Creativity in Code: What It Means to Be a Developer at SDS
“Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run… do the work you want to see done.”
—Austin Kleon, Steal Like an Artist
When people talk about creativity, they often picture painters in their studios, novelists hunched over typewriters, or musicians lost in their instruments. Rarely do they imagine someone behind dual monitors, their cursor blinking in a dark-themed IDE, wrestling with dependencies, or trying to model a complex business process.
But at Strategic Data Systems, we understand that software development is a creative act. Our developers are not just coders—they’re creators, thinkers, and innovators. Like any artist, they face familiar challenges: fear of “I don’t know how to do that”, pressure to be original, and the ongoing tension between inspiration and delivery. That’s why Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist resonates so strongly with our team. His book is a guide for visual artists and anyone trying to inject creativity into their work, especially in the fast-moving world of IT consulting.
Stealing with Integrity: How Good Developers Imitate, Then Innovate
Kleon proposes that no idea is truly original—all creative work builds on what came before. He calls this a “genealogy of ideas.” That mindset aligns perfectly with how we think about technical problem-solving at SDS. Great solutions don’t appear in a vacuum. They are informed by open-source libraries, community wisdom, design patterns, and prior experience.
We coach our developers to start by understanding and reusing what works, not out of laziness but out of respect for the lineage of great ideas. Reuse is smart. Iteration is wise. Whether you’re studying an existing architecture, adapting an open-source repo, or using someone else’s clever regular expression as a jumping-off point, you’re not stealing; you’re learning.
But copying is only the first step. As Kleon writes, the real creative act comes in emulating—understanding the thinking behind a design and then transforming it into something better suited for the context at hand. That’s how our consultants grow: by transforming influence into innovation.
Pursue What You Love, Not Just What You Know
One of Kleon’s most freeing pieces of advice is to “write what you like,” not just what you know. At SDS, we encourage developers to pursue the technologies and domains that spark their curiosity. Engineers come to life when they’re encouraged to chase ideas, whether tinkering with a new backend framework, experimenting with machine learning, or exploring AI-driven development workflows.
Many of our most innovative solutions started as side interests. We’ve had developers take a weekend project and grow it into a reusable component that now lives across multiple client systems. We don’t see passion as a distraction from productivity; it’s a driver of it.
This philosophy is especially relevant for junior team members who may feel imposter syndrome or think they need to “earn” the right to explore. But at SDS, your curiosity is your most valuable asset, no matter your experience level. We hire for aptitude, not just skill, and we give people room to grow into who they want to become, not just who they currently are.
Balancing Work and Play: Analog Thinking in a Digital World
Kleon argues that digital tools, while powerful, can hinder creativity when overused. He encourages readers to “use your hands”—to engage in physical, tactile work that gets their brains out of editing mode and into creation mode. While that may sound odd in a field rooted in screens and servers, there’s deep wisdom here for software developers.
At SDS, we incorporate this idea in practical ways. We’ve hosted User Story Mapping sessions with whiteboards and Post-it notes instead of wireframes and Figma files. We encourage “walking meetings,” sketching interfaces on paper napkins, and even collaborative prototyping with physical cards and tokens.
These moments don’t just feel good—they lead to better work. Getting out of your head (and your chair) sparks new insights and reminds us that we’re humans first, not just developers.
We also embrace the value of regenerative hobbies—activities that aren’t about shipping code or chasing billable hours, but simply about joy. Whether it’s woodworking, guitar playing, or working on open-source software “just for fun,” our people thrive when they’re encouraged to treat creativity as a habit, not a job requirement.
Creativity in the Digital Age Starts with Community
Kleon devotes much of Steal Like an Artist to the creative possibilities and pressures of the internet age. He urges creatives to share their work, join online communities, and engage others with generosity. That spirit is alive and well at SDS.
Our developers regularly mentor others, contribute to knowledge-sharing Slack channels, and participate in tech meetups throughout Ohio. Several have even spoken at conferences or contributed to open-source projects. But beyond public forums, we cultivate creative community internally through peer code reviews, cross-project collaboration, and an open culture of “show and tell.”
One of our most intentional programs is our Principal Consultant Program, which turns senior developers into ambassadors of creativity and client empathy. These professionals lead by example, demonstrating how technical excellence, clear communication, and a willingness to understand the why behind the project can deepen relationships and create extraordinary results. They are dream weavers, not just doers.
At SDS, You’re Not Just a Developer—You’re a Creator
It’s easy to forget that writing code is one of the most profoundly creative acts in the modern world. You start with nothing but a problem and an idea, and then you build something, something that works, something that lasts, something that helps people.
That’s artistry. And at SDS, we celebrate it.
We don’t just build software. We build careers around curiosity, culture, and craftsmanship. If you’re a developer looking for a place where your ideas are valued, your passions are nurtured, and your work truly matters, then maybe it’s time you joined us.
Let’s create something great together. https://sds.io/careers
About the author
David Pledger is a founding partner of Strategic Data Systems (SDS), established in 1992 alongside Keith Stafford. With a foundation in electrical engineering and early career experience as a database consultant specializing in Sybase and SQL Server, David helped build SDS into a trusted provider of high-quality information technology consulting services. Under his leadership, SDS has delivered talent and solutions to clients across the region and the nation. David believes deeply in the philosophy that if you take care of your people, they will take care of your customers—an idea that continues to shape the company’s culture and success.
david.pledger@sds.io; 513-782-2020
