How can we be creative for other people?
Discover more from SenseMake by Zach Hill
How can we be creative for other people?
Exploring methods and mindsets to share our creativity.
Creativity is often experienced and perceived as a solo endeavor. It is often an independent act of expression. It is for good reason that we see creativity this way. A lot of the greatest works of art have been created through solo artists.
However, I think creativity can be shared and used as a way to work with people and to serve our civilization beyond creating art (I also believe that art is a wonderful gift to civilization in itself). When I think of collective creativity I think of orchestras coming together to play a beautiful symphony, or a group of artists working together to paint a mural, or a team of engineers, designers, and business leaders collaborating on building great products (i.e Apple).
But how can we be more creative for people? How can we connect multiple creative minds to work on a shared goal or experience? Can we share our creativity in our daily work?
I came up with a few ideas when exploring these questions.
Setting the intention - Establishing a purpose, a north star on a collective creative project sets the foundation for that creativity to thrive. Anytime misalignment starts to occur, a creative team can look back at the intention as a way to right the ship and refocus in on that star.
Empathy - Doing the work to better understand your fellow collaborators and who you’re trying to serve can often be the first pillar that sits on the foundation for the creative work to be done. Empathy is hard and too often it’s taken for granted or overlooked, but it’s a key element for a thriving co-creative environment.
Authentic and structured feedback - Co-creation requires honesty. We must be generous with our optimism and praise while being authentic yet fair with our criticism. The best feedback is structured where a space is provided to allow the feedback to flow freely among co-creators. When working with others plan activities and moments in time to authentically share what is and isn’t working with the creative process or its outputs.
I look forward to further exploring the idea of shared creativity. These few ideas are just that, a few. I look forward to sharing more ideas as I continue my journey.
My favorite things of the week
This HBR article that talks about the value of problem diagnosis.
I love the 4th responsibility lens that Livework is adding to this traditional design thinking trio.
I think many of us are still trying to understand what AI is going to mean for us as a species now and in the future. This comic from The Nib can help us all understand labor’s relationship with AI.
David Finnegan wrote a great LinkedIn post on strategy. My favorite part of the post was when he speaks to the role of a strategist:
My job? Not to get in their way but help them do better. If something's working well, I don't start messing with it just for the sake of it.
And here’s a good thing to think about as you end the work week:
