How to practise gentle creativity

When Alex and I started working together it was with the shared belief that people are more creative than they imagine.  

We assumed that being ‘creative’ was something that teams and organisations wanted to be, but we quickly learned that it wasn’t that straightforward. 

To many people creativity is a ‘gift you’re born with’, for others creativity evokes stories of ego, genius, loudness or elitism. 

This style of language and approach means a lot of very creative people in an organisation don't participate.

We'd like people to experience creativity as an inclusive, more gentle force.

Here are 8 things we practise:

• Be more gentle with other people's creativity - it’s always personal

• Open your eyes and listen harder - because people can share ideas in unexpected ways

• Be aware of the metaphors and language you use to describe creative: workshops, big ideas, brainstorms -  are they inspiring or terrifying? They’re just words, use different ones

• Create space for leaps of logic - be aware of designing out surprise

• Being creative in a group is incredibly hard - find ways for everyone to participate

• Use questions and gentle provocations to help people make new connections

• Help people maintain co-ownership of ideas over time with a well designed and maintained workflow

• Be fair - lots of ideas are mediocre, you can acknowledge that with grace

If you're interested in this idea of gentle creativity, we discuss it in episode 7 of our podcast:  listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. (24 minutes ⏰)

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We also asked for any other ideas from friends on LinkedIn. We had an amazing response and here they are in full.

Group wisdom about gentle creativity

Ann Wixley

1. The way we talk about people with creative in their title and people without it but who are, by virtue of being human, creative; is to say that creatives have to come up with ideas on days they don't feel like it. It's their job day in and day out. This helps take out the intimidation factor so those without it in their title see it as a job like their own, and bring it down to size. This helps to open creativity out to different ways of seeing which is invaluable, but retains the creative's accountability. (Pixar's Brain Trust principles are a good reference - it relies on encouraging honest feedback but with the final decision still being in the hands of the person accountable for the final product - Ed Catmull's Creativity Inc book).  I, for one, am a big fan of a brainstorm or informal creative chat with lots of different people in small groups of four. Just hearing how people play back the brief in their words is useful and often brimming with insight. I've never walked out of a brainstorm without new useful stimulus. 

2. Start by messing around and laughing. Show people how different they are and how useful this is. My current favourite is to make up a word and get people to come back with a made-up definition. Never fails to reveal their creativity and differences to themselves and each other. No one can be wrong. 

3. Creativity can be about self-expression and taste (eg: executional, art world) but it's also about problem-solving (eg: engineering, innovation, strategic creative, lateral thinking). Dave Birss talks about creativity as 'applied thinking'. Sharing this definition helps people see what they can offer 

4. We use Pixar's Dream it Build it Critique it as a 3 stage/ mode framework which enables everyone to identify their safest place within the process and feel useful - as one needs all three modes/ stages. It also helps people avoid 'crossing the streams' i.e. jumping from Dream it to 'Bin it' without giving something new and unfamiliar a chance by getting the right 'Builders' in the room.  

5. I always try to get people to put their idea out away from them into the centre of the room - often physically on a piece of paper on the floor - and encourage people to walk around it as if looking at a statue to observe objectively what could be better, what they love, what questions need answering to move to the next stage, new builds or possibilities - which helps with not taking it personally, and when an idea is still fragile. 

6. It's not a sprint, but a relay - no one nails it in one. Or if they do, it still requires patience, humour, tenacity and support to get it finally delivered. So it helps to frame the process as a journey. Neither is it hierarchical - it's a chain with each link as important as the other. 

AJ Coyne

• 100% it's all about providing a supportive and nurturing environment. In my world, we encourage everyone to become cheerleaders and rally around and support each other. Then take everyone on the journey and see solutions vs. obstacles. 

• Lastly don't waste time striving for perfection, nothing is ever perfect. Press print if something is 80% there. It’s far greater to have 10 ideas go live and learn vs. wait years to perfect 1. 

Roanna Williams

• Something I’ve been grappling with for years. It is so very hard to find that safe space. You always have to fight for the idea. I try to offer an environment where I protect the creative process. This is the safe space where anything is invited to the table and nothing is judged. I prefer just the creatives to be involved in this process as we all know what the process is about. You have to voice all the ideas before you can get to the fight one. 

• Another learning I have had is to only comment on what’s good about an idea and not go into the negative. But that’s the creative process. 

Katriona Fraser

• Creating a supportive culture where people aren't afraid to fail is also key. And encouraging discussions as a team around any 'failures' so as to learn and move forward.

• I've also personally always believed that a creative idea can come from anyone, so building the right teams packed with a diversity of skill sets is important to ensure that people don't feel that the 'creative' is the only person with the answer!  

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Look after yourselves wherever you are and keep creating. 

Ivan & Alex