Meet William Childs | A right brained creative making his way in an over-crowded left brained world.

We had the good fortune of connecting with William Childs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi William, how do you think about risk?
Life is inherently risky. Anything you are going to attempt whether in your personal or business life will involve risk. Risk is not something to fear. If you study the people who are pioneers in their respective fields, you’ll discover rather quickly that they all shared similar traits. They were exceedingly passionate, highly curious, were not fond of rules, detested mediocrity, and were comfortable taking risks. Failure was never an option for them. Innovators like Steve Jobs, Louis Pasteur, Nikola Tesla, George Washington Carver, Marie Curie, Frank Lloyd Wright, Miles Davis, Walt Disney, Leonardo da Vinci, Maya Angelou, Galileo Galilei, Pablo Picasso, The Wright Brothers, and many others all used large amounts of risk and fearlessness to break free of limitations. Today, we are still in desperate need of people who are not afraid to take the road less traveled. The ones who won’t accept the “well, we’ve always done it that way” mentality. Yes, you’re going to have to break a few rules if you hope to push past perceived limitations to unlock new and innovative ways of doing things. You can’t change the world safely ensconced inside your comfort zone.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Growing up, I spent a great deal of time wondering about the career path I would choose to earn my living. The challenge was choosing a career where I could get paid doing something I loved. Easier said than done, right? However, I always felt a strong pull toward the more creative aspects of life, so a career where creativity is needed made the most sense. One thing I wish I knew before starting my career was the inherent creative bias that I would experience in the business world because I live out of the right side of my brain. In March of this year, a business professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Jack Goncalo, and his colleagues released their study proving that most people harbor a strong aversion to creators and creative types. The study, conducted over ten years, showed that creativity is viewed by many as ‘noxious’ and ‘disruptive.’ Goncalo’s other findings revealed that innovative thought often gets outrightly rejected because of its power to intensify feelings of uncertainty. Ironic when you consider that you won’t develop transformative ideas without vast amounts of uncertainty, ambiguity, and risk.

Begging the conundrum: How do you expect to grow your business if you’re unwilling to disrupt the status quo? The short answer is you can’t. There will never be enough stats to prove value when it’s in question, but good ideas and creativity nullify the stats; they create buzz, energy, and excitement. Creativity represents change, and if change makes you uncomfortable, how do you expect to make decisions that will move your business forward? Change is the only thing constant in business, so why all the discomfort? While the research I referenced here may indicate an inherent bias towards creative individuals, there is still hope.

To all the creative people working through difficult situations, I say, keep pushing, keep grinding, and embrace your wonderment. Keep showing up and doing good work. You represent one of the best chances a company or a society has to evolve and grow due to your unique ability to use your imagination, curiosity, and open-mindedness for the greater good. Keep bringing your intrinsic motivation to get things done, as I would argue that creative skills are needed now more than ever. As I look back on my chosen career path, I remain optimistic. I have learned that anything in life worth doing is going to contain its fair share of struggles and obstacles. My creativity has served as both a blessing and a curse. There were times throughout my career when my imagination was celebrated, and other times not so much. In retrospect, I wouldn’t change a thing as we are all the total of our experiences. You need failure and success to grow into your best version. I do know this; the struggle IS the journey because difficult roads are the ones that lead to the most rewarding destinations.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would make sure that they visit in August, when every year, the City Of Bethlehem hosts a 10-day music festival. Musikfest has been held annually since 1984 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is the nation’s largest non-gated free music festival in the country. Every single genre of music is represented. There are free stages everywhere. You have amazing food, drinks, and great tunes. The festival takes place on the grounds of the former Bethlehem Steel Corporation. The site has been repurposed and allows for up to a million people visit each year and enjoy this annual music festival.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Author Hugh Macleod for his inspirational book on creativity, ‘Ignore Everybody’, which was a huge inspiration and catalyst for me wanting to write and finish my own book, ‘Childs Play, A Guide To Help Reclaim and Harness Your Creative Power’.

Website: https://www.billchilds.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/wpchilds

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wpchilds/

Twitter: @wpchilds

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/williamchilds

Other: https://www.aafglv.org/podcast/

Image Credits
Close-up pic by: JT Norman
Black and white pic: Ted Colegrove