New research released by Adobe investigates the factors that make Australians creative, revealing that Generation Z—those aged 13 to 22—believe they are more creative than any other generation.

In a survey of more than 1,000 Australians, Adobe found 64 per cent of Gen Z considers themselves creative or very creative, compared to only 49 per cent of all other generations (Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers).

Gen Z also believe creativity will be an important part of their work and helps with their study.

Three quarters (78 per cent) of Gen Z say doing something creative every day would benefit their work and academic studies, while 72 per cent wish there was a greater emphasis on creativity in their field of work and study.

“The next generation of Australians are the most confident in their creativity and believe this will help them in their work and studies,” Adobe ANZ managing director Suzanne Steele said in a statement.

“This generation, which we’ve dubbed as Generation Create, are digital natives and approach creativity differently as they’re less interested in traditional creative inspirations.”

Drivers of creativity

Creative inspiration can come from anywhere. Therefore, Adobe aimed to discover what fuels creativity across all Australian generations.

Love and heartache are both well-known for inspiring creativity, but is one stronger than the other? According to this research, love is the winner by a hair.

One in three (29 per cent) Aussie Gen Z admit that being in love has a strong impact on creativity, while 28 per cent believe experiencing a breakup makes them more creative.

For Australians aged over 24, coffee is the top optimal food for fuelling creativity (44 per cent), but for Gen Z, water and fruit are tied for their top optimal food for creativity (44 per cent and 43 per cent, respectively).

However, it’s not all healthy eating with this generation—they also believe that snacks (34 per cent), Pizza (31 per cent) and pasta (26.5 per cent) are optimal for fuelling creativity.

Sleep impacts younger Australians, with Gen Z (37 per cent) revealing they need their sleep more than any other generation (31 per cent Millennial, 26 per cent Gen X, 26 per cent Baby Boomer).

Pushing traditional workplace boundaries

The next generation of Australians will dictate the future of work, and Adobe’s research reveals that younger generations would prefer to work outside of an office.

However, this doesn’t mean they want to be working from home either, with seven in ten (69 per cent) Gen Z stating that working outside of home helps with creativity.

In contrast, Millennials have embraced working from home with more than half (56 per cent) believing it makes them more creative.

Baby Boomers on the other hand don’t find working from home impacts their creativity, with less than half (41 per cent) agreeing that working from home helps with creativity.

According to Adobe, this begs the question of whether it’s time to say goodbye to the office and embrace a partially or completely remote working environment.

Adobe has recognised this shift in workplace behaviour and focused on launching creative applications that aren’t bound by traditional ways of working. At MAX 2020, Adobe unveiled Illustrator on iPad, meaning creators can now design anywhere, work seamlessly across devices, and keep everything in sync.

Steele added: “It’s important all organisations understand that the next generation will push the boundaries on the traditional workplace, not just with remote working but a space between home and the office.

“The future workplace will require us to think how we can offer this generation creative spaces for people to connect and collaborate, but also offer the flexibility for employees to choose where they work so they can be their most creative and productive.”

Featured image source: iStock/ABEMOS