Where you hangout can have a huge impact on your creativity. You might find the park a peaceful place to pluck ideas from the ether, alternatively a loud punk rock festival could also stimulate your creative senses. It’s really up to you; what makes you tick and your creativity come to fruition. And since the world is moving ever online — and smoking bars and Mad Men era strip joints become less desirable for brainstorming big ideas — we’ve put together a list of the 7 greatest hangouts for 21st century creatives.
1. PERISCOPE
Periscope has been picking up steam as it lets its users “explore the world through someone else’s eyes.” This is perfect for those who like to creatively connect with people and places. But it is also perfect for someone who likes to experience a first-hand, insider’s point-of-view. Why?
On any given day a Periscoper may find themselves behind-the-scenes of a news studio as they break a story live on air or listening to Richard Branson as he gives business advice from Necker Island. And importantly, once a Periscope broadcast is over, it can only be viewed for 24-hours. Which is what makes it so important for the user to tune in live. So start broadcasting some creative or check-in on a cool live stream. Either way you won’t miss any of the action going on all around you, around the world with Periscope.
2. VINE
Vine is another amazing place to get creative. Only allowing short 6 second video uploads, you are coerced into getting creative really quickly. Which is probably why Vine has been the birthplace of a number of viral internet sensations, like Brittany Furlan, Thomas Sanders and our personal favorite Meghan McCarthy. What’s more, it’s not only great for releasing your ideas but also inspiring new ones. And brands are already jumping on the bandwagon, like how HP utilized the social stars and small space to make an incredible advert.
You can browse Vines by following whomever makes you laugh or select a category and watch for hours. It is no doubt a place where creatives go to either kill time or create.
3. INSTAGRAM
Instagram hit over 300 million users in 2014. Which makes it an obvious place to hangout and share content and ideas, but is it still great for creativity and creatives? Short answer, yes. It’s still a great place to go if you’re looking for inspiration. And it’s all due to their explorer tool. This shows you a news feed of not so random pictures based on what you’ve already liked, people you follow, and the pictures they like.
It’s a great algorithm for random inspirations that you may not have found before, and it’s also a great tool to help gain exposure for your content — by simply using the right hashtags. Regardless as to whether you’re creating the content or looking for creative inspiration, hangout on Instagram.
4. PINTEREST
Pinterest is one of the most astounding creative hangouts, because of its vast amount of creative content. You can browse for hours looking for ideas on almost anything, create a private board to share ideas with colleagues or pin to your own board for all the world to search and see. Which means creatives can get their content out to specific crowds of people, while also see more (hand-picked) curated creative inspiration.
The basic notion sounds familiar (like + share), but what separates Pinterest from other social hangouts is its ability to directly drives sales.
A Pinterester can upload something with a direct link to purchase. And according to Piqora, “Each ‘pin’ that a user attaches to one of his or her (usually her) interest boards is worth, on average, 78 cents in additional sales to the brand — whose merchandise is featured.” That is better than both Twitter and Facebook. Which means Pinterest is both a platform where businesses can get creative, and where creatives can get to business. So it’s not just for sales, but also cool solutions.
5. TUMBLR
For creatives who like to post a variety of content quickly and creatively, there is Tumblr. The blogging service was founded back in 2007 and now has more than 241 million blogs and 113.4 billion posts. That’s a lot of content and a large audience. And while Tumblr may just seem like different social media sites in one place, it does have specific advantages — the sum is greater than the whole.
There are also no restrictions on what you can post. Whether it’s word count, media type, or a picture containing pornography, Tumblr users can post everything under the sun — even their moon. And unlike most social media, Tumblr profiles can fully reflect a user’s personality.
Instead of being identified by only a profile picture and a cover photo, Tumblr users can have their own personal themes: either purchased or edited themselves. So it’s designed to let you be much more creative than other social media sites. So Tumblr is definitely a place where you need to be if you call yourself a creative.
6. WHATSAPP – AND ALL THAT
WhatsApp is an instant messaging app designed for smartphones. But why is it on our list of creative hangouts? This cross-platform app allows creatives to not only send messages, but user locations, audio/video content, icons, emojis and more. And that’s not all.
The best thing with WhatsApp is that it’s always readily available on a wide range of devices — and now even your desktop. As a result, you can enjoy virtual creative communication regardless of your choice of smartphone or screen. Making it very easy for creatives to share ideas with each other, or a group. But watch out WhatsApp.
WeChat, Kik, Line, Avocado, Facebook Messenger and even BBM (Blackberry Messenger) are all vying for attention. Any of which could be considered just as great a hangout for a creative communicator.
7. CANNES LIONS
There’s arguably no bigger gathering of creatives than during the summer in France, at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Just look at the speaker list, which includes names such as artist Pharrell Williams, Snapchat CEO Even Spiegel, and comedian Grace Helbig.
What’s more, the festival not only includes speakers, but it also includes networking events and awards throughout the 7 days. The self proclaimed “international festival of creativity” is a place all creatives need to go at least once in their life. And if your name comes up or you walk away with a Golden Lion, you know you’ve truly made it.
Those were 7 great hangouts for 21st century creatives. Whether for gathering inspiration, generating revenue, or simply helping you lighten up after a long day, these 7 hangouts are the place to be for anyone who considers themselves creative. All you can do now is go see if any are the place for you
