After graduating in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Todd Henry decided to market himself. He moved to Nashville, determined to become a country music singer. When his attempts did not lead to stardom, Henry returned to Cincinnati to find other ways of unleashing his creativity.
He spent several years as creative director at Crossroads Community Church in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Oakley before deciding to become a “creativity” entrepreneur. He launched Accidental Creative.com, a web-based consulting firm, that provides an online forum for subscribers and produces podcasts aimed at helping others to be creative amid the stress and demands of everyday life.
“I’m a freedom fighter for the creative class,” Henry explained. “People are put in situations in which they must create on deadlines, and in which they start to lose their passion. Accidental Creative.com’s purpose is to help people such as artists, writers, teachers, or designers become successful by providing them with tools, inspiration and coaching on how to unlock inner creativity.
“Cover bands don’t change the world. People don’t go home and remember the band, they remember the song. We are encouraging people to write, create, and have the guts to be uniquely who they are.”
Henry’s podcasts preach time and energy management, organization, and give exposure to new ideas. He says that his site attracts 20,000 customers a week, who download his podcasts, read his blog, and check on recommended resources. Accidental Creative.com was one of several businesses featured in U.S. News & World Report’s April 30 cover story that focused on maintaining creativity in the workplace.
In developing his venture, Henry says that he draws on important lessons he learned in college: “I had a phenomenal experience at Miami in the business school. I figured out how to think and how to relate to people. It taught me how to take idea and effectively execute it—it was a key part of my growth.”
For more information about Accidental Creative, visit the company’s website at accidentalcreative.com.
