Find all the ways to get to a great idea
Years ago, I worked at a small creative agency and, not gonna lie, it was weird. These people were incredibly creative, lots of great ideas, but I didn’t really fit in the dynamic there. It seemed like everything was an inside joke and I was forever on the outside.
The culture there was so strange, and to this day, I can’t put my finger on exactly why. I do remember that everyone there felt that there really was only one way to be creative. Every time a new concept or idea was being developed, you had to think very linearly and go through a step-by-step process on how to think it all through. If you didn’t go through this process, then leadership didn’t even consider the idea or line of thinking.
It was methodical. It was purposeful. It was also so f***ing stupid.
There’s more than one way
Don’t get me wrong, thinking all of it through step-by-step is a great way to do it. But it’s not the only way.
Saying that there is only one way to be creative is like saying that there is only one way to rock and, sorry folks, but Sammy Hagar has it all wrong.
By definition, creativity involves the ideas of individuality and originality. For real…look it up. Forcing a single process on a group of creative people only limited the scope of ideas, therefore deciding who was allowed to have “good” ideas and who wasn’t.
Some creative people think best by themselves. Some, like me, prefer an open group setting where people can share ideas and have that be a launching pad to other ideas.
I think I’m a collaborative creative thinker because I’ve been in bands my whole life, and in that highly volatile and creative setting, you absolutely have to be collaborative. I’ve always enjoyed playing with a variety of musicians that play a variety of styles. It lets you test your creativity in new environments where I might not be very comfortable or experienced.
Experience can sometimes hinder creativity. When you lack experience, your creativity is usually all you have.
Ideas are the most fragile thing in the world
It’s human nature to be over-protective of them, but you can believe in — and be proud of — an idea while still allowing it to take its own shape. Actually, it’s ok to be proud of an idea even if you think it’s a bad one. Bad ideas have purpose, too.
Some ideas are great. Some ideas are bad. Some ideas are great but won’t work (which is very different than being bad). No matter, keep the ideas coming.
In the end, it’s better to have a million bad ideas than no ideas at all.
#bewhatyoumake
