5 Creative Provocations
Thoughts from the wider creative sector on what happens when collaboration is done right, wrong, and sideways.
In the spirit of actually talking about collaboration, getting some conversations on the subject going, and perhaps inspiring others to reach out, here are four creative provocations:
Chinonyerem Odimba: When we get it right
Chinonyerem Odimba tells of how we often focus too much on when things do not work, on how we “get it wrong”. Thus, she shares her experience on “projects and commissions” that have got it right.
But what does “getting it right” mean in the first place?
Jamie Beddard: Diverse City
Jamie Beddard talks about creating a sector that represents the world as it is, not as it is thought of. But, to me, personally, it is his question as a director of an organization that really got me thinking. When employing any new worker, creative or not, they ask “What do you need to do your best work?”
Paul Roe: Creative collaboration: a 21st century imperative
From 9:45, Paul talks about how we can improve collaboration by way of Active Listening, being present in conversations, the importance of not taking yourself seriously, and other tips on how to be a better collaborator.
Sam Farrow: Collaboration kills creativity
In a confrontational manner, Sam Farrow shares (from 9:09 onward) a somewhat cynical proposal, based on her experience working in the graphic design industry, that collaboration can drag the “brightest” down, with some firms losing top talent as they support “mediocrity”. Personally, I find many of her points unsubstantiated, but there is something about recognizing that collaborative work is not often the best option.
Irene Au: The Architecture of Creative Collaboration, or How do we fix design?
Architect Irene Au talks of her experience of going from architect and designer, to client; a process she called being “managed through a design process”. This experience, and the question of “How do we fix design?” posted by the forum, prompted her to share seven learning points she took from this experience. Essentially a talk about working collaboratively in a commercial relationship, framed through the business-side of the creative industry, and how principles of design and working with a client can really be employed in many ways.
Hope these videos were, at the very least, conversation starters.
All the best.
- ian