If there’s nothing to solve, it’s a situation. It just is, and we move on. If it’s a problem, then it’s worth trying to find a solution to the status quo. (H/T Seth Godin)

The problem we are trying to solve here is how to foster the school culture. I hope we can all recognize here how the student (and teacher) body reacts to the word, “Driven.” Plastering it across the walls, giving students Dollar-Tree carabiners, and shoving the idea down people’s throats has not yet seemed to result in any buying-in. Superficial. Left-field. Corny.

However, I propose that this finicky thing called culture can be fostered at NNHS when greater incentives are generated to attract artists and develop a creative community within the school.

While I mostly focus on the school providing greater monetary compensation, there is a point to be made here that this could be done without money, like with a club, although I anticipate this process would merely be slower. Initiatives like the Media Team were in the right direction, but saying you got paid $25 to cover a school assembly is hardly considered “appealing.” The premise isn’t worth sharing to anyone.

From these motivators, greater demand for creatives will be generated. Be it inspiring an incoming freshmen to pick up their dad’s camera, word-of-mouth from “Look at what I what the school does to recognize my videos!” or pushing someone over the hump between playing it safe in high school, with the stereotypical, unremarkable extracurriculars, or pursuing what makes them feel fulfilled, the microeconomic principle remains: greater utility offered translates into greater quantity supplied.

A growing base of creatives translates into a driver of culture. From professional athletic teams, other schools, and glimmers of such effect at North alone, this relationship has been well-verified.

At professional levels, consider the number of moments in sports history that would have been otherwise lost to time and memory if not for those documenting the story. For example, with the World Series victory by the Cubs, the way in which non-baseball fans in Illinois could join in on the celebration, following updates from social media posts by that one classmate who only talks sports. Obviously, it’s worth recognizing that these brands have larger budgets for their marketing departments, but at any scale, by capturing and documenting, you create greater ability to share.

Another example of said effect lies just across the pond. You may or may not have heard of Braeden Schmidt or Jackson Wigger: two Central students who have undoubtedly pushed the boundaries of high-school sports media. In documenting the hype of football games and the like, the two have created an irreplicable atmosphere at the school around game days-the prospect of being included in a video viewed by thousands, or even merely being associated with something so popular. That’s the power of a brand.

And you recently saw what can happen with creatives at North ourselves (shoutout @madebyraffiv, @z11ch, and @hoopnowtv – admittedly, I was slow on the delivery turnaround). People post, share, and retweet media from the elimination-round crosstown victory, and a sense of unity and pride of the school is generated – organically, I’d like to add.

Sure, you can get spurts of this content-generation every few years, but I think that, if a bit more demand can be generated, a talent pool could emerge that grows and begets more creatives in the long run. Beyond the events the school could pay them to cover, they’d cover the events that you don’t pay these creatives to go to.

Do I know how much money the school has? No.

But, how much would a solution be worth? What is the cost of inaction?

Addendums:
* There’s also the point that you are paying external grumpy, old-people agencies to do photos for the yearbook and the hallways. Sure, they might be the “safer” option in the short-run, but give students some time and I’d be willing to bet we’d be able to do better at the same scale – more creative, more remarkable.

** As far as a solution goes, maybe expand the school media team into both an agency and a development group? Make this opportunity more visible to those interested? This would allow more new people to join and grow their interests, while providing opportunities for more experienced members to provide value to the school, develop their body of work, and make some money.

*** Of course, one problem of this whole concept is that you’d ideally want to avoid making money the sole driver of content production. Persistent creativity is intrinsically driven. And so, there’s fine calculus to be made on the amount of compensation. There are a plethora of pricing strategies, so perhaps for a later date.

**** Any feedback on this idea is welcome!