Congratulations to me. I’m a noun.

“You take care of it. You’re creative.”

Most creative individuals shrink at this phrase. We hear it many many times throughout our lives.

It’s usually preceded by rounds and rounds of pointless conversations and then proceeded by the designated creative people scrambling for ideas and crayons. Then that’s followed by rounds and rounds of pointless criticism before a creative decision is made by those who are admittedly not creative.

Since college, we the creative have been dubbed “creatives.” Because we’re the people who create. Usually the word carries a connotation of being imaginative or clever (or weird), but when you get to the down and dirty definition, it simply means maker—or one who can make, rather.

So today, while trying to feel creative in the ways of making and cleverness, I looked up the word in the dictionary.

And I found that it’s officially a noun in one book!

The Collins Essential English Dictionary definition of “creative”: NOUN a creative person, esp. one who devises advertising campaigns.

That’s right. No longer an ordinary person with a haphazard adjective slapped in front of it. A noun. A true one-worded tangible.

I am no longer a creative person working in advertising. I am simply a creative.

It feels good to be a proper (as in official—not capitalized) noun.

But it still comes salted because some people use “creative” as some sort of swear word. Like when creatives* say something off-kilter, others roll their eyes and grunt, “Ugh, creatives!” Or when a writer or artist is trying to defend a piece of work, the non-creative goes to his associate, “He/she’s just being an uppity creative. Pay no mind.”

It raises a question, though. Since they ask for creative help because of a creatives nature and abilities, shouldn’t they be expecting the creative to care for the work? To defend it? To get upset if it’s not butter smooth and picture perfect?

In the context of what they’re asking the creative to do, shouldn’t they want someone who’s passionate?

Who knows? At least we’re now officially nouns—a small victory, but still a victory. Next goal: Capitalization!

*Spell Check doesn’t recognize us as a noun yet. Go figure, Microsoft. Go figure.