Hi! Welcome to the 4 CreativeWheels newsletter — your weekly dose of insights on creativity and fuel for your creative journey.

This is it! It’s Week #40! Thankful for every one of you. I love and appreciate your support. And I look forward to more weeks, more issues published, and more ideas and thoughts shared with you.

I’m excited to share this piece. I’ve been thinking about this concept for years and have been working on this essay for the past 3 months. And your presence here has so much value. Talking about value,…

In this week’s issue, we explore why value is subjective and how that is wonderful for makers and creatives.

“Generally, we know when something is bad. We call bad work “trash” for a reason. That's where it belongs. At least, that is where we think bad work should be placed. However, there is an interesting thing to consider.”

Without further ado…

Let’s start the ride!

We often fail to acknowledge this truth. We tend to forget and overlook it, but it continuously shapes our lives. The truth is that value is inherently subjective and abides in what we choose to highlight. And that is great news.

Hearing that value is subjective, different reactions emerge. You might nod in agreement. Or it might sound like a call to celebrate mediocrity. One might say, “This guy is one of the unfortunate victims of those modern ‘banana on a wall’ artists.” Funny enough, even the reactions are evidence of that truth.

The varied reactions, especially the negative ones, exhibit how we all think of value. In our minds, value is tied to quality. And that is true, most of the time. The better the quality something or someone has, the greater the value they possess. It is pretty evident in our day-to-day lives. When you work on raising the quality, there is an expectation of an increase in value.

Yet, unsurprisingly, that is not always the case. There are times when the work with the highest quality does not get the highest value. Of course, quality is objective. What is well done is well done. However, one thing can be well done and not be valuable to you or me. Why is it so? The simple cause is that we are human beings. What we value needs a supporting reason, and quality isn’t always it.

Generally, we know when something is bad. We call bad work “trash” for a reason. That's where it belongs. At least, that is where we think bad work should be placed. However, there is an interesting thing to consider.

There is always a why something is not up to par. No need to be a genius to figure that out. For all bad work, there is an element [or more] that gets amplified. That highlighted element becomes the reason, the why. It becomes the flaw that stands out, a nail that sticks out. Moreover, when people talk about the work, that element would be the thing they repeat. Hence, it becomes the assigned identity of the work. That reason and the work merge into one thing in our minds.

As the element and the bad work are seen as one, the value of the work gets affected. People might perceive what is present but disregard it. There is no motivation to invest your time and attention in the work. That highlighted element convinces you not to. Value is given for a reason, and the prominent reason here is already besmirched. That's when bad work gets in the trash.

Now, the reality is that the highlighted element of any work is chosen. Any element can impact the reception of a subject, but the one that has been chosen creates the most impact. Choice leads to emphasis. And the emphasis defines the value. This is where subjectivity plays a part in value.

People choose distinctly based on various factors. Those factors include cultures, environments, beliefs, life experiences, and personal preferences. You place value in some things. And I do the same. Unless it's about the most fundamental human needs, the value we give to anything is malleable. We can manipulate it, or someone (or something) can influence us.

As much as we would love to believe in how pure or sound our rationality is, our perspective and choices notably affect how our rationality and reasoning go. Yes, you can be rational. Still, your rational thoughts and judgments will often align with how you personally see things.

On June 23rd, 2025, I was working on a piece. The piece was about simplicity versus complexity. I wrote the first draft and was not sure of it. I am never certain about the first draft, but for this piece, the doubt was bigger. I shared the draft with one of my close friends. She critiqued it. I used her constructive criticism as I kept rewriting and refining the piece. To the very day I published it, I wasn't sure of it. "Done is better than perfect," I told myself. Then, something interesting happened.

A close friend of mine, Tracy, gave her feedback. From her words, I could see she did not like the piece as much as she liked my previous articles. To her, the piece lacked my natural tone. She felt like I forced the reader to accept that simplicity is best. Tracy expressed that I usually share my ideas on something and let the reader make up their own minds. And for that piece, I didn't do that. I could see and understand where she was coming from.

On the other hand, my close friend with whom I shared the first draft, OJ, praised the final piece. She extolled the essay. She even rated it as my best writing ever. I was surprised, pleasantly surprised.

Tracy and OJ are both intelligent, intellectual, and introspective ladies who can be pretty logical, straightforward, and honest. They both are avid readers who love the Hunger Games series. Despite their similarities, they had utterly distinct reactions to the very same piece. I thought their feedback would be similar. I was wrong.

The value Tracy and OJ gave to my piece varied. The reasons behind their opinions were close to each other, but they led to different results. One thing that one person loved, the other was reluctant to appreciate. And that happens all the time. Even when we don't realize it.

As my mate Google Dictionary defines value, it’s “the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.” What we choose to regard is what we choose to value, whether in a positive or negative light. And we can choose differently. Value, then, is shaped by the narratives that succeed in influencing what we choose to accentuate.

