Many people think that artists and designers are creative - not scientists, engineers and business people. Yet scientists, engineers and business people are innovating at a faster pace than ever before to make our world more equitable and sustainable. There is no innovation without creativity, so let's explore what creativity is, how we can nurture it, and what we can learn from a musical creative genius - Paul Simon.
What is creativity?
Steve Jobs had a simple definition. "Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things."
David Burkus, author of The Myths of Creativity, The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas, says there isn't a consensus about what creativity is, but "most people agree that creativity is...the process of developing ideas that are both novel and useful.”
Rick Rubin says "Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being human. Creative projects require a process, but creativity is not something you do, it's something you are." I love Rick Rubin's new book The Creative Act: A Way of Being. Creativity is who we are. It's accessible to everyone and it's not limited to artists. Creativity is there when we rearrange furniture in the living room, create a new product or come up with a great marketing campaign. Not everything we do is creative, but we all can nurture our creative capacity.
Nurturing creativity
One of the key elements of creativity is exploration. The more experiences you have, the more ideas you have to connect dots in new ways. The interesting thing is, you don’t need to go far to be an explorer. Sometimes you only need to pay more attention to your surroundings and allowing yourself to be surprised by things that are old, routine. Other times, being an explorer comes naturally, like it does for Paul Simon, one of the most famous and successful song writers of the 20th century.
Like a bridge
Malcom Gladwell and Bruce Headlam's audiobook Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon. Miracle and Wonder explore Simon's long and successful musical career in a beautiful journey trying to pin down what makes Simon a musical creative genius and what can we learn from him. There are many theories and lessons. Three stand out for me because of their parallels to creativity and innovation in any field.
Relentless exploration. Simon's creative genius shows in his relentless exploration and combination of different musical traditions. This ability was nurtured early in his life. Growing up with a musician father in Queens, New York, meant Simon grew up listening to music from different countries from a young age. Combining different musical traditions comes natural to Simon.
Exploration is a key component of creativity. If you want to be more creative become an explorer. Some people suggest trying out new things, shaking up your routine. Others suggest paying close attention to what you already do and finding something new in the tried and true. Turn off the auto pilot and notice the nuances of what has been right in front of you all along. No matter what you do, explore, combine things in new ways even if it feels silly. Many great innovations are the result of blurring boundaries between domains and mixing ideas from different industries. An idea to clean plastic waste from the ocean brings together people from many different backgrounds. Great innovations are not a solo creation.
Trial and error. Combining different musical traditions comes as naturally for Simon as accepting failure as part of the creative process.
A big part of my thinking is trial and error. It's all trial and error. And there is no reason to be upset about the errors because it's part of the trial and error. There's going to be more errors than there's going to be successes and when they come, you just put them away as a piece of information. Paul Simon
Trial and error are a vital parts of the creative process. Taking risks and learning from failure are essential elements to innovation. For many of us trying new things is easier than accepting failure, but can something truly be creative without trying, failing and trying again?
Expand your network. Simon learned a lesson early in his life that shaped his music. Don't ask a musician to write in someone else's handwriting.
Do you see now why Paul Simon is so hard to locate? A jewish song writer from New York City who at that point, in the early 1970s, is one of two or three most famous musicians in the world drives from Huntsville to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with Claude Jeter, an ordained minister and black gospel legend to record a song with a group of acclaimed R&B musicians and a New Orleans brass band. And what's the song? Take me to the Mardi Gras. which, by the way, has a Jamaican Reggae guitar group. Five different traditions colliding effortlessly. Malcolm Gladwell
Creativity in teams is about amplifying each other's strengths to produce the most innovative ideas, like Simon's music that harmonizes sounds, adding lyrics and textures that make his songs meaningful and enduring. Today's challenges require us to work together, sharing our resources, expanding our networks and making music.
Like a bridge over troubled water
Like a Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of Simon's iconic songs that is as meaningful today as it was nearly 60 years when it was first published. Simon was around 22 when he wrote it, but he can't pinpoint exactly when he wrote it or how it came about. In a way, this exemplifies what Rick Rubin means when he says - the artist is there, willing to bring to life an idea. Or what Steve Jobs said - Sometimes people feel like they didn't do the work. They were simply putting things together.
We are living in a time of deep change and transformation. Our time has come to shine laying us down with our creativity and hard work to bring forth innovative new products, services, business models - like a bridge over troubled water.
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Resources cited:
The Myths of Creativity, The Truth About How Innovative Companies and People Generate Great Ideas by David Burkus
Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon
Malcolm Gladwell and Bruce Headlam's exploration of Simon's creative genius is genius itself.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin
Brooklyn Bridge photo by Lerone Pieters on Unsplash
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