A large part of being innovative allowing creativity to flourish – and then commercialising the ideas that are generated. But how do we allow ourselves to be creative? What sort of environment and process do we need?
Most stories about creativity are stories about the 1%. We hear about the moment of inspiration – Archimedes leaping from his bath, Coleridge hallucinating “Kubla Khan” in an opium reverie. We don’t hear so much about the 99%, the years of perspiration – Archimedes plugging away at failed experiments, Coleridge learning his craft by writing notebooks full of dull poetry. Most of us don’t like to think about the labour involved in creativity – or the work that follow in turning an idea into something. It takes away the glamour and the magic.
But real creators and innovators understand that creative work isn’t particularly glamorous. It requires discipline, routine, and attention to detail. But they also know that none of that takes away the magic.
We often talk about “the creative process,” as some vague and slightly mystical thing that happens in the mind of a genius. According to Mark McGuinness it’s really several interlocking processes – routines, systems, and spontaneity (RSS) – and the magic happens at the point where they intersect. This magic can be applied to any job, regardless of how mundane and “un-creative” a role or person appears.
Routines
Many creative people lead apparently boring working lives, sticking to the same routine every day. They do this because they understand instinctively what neuroscience has now confirmed – routine is a key that unlocks creative inspiration. Circadian rhythms of arousal and mental alertness mean that certain times of day are especially conducive to focused creative work. The effect is magnified when familiar objects, surroundings, and other stimuli (coffee, background music) become associative triggers for creative states of mind.
Here’s how it works for Stephen King (via Daily Routines):
“There are certain things I do if I sit down to write. I have a glass of water or a cup of tea. There’s a certain time I sit down, from 8:00 to 8:30, somewhere within that half hour every morning. I have my vitamin pill and my music, sit in the same seat, and the papers are all arranged in the same places. The cumulative purpose of doing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to the mind, you’re going to be dreaming soon.”
Systems
A rock-solid system performs a dual function for your creativity: (1) it ensures that all action steps are captured, so that nothing slips through the cracks, in your own work and within your team, and (2) when you are confident that everything important has been captured, you are free to focus fully on the task in hand.
Systems are different from routines, since they are not dependent on circumstances. Major events can play havoc with your routine. When this happens, a good system acts as a safety net.
Spontaneity
Real creativity involves spontaneity and surprise, whether a simple “A-ha” moment or the lightning bolt of inspiration. Paradoxically, the harder you work at routines and systems, the more likely you are to experience that bolt from the blue. Archimedes wouldn’t have had his bathtub revelation if he hadn’t been working hard on problems of volume and density. Coleridge’s notebooks show that much of the groundwork for “Kubla Khan” had been done in the months leading up to his famous opium trip.
But nose-to-the-grindstone productivity won’t get you very far unless you take a break, relax in the bath, have a beer with friends, browse the internet or a bookshop, or go for a walk and “wander lonely as a cloud,” as Coleridge’s friend Wordsworth put it. (Probably best to draw the line at opium though.) One of the best things about being a creative professional is that all of this stuff technically counts as work!
Application
At SlapFu we often work with clients to help increase levels of innovation, but we are not going to somehow come up with a single amazing idea that solves all of our problems forever. Instead, we need to change our collective behaviour, our culture, in order to encourage creativity and innovation. This means we need to look for routines and systems that support our goals – ones that promote agility, flexibility, collaboration – and continually validate and refine them.
It also means we need to leave room for spontaneity. Take breaks from the usual routine. Be open to new people, places, views, and experiences. Try new tools, deliberately follow “what if” scenarios … welcome the thoughts that appear from nowhere.
