I was all set to write a useful post about personality profiles and preferences, as I did a course about DISC last week, and saw a short presentation that reminded me about Insights this week.

But instead I’ve decided to write about weirdness. (I will write the DISC and Insights one at some point. Just not today.) Which I suppose sort of relates to personality profiles and preferences, because what’s “normal” to us might seem “weird” to other people. Although that’s not what I mean by weird.

I think my definition of weird is more about being playful, quirky and creative.

And the reason I was thinking about it was because I’d written out my description of what I do, so I could add it to the bottom of my LinkedIn post. And it just looked really bland and boring. Nice but boring.

Now I am a bit weird – I have my own little quirks, as we all do, and I draw Weird Penguin Doodles, and I am prone to having ideas and not resting until I’ve scribbled down all my thoughts in a notebook or bought a new website domain name.

And the clients and collaborators I like to work with are usually like that too – they’re the opposite to me in many ways as they’re extroverted, enthusiastic, passionate people, but we share a love of creative weirdness – quirky logos or graphics, eclectic combinations of words and objects in sentences, the innate desire to create when an idea just pops into our heads.

I think that’s what it is – “creative weirdness”. I have referred to “creative weirdos” in the past, but perhaps not everyone wants to be called a weirdo, even if they relate to what I’ve described about creativity and quirkiness. I don’t know?

But the question for me is how my clients and collaborators would like me to show up.

Do they want me to be a calm, guiding presence, with a side order of creative weirdness? Quirkiness that they can see peeking out but doesn’t need waving in their faces. That they’ll find if they come to one of my online writing sessions, or are present at the monthly online networking event I attend where I usually draw penguins. And will probably come out in conversation if they’re being their own weird and quirky selves – which always encourages me to be a bit more weird!

Or would they rather see more obvious weirdness from me? A crazier logo, brighter graphics, much more humour in my posts, a lot more video content?

If I’m honest, that second description doesn’t sound like me. I love my clients and collaborators to be like that. I love to know what they’re doing, what they’re thinking, and what their latest crazy idea is. But I’m the calm one who guides them through the crazy energy and helps them stay grounded enough to get things done, while making sure they don’t lose their quirky edge.

And actually I have some clients and collaborators who are calmer and more quietly weird too! I can dial up or dial down my quirkiness depending on who I’m talking to. I encourage my crazy outgoing clients and help them embrace their weirdness, and I work with my quieter creative clients to bring out a creative weirdness that’s more like them.

So in conclusion, I think I am weird enough – it’s just a more understated, quieter weirdness than some people’s weird. Maybe I could bring it out a little more in my social media posts, but not too much or I’ll start being inauthentic and sounding more like someone I’m not.

So what about you? How much creative weirdness do you bring into your working life?

Image by Prawny from Pixabay