11 Creative Skills to Learn In 2025 (become unstoppable)
We’re living through an AI revolution, wrapped up in a creator-led, democratized economy. And having the right creative skills is a surefire way to stand out and do amazing things.
So welcome to my guide on the top creative skills to learn this year (and the rest of this decade).
These are things that I’m focusing on and stuff I see driving the industries and niches I work in (content marketing, SEO, blogging, music and art, social media and content creation).
Whether you’re a fellow creative with entrepreneurial goals or just looking to get ahead in your career, this post should help guide you in the right direction.
Now let’s get to it!
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What Are Creative Skills?
Creative skills are abilities, knowledge and/or expertise that allow you to approach and solve problems or projects in expressive, artistic or innovative ways.
And creativity is a both a hard skill and a soft skill.
On the technical side, it’s knowing how to use software and tools to turn your vision into reality. On the soft side, it’s coming up with ideas, connecting dots and having a creative mindset.
Creativity has had a monumental impact on me, personally and professionally.
And IMO, it’s more important than anything else.
11 Creative Skills to Learn in 2025 (in no particular order)
1. Creating Custom AI Agents
Agentic AI is here. And learning how to create your own custom AI agents is an amazing creative skill to learn this year.
According to a report by Microsoft, over 80% of global leaders will need employees with AI skills. So learning how to use this technology is a smart move.
And one area that I’m super excited about (and upskilling myself in) is creating custom AI agents.
An AI agent is a custom chatbot you create using specific data, instructions and parameters. If that sounds super technical, don’t worry — it’s not anymore.
Tools like Central by Zapier and OpenAI’s GPTs make it super easy to get started. It’s an in-demand creative skill worth learning. You can even sell these solutions to business if you get good at it!
Luckily, you don’t need fancy coding skills or technical mastery to create your own AI bots. You just need some creativity (and potentially a Plus subscription on platforms like ChatGPT).
Here’s a quick video on how to create custom agents here (to start your rabbit hole).
2. Creating Custom (no-code) Apps
Thanks to AI and amazingly smart people, everyday creators like you and I can make custom apps and software — without touching a line of code.
One platform that I’ve been playing around with is Replit.
All you need to do is provide instructions for your app idea and the AI/software will write, deploy and host your app all in one place. It’s amazing. You can even fix bugs, tweak the design and test your prototype all in the platform.
It’s crazy and takes away the technical barriers of app development, putting 100% of the focus on your creative ingenuity. And I freaking love it!
I’m currently building apps to use as lead magnets, products for my audience and personal tools to make my life easier.
Whether you’re building a personal brand or looking for a salary, AI is a modern skill that companies are seeking and will make you stronger and more creative.
So start making apps and tools with AI — solve problem in your life or work. This is extremely valuable.
And remember, it’s like a creative playground, so have some freaking fun!
3. Video Chops
Video is king.
Modern creators are filmmakers and mastering video is an amazing creative skill to learn. Here are some examples of creative video skills:
Storytelling
Video editing
Short-form video
Talking to a camera
Learning video software
Using a professional camera
YouTube marketing and strategy
Plus, there’s a ton of demand for video.
91% of businesses use video for marketing and over 70% of consumers prefer short-form video content.
So if you’re looking to hone a creative skill or two, you may want to put video creation at the top of that list.
But stay patient, because creating solid videos with storytelling elements, memorable hooks and shareworthy ideas takes practice.
Still, you don’t need to be an expert with a camera or a pro at complex software.
We have powerful editing tools like CapCut and smartphones that mimic pro equipment. Turning your ideas into engaging content is just a few steps away.
While studying the basics (like composition, frame rates and transitions) helps, output and quantity (quality comes later) is perhaps more important.
With the growing demand and popularity for video-based content and platforms, knowing how to create and edit a high-quality video is invaluable.
This is another area that will be using a lot of AI (OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo already look insane).
4. Using Creative Software
Knowing your way around software is a high-value skill.
And understanding even just one platform (whether it's a video editing platform, Photoshop or some other tool) will give you a ton of transferable skills.
A lot of the features, navigation and language resemble each other, which greatly reduces the friction when moving from one tool to the next.
Here are a few creative softwares that I’m using right now (which offer a lot of skill overlap):
Adobe Premiere Pro (for video editing)
Logic Pro X (for music production)
Photoshop (for image editing)
These are all more professional platforms.
But there are simpler, more stripped down versions (which can be helpful if you’re just starting out and prefer stepping stones).
For example, these are simpler tools for beginners:
CapCut or InShot (for video)
GarageBand or BandLab (for music)
Canva or Adobe Express (for design and images)
5. Leveraging AI
Okay, AI is a running theme here. But for good reason! It’s the modern skill to know — creative or otherwise. But personally, I see AI as a creative skill more than anything else.
Why? Because properly leveraged, AI makes you more creative, more productive and more likely to succeed in creative pursuits.
