Meet Dr. Garrett Hope

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dr. Garrett Hope a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Garrett, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.

I believe that creativity is a skill. One that grows and can be exercised like a muscle.

I also believe that creativity is the key to business and entrepreneurial success.

It’s easy to see the irony in that statement since I have a doctorate in music composition (a creative degree, yes?). And still, I’ve started multiple small businesses, conferences/summits, podcasts, and taught in higher education for over 15 years.

Creativity is all about seeing the world in a new way. And it’s creativity—and creative thinking in general—that allow the entrepreneur to see solutions no one has seen before.

So… how does one exercise the creative muscle? Here’s what I do and what I recommend for others, even if you don’t feel creative.

First, make things! Create things. Turn the noun that is “Creativity” into the verb form. You don’t have to be specially trained, or even particularly gifted to make things. And it could be anything. Write a poem (haikus and limericks are fun and easy), draw or paint a picture, compose a song or improvise a solo on guitar or piano. The key to this is the DOING and doing as regularly as possible. Just like exercise. Daily is best if you can.

Second, find inspiration. See the world around you with the wonder, awe, and curiosity you had as a kid. Once we become adults we easily dismiss these feelings because we “Already know that,” or, “That’s boring!” Find something that piques your interest and explore it. Creative people are curious and because they are willing to ask questions, even the apparently silly ones, they find the solutions that are currently hidden.

Third, broaden your inputs. To remain mentally and creatively flexible, consume a variety of media (books, podcasts/audiobooks, movies, music). Be intentionally about breaking out of your silo. This is particularly challenging because of politics! Do it anyway. And change your genre. If you like detective stories, read a fantasy book. If you like country music, listen to video game soundtracks. If you binge-watch sitcoms, go to a Shakespeare play in person (odds are there’s one happening in your area this month).

One of the best pieces of advice a mentor gave me when I went to university was to spend time in the library browsing the periodicals and reading interesting articles in fields I wasn’t studying and didn’t know anything about. This had at least two major benefits: I grew a broad-based understanding of the world that allowed me to have meaningful conversations with an ever-growing circle of people. And it became easier to make connections between seemingly disparate fields.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a public speaker, coach, and composer. Like many entrepreneurs I wear several hats.

My mission is to serve business owners and entrepreneurs by helping think creatively so they can grow their revenue. I help these people apply creativity to creating new products and services and release the anchors (ways of thinking) that keep their businesses from sailing.

I do this through speaking events (keynotes, workshops for companies and conferences), guest lecturing at colleges and universities, and group and individual coaching.

When I’m not speaking or coaching I am either writing music (I primarily composer for educational ensembles), leading worship, or growing in skill as a luthier and woodworker.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Easily, the most valuable quality for me has been living into my creativity and curiosity. What has helped me become a great teacher, speaker, and leader has been adding to that communication and public speaking, and learning how to learn. My degrees (I have many!) helped me grow in particular skills, and still it was adding these to my talent stack that sets me apart.

My greatest piece of advice for people early in their journey is to shift their thinking from “What degree do I need, or what do I need to know, to get the job I want?” to “What needs to be in my talent stack so I am one of kind and irreplaceable?”

The problem with the first way of thinking is that everyone becomes fungible. What, in the end, separates one student with a BA in Communication from another? Very little if anything. And yet, what if someone had the knowledge that degree offers, plus the skills to execute on the knowledge (not all degree programs actually provide this), plus skills of incredible value such as the ones I listed above? Those people have well-developed talent stacks and become irreplaceable and valuable to society, to employers, and to their clients.

We are in the post-job age and a college degree (set of knowledge, and maybe some skills that come along with a paper saying you did a thing) is not as valuable as a well-developed talent stack with creative thinking.

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal client is a person who currently works for him or herself and desires to serve their clientele well. This is a person who longs to find new ways to solve their customer’s problems and make the world a better place. This is a person who might be struggling to find new solutions or see a way through the murkiness to grow their business and bottom line.

This is a person who might also find themselves unable to move forward despite the best of goals, systems, and intentions. There’s something that’s holding them back. Those are your anchors. And many of them have to do with money.

I LOVE helping these people.

If this is you, send me a message and let’s talk.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://garretthope.com

Image Credits

Briony Hope Bohm, Garrett Hope