So, how does this connect to the idea of bad work being valuable? Since value is subjective and shaped by choice and emphasis, it’s possible for any creation, even work seen as "bad," to hold value. The catch lies in how that value is framed and communicated.

The way you choose to present your work influences which aspects are emphasized, which in turn shapes how others perceive it. When you influence perception effectively, the work can gain value. In this way, with the right choices, even bad work becomes valuable.

A great deal of people have used sticky (Post-it) notes. You probably have too. They are great for multiple reasons. You can use them to jot down short reminders or tasks. You can have them during brainstorming sessions or planning. They help visually sort ideas by topic or priority. You can utilize them to rearrange concepts easily, especially on whiteboards or walls. The notes’ glue sticks well but doesn’t damage surfaces or leave residue. You can move or remove them easily. It’s wonderful for temporary use.

Yet, the sticky notes’ glue was bad work. It initially had no value. It was a failed product. The glue was deemed too weak for permanent use. It was destined to end up in the trash. That was until someone found the best way to present it and emphasize its right aspects.

In 1968, Dr. Spencer Silver was in the lab. As a 3M scientist, he was researching how to develop new adhesives. And at that time, the goal was to create stronger adhesives. But the mission was failed successfully.

The result was far from the original aim. The glue he created was weak and lightly stuck to surfaces. Still, Silver believed that this product could be useful. He just did not know the why and how.

Enter Art Fry, another 3M employee. He was part of his church choir and was frustrated that his paper bookmarks kept falling out of his hymnal. He needed something that would stick to the paper without damaging the pages. He remembered Silver’s "weak" adhesive and had an idea.

Fry and Silver teamed up to refine the idea. They applied the weak adhesive to small pieces of paper that could be stuck and removed repeatedly. And they found themselves writing messages on their notes. That was the Aha moment. Fast forward, 3M started testing the product in 1977 under the name "Press 'n Peel,” but it didn’t sell well. People didn’t grasp what it was for.

With the help of lovely people called marketers, they ran an experiment in Boise, Idaho. 3M rebranded the product as Post-it Notes and launched a major campaign, including free samples. People tried them and loved them. And the rest is history. What was once an adhesive bug became a feature of a renowned and beloved product.

If another scientist developed that glue, it’s likely that they would not have preserved it. And even if 3M released the initial glue as it was, the highlighted element would have been how weak the glue was. Who would have found weak glue to be valuable? It’s safe to say nobody. Thankfully, Silver and Fry chose to believe in the glue’s value.

We can all follow their example. And that is the great news for anyone who creates. The responsibility of giving a work or piece value is on its creator. The creator can shape how people see their work. Consequently, the value of the work increases or decreases depending on how good the creator’s choice is.

Thinking of the sticky notes example, one might say, “There is no subjectivity in the use of sticky notes, mate.” That is true. The use of sticky notes is objectively good. But, is it truly?

If sticky notes came in an era when people didn’t note things down, nobody would have found them valuable. If sticky notes were made in a context where paper was limited to certain functions, nobody would have found them valuable. And if they were invented in a culture where people just did not value efficiency and productivity, it’s safe to say nobody would have found them valuable.

Would sticky notes still be sticky notes? Yes. Would they operate as they usually do? Another yes. Would they be of great quality? Of course, yes (You got 3 yeses). Yet, people would not perceive sticky notes as valuable.

This opens up another crucial part. And this is why to make bad work, any work, valuable, you must deeply comprehend the work, problem, and pursuit. You will have to understand people.

The work is what you have created. Their problem is where they are right now. It's the issues they are facing in their current state and how they feel about them. Their pursuit is where they want to be, who they want to be, and how they will feel in the future world that your work would give them.

You have to figure out how those things can align. You paint them a picture. You have to be able to cocreate a reality that shows that you understand the problem and hint at a better future. To shape how your work is valued, think of the person it serves, the problem it solves, and the journey it invites.

It comes down again to choice, emphasis, and perspective. Those are the essentials. Your highlighted choice might be in productivity. It can stem from tradition. It can be influenced by popularity. Heck, it can be created in the desire to adopt the wise attitude of babies. It can be anything that you see fit. With the right choices, you’ll see your work become valuable.

Not all “bad” work is truly bad and worthless. Sometimes, it just hasn’t been understood the right way, or by the right person, yet. And sometimes, its value emerges later, in use, in reaction, or in contrast.

As creators, thinkers, and builders, that’s our responsibility and power. We can’t control every opinion, but we can influence perception. We can decide what to stress. Because value isn’t innate. It is something we shape.

Here are two (or more) creative works that you’ll not regret checking out:

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Thank you so much for reading! 

As always, feel free to reply to this email & share your thoughts, stories, and any experience related to this topic. I’d love to hear them!  

C ya next Week! 

Embracing Creativity™,

Richard M.

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