For example, I love to make music and I have lots of projects I would love to build and share with people — from singer-songwriter stuff to lofi projects and electronic songs built around travel videos.
The problem is, I have too many ideas and not enough bandwidth. But the more I leverage AI, the more creative things I can turn into reality.
For example, I can use Udio and a simple prompt to turn a raw song idea into a full project (or an epic head start to further tweak in my DAW).
Then, I can use LANDR’s AI mastering tool or HitCraft AI to make my song release-ready (or at least, get it most of the way there).
AI tools save you administrative time, so you can focus on what you do best — creativity and ideation.
But here’s the trick:
Leverage AI to replace the things you hate doing. But don’t use AI to replace the things that you love or that make you authentic (for me, in music, that’s writing the main melodies and the core direction of a song — I’ll keep doing those things, forever).
6. Design + Website UX
Understanding the basics of design, website building and UX are clutch skills to have in this modern world.
Actually, design is a skill that applies to a lot of the other skills on this list. After all, knowing what looks good and why (being intentional about things) is an art form.
But design is especially important in knowing how to build out a beautiful website with great UX (user experience).
Luckily, you don’t need to know any coding or advanced backend programming to create a great looking website.
All you need is a website building platform, a creative vision and some intentional design skills.
(BTW, if you’re keen to start building your first website, I use Squarespace for all of my sites — it’s super intuitive and powerful)
7. Writing / Prompting
Writing is a skill that’s part of nearly every marketing, branding and social media strategy.
It’s also the backbone of using AI (via prompts). Being able to capture emotions, tell a story, direct an AI and hold attention online is nothing short of creative magic.
And anyone can learn how to write better.
Here are some ways to practice and sharpen your creative writing skills:
Newsletter writing
Script YouTube videos
Sending DMs or emails
Learn prompt engineering
Social copywriting (writing on X, IG, etc.)
Write landing page offers and sales pitches
Communicating creative ideas (how to say more with less)
Explore more:
➤ Why You Should Start Writing
8. Social Media Strategy
Knowing how to manage and grow a social media account is one of the most sought-after creative skills these days.
It’s the cat’s pajamas.
Whether it’s YouTube, TikTok, Instagram or Pinterest, growing an audience on social media is a high-leverage skill.
Here are some of the creative responsibilities involved in social media:
Captioning
Copywriting
Profile layout design
Post topics and ideation
Creating share-worthy graphics, images and photos
Creating engaging and attention-grabbing short-form videos
Explore more:
➤ Vlog / Blog / Social Media (how to choose)
9. Digital Marketing / Sales
Growing up, when I heard the word marketing or business, I always pictured suits, ties and financial markets.
And while that may be true to some extent, the trend of the modern entrepreneur has redefined things for me.
We are in the creator economy. We are creative entrepreneurs – and digital marketing is more of a creative, tech-savvy pursuit than ever before.
Digital marketing uses technology and the internet to communicate with customers, promote products and services or build brand awareness. Some examples of digital marketing include:
SEO (search engine optimization)
Content marketing
Social media marketing
Email marketing
Affiliate marketing
Mobile marketing
Of course, some facets, stages and types of digital marketing are more creative than others.
But great marketers are often adept at a variety of the skills on this list (from copywriting and campaign ideation to video or image editing).
10. Storytelling
The ability to hook a reader and keep their attention with emotionally compelling content is a high-quality skill.
And short-form content trends require this be done at hyper speed.
This is a skill in understanding who your audience is, what their problems or pain points are and how you can provide them with the solution.
It’s the art of making the viewer (or reader) feel inspired and motivated. It’s storytelling, which is relevant for anyone interested in building a personal brand online (which I recommend).
It’s a creative process and requires some self reflection, testing and patience. Writing was a great starting point for me (for example, blogging, journaling or video scripting).
Getting good at capturing an audience’s attention with emotionally relevant content and context is a desirable, highly in-demand creative skill of the future.
11. Creative Thinking
All of these skills so far have led us up to this exact moment.
Because there is really one core skill that every other creative skill hinges upon.
This is the skill of creative thinking.
Creative thinking is a soft skill. It’s the ability to approach problems and projects with an artistic mindset. It’s the confidence to express yourself creatively.
Trying new things, testing, tinkering and having a playful mindset is essential. There are tons of new tools and trends coming out — and this can get pretty overwhelming.
But approaching things from the perspective of “let’s just have fun and make stuff — no judgment here” is incredibly powerful.
Cultivating a creative mindset is a skill that you can apply to literally anything.
It’s relevant for problem solving, reframing tasks at work and becoming more competitive in your field.
So if you’re not sure where to start on the technical skill side of things, I’d recommend starting with mindset, outside-the-box-thinking practice and simply becoming more aware.
When a problem comes up, approach it with a creative curiosity and try to just have fun.
Because it’s the skill that will ultimately take you to wherever it is you want to go.
Alright, that’s all I’ve got for you on this list — now go learn some epic new creative skills!
Later ✌️
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