My connection to the arts is fueled, in equal parts, by a reverence for individuals’ creative expression and an appreciation for the ways in which creative expression impacts our lives everyday. One of the aspects I enjoy most about my career in the arts is the opportunity it affords me to speak directly with artists about their work. Examining the processes of professional artists is one way to better understand how and why creative expression is relevant to innovation.
This link between creative expression and innovation is readily observed in those who devote considerable time to their creative practice. For example, in order to begin a new painting, an artist draws heavily upon well-developed skills of observation and reflection. An artist must also have an overarching plan for how to proceed before a single mark is made, and yet most artists relish the moments of spontaneity that arise as they work. Is this a gross oversimplification? Yep. But it helps to illustrate how these steps map to innovation and problem solving.
A sustained creative practice, broadly defined, promotes the fluidity of ideas that is integral to innovation. It also promotes the judgment necessary to discern if an idea is worth pursuing, as well as the imagination and discipline that are necessary in order to work an original idea through from conception to a satisfactory and concrete end. And yet creative expression is often underutilized as a method for achieving goals which are outside the arts; or worse, entirely overlooked.
Few would disagree that an original painting/play/sculpture/song/poem is evidence of creative expression. But often the direct line between individual creative expression and creative outcomes outside the cultural sector seems less apparent. The importance of creative expression to the cultural domain is clear, while the importance of creative expression to other domains remains fuzzy.
Imagination and the skills of deep observation and reflection that are invaluable to an artist’s process are also integral to the essential stages of innovation. Breaking with the status quo–in any situation, in any domain–requires balance between adhering to an overarching plan and an openness to spontaneity. Providing something novel, which has value, is dependent upon creative thinking.
Innovation that takes place outside the arts also demands a type of creative expression. In many ways, volunteering ANY new idea or perspective is essentially an act of creative expression (but that’s for another post!). Innovation can’t take place in the absence of creative expression. And while the growth of an idea requires many stages before it can mature into a creative outcome…without creative expression, only the status quo remains.
© 2011
thecreativepractice 
Hey Kira,
I read through both the blogs and I agreed with many of your assertions. Something was missing though (from where I was sitting). I just didn’t know how to express it succinctly. As a desing thinker (and in the famous words of Mies Van der Rohe) “less is more”. I was trying to figure out how to say what I wanted to say…simply.
What’s absolutely necessary is not just creativity and innovation but also a focus on the business model. Is your “innovation” sustainable? You can be creative then innovative all day/night/week/month/year long but if it’s not designed so that it can “prosper” in the market then you have nothing.
At Cnvrgnc our modus operandi is the intersection (business, technology and culture.) If you arent’ thinking about these three things simultaneously then you aren’t maximizing. You can succeed, but you won’t neccessarily be remarkable (if your goal is to be average, which most companies are, then you’re ok) Jose Baldaia talks about the intersection of desirability, viability and feasibility http://bit.ly/k9t2gj We’re essentially touching upon the same things, but with sligthly different language. Great post.
As Jose says at the end of the day it’s about “crossing the desirable with what is technically feasible and economically viable. (desireable = culture , technically feasible = technology and economically viable = business)” Not to difficult to spell out, but very challenging to do.
Rasul
Rasul,
Thanks for your thoughtful reply. I respect your points on the subject, and will go one step further to clarify my own point of view. My beliefs about achieving hard-innovation begin with the notion that the more we cultivate room for everyday creativity (a.k.a. soft-innovation) the more accessible a mindset for creativity will be for individuals seeking creative outcomes. In that sense, I believe it is important to support and foster a climate which allows for individuals’ creative expression. In the context of individuals’ creativity the purpose might simply be (but is not limited to) exploration of a problem space.
However, in the context of business, there are added layers to contend with, which ultimately determine whether something is CREATIVE/INNOVATIVE or simply novel. In a business context it is not enough to simply explore a problem space. As you wisely point out, the market is arbiter, and, as such, demands more than novelty. For anything to be deemed innovative the execution MUST be congruent with demands and realities of the market. Without congruence, an idea which *does* qualify as novel would not be elevated to the status of innovative.
Hey Kira,
I also think that environment is a huge determining factor as to how we navigate, utilize and determine our use and application of creativity and innovation. And from reading your thoughts/responses you totally get that. Depending on the environment, that will determine what you are seeking as your outcomes – and how