in our minds of what we want to do, but our technology stands in the way. We’re fighting with it, grinding it out, and working so hard. But Sunday’s always coming. So we get stuck in a rut, in the run-of-the-mill of ministry, while our creative vision falls by the wayside.
We’ve lost the concept that technology should empower creativity, not obstruct it.
It doesn’t matter if it’s the shiniest, fanciest toy or not... if it only serves to get in your way. The price tag doesn’t matter if it’s incompatible with the rest of your system. Or you have to plan everything around it like it’s the prima donna ballerina of your ensemble. And of course, our current tools are becoming outdated faster than ever.
It’s tough. But it can be overcome.
As you step into the weeks to come, the day-in-day-out of being a church tech leader, never forget this fact: Technology should empower creativity.
Take stock of what you have on hand, tech-wise, and ask whether it truly empowers your creativity or merely gets in the way. As you search online for a new gizmo, ask yourself if it will hinder your process.
At ALTA, we don’t even focus on technology. Weird, right? Instead, we focus on your vision. When we select the technology for your production system, our team of wizened tech gurus works to design the perfect blank canvas for your creatives to… create.
We check that the menus are in plain English, we study the manual, we check user feedback, and we advise on the best-fit products for your unique use case. We recommend, sell, install, and train you on the correct tool for the job, even if it means we make less money from the transaction. Because we’ve been in your position before, and we know the struggle.
If you want to learn more about how we can empower your creative vision, book a meeting today.
Looking forward to working with you!
