The Creativity Conversation: Part 1
Ready Player One? Grab your pencil and notebook.
The United Nations Committee on Trade and Development defines the Creative Economy as being at the “intersection of human creativity and technology or products . . . including everything from content creation and art to architecture, research and manufacturing.”
"Today, the creative economy is estimated to be worth $985 billion. G20 Insights predicts that the creative economy could account for 10% of global GDP by 2030, and Deloitte believes we will see up to 40% growth in creative sectors by 2030. . . . If we look at a list of the top 10 companies in the world today (such as Apple, Microsoft and Aramco) and compare it with those of just 20 years ago (like General Electric, ExxonMobil and AT&T), there is zero overlap. (Forbes 2023)
To remain competitive in the marketplace, businesses and individuals need to leverage their creativity to innovate solutions, products, and services.
A Myth of Creativity
Creativity is no longer viewed as a left-brain, right-brain distinction, or that it comes “out of nowhere”. The pattern for creativity is nuanced - one of an insight that springs forward as a result of experience. It also includes overcoming vulnerability with bravery. There is no artist or entrepreneur that doesn’t first have to overcome at least some vulnerability to do the work they dream of doing.
So how do you strengthen the muscle of creative experience?
“Creativity has to find you working.” (Pablo Picasso). What do you dream of doing? Work on it 30 minutes a day. Creativity ignites when 1) what you have experienced and 2) what you are trying to form in thought 3) collide and form an insight. The learning can be as simple as reading 30 minutes each day. If what you are exploring is brand new and messy and unfamiliar, stay the course. Or maybe you're a professional needing to polish off an idea? Keep going back to your creative practice. The insights rarely come when you are watching a movie (although that sometimes happens, too!)
“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” (Michael Jordan) Creativity is the ability to think and work on your own, but also the ability to work as a collaborator amidst what could be a messy sum of perspectives. (I've been a professional conductor for 10 years - I know what that looks like!) Take your individual creativity for a workout, and then take your collaborative ability for a workout. Work on both of those muscle groups! Learn to be a listener and to be supportive and unselfish in your team participation.
“If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original.” (Ken Robinson) The ability to not know the answer, believe your work has discovered an answer, only to then find that answer is the incorrect solution/way forward . . . we've all been there. And we will be there 10's of thousands of times perhaps. But the true accelerant in your creative work is to try, try, and try again. To overcome each frustration through patience and endurance. Creativity is a marathon, not a sprint.
So start your work, develop the ability to collaborate, and stand up again after every set-back. I know this personally from being a professional musician. I can’t tell you how quickly you will progress, or when you will make your next breakthrough, but I can guarantee if you’re getting into the creative “practice room” on a daily basis, it will happen.
@ Alexandra Guelff Photography
The Creativity Conversation - whether a business, a team, an entrepreneur, a student, an artist, or a person on fire to develop or understand their creative impulse - these ideas are for you.
For Karin’s professional conducting page: KarinHendrickson.com. For the full creativity experience: CreativityConversation.com.
Ps. Blogging is new to me. This is my first ever blog post. What did I learn?
1. You will have ideas until you have to sit down to write! It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t ugly, but it definitely wasn’t easy, and it surprised me. But I chipped out some paragraphs, none the less..
2. What will save me next time? I need to use an outline. Build a trellis. No free-wheeling. It wastes time.
3. I need to write shorter sentences. Do not write a blog dissertation!!