01 Jul 2021

People think of creative jobs as something just for ad executives, artists and authors, but really creativity is something that comes into any job at least a little. When it comes to trades, there’s a bit of a stereotype that it doesn’t require a lot of hard thinking, just because you don’t need a university degree - but anyone who’s tried to do a DIY project on their own knows that that’s total bull.

Really, creativity is the ability to make something new or unique from the tools and rules that you’re given - which is what working in construction is all about! Here’s some of the ways that creativity comes into play if you’re a blue collar worker or a white-collar worker in the construction industry.

Just because you get given a plan or a task out on a construction site doesn’t mean that you’re not using creativity. Sure, you might have an architect or a construction manager directing you on what needs to be done, but they’re relying on your knowledge to make it all work, right down to the materials, the methods to put it together and making it all go under budget to keep the suits happy.

If you’re not out on site, then the creativity really comes out to shine, because half the time, your clients may have absolutely no idea how to fix the problems they have. If you’re making something for them as a carpenter or a bricklayer, it’s up to you to help their vision come to life, or maybe advise them on how you could make it better to suit their needs, or make it last longer. There’s some pretty nutty architecture out there that often means you need to help develop experimental uses or methods for construction. An example might be something like Frank Gehry’s Chau Chak Wing building in Sydney, which needed some cutting-edge brickwork to give it it’s signature look.

If you’re doing maintenance or repair, you unfortunately might have to work around someone else’s mistakes, or some strange quirk the building has to make it all come together.

There’s opportunities to make things look great as well - especially if you’re doing a trade like carpentry where your work may literally be on-display in someone’s home. In some trades, it’s not just about if it works or not, but if it’s beautifully made and fits in with its surroundings.

If you’re really looking out there in the future, there will probably be more classic creative design stuff even for what’s now a very manual labour job. Automation and AI is the next frontier for physical jobs, and you could be out there drawing something in an augmented reality space, and having robots actually building it out based on what you’ve sketched!

Stuff like the near and far future of construction is super interesting, but they don’t give you this side of working trades when you’re in school. For stuff like this plus more, why not check out our super-short course The New-Print Of Construction? It's your guide to what being in construction is actually like, from the work you'll be doing to what the future could hold. Take a look over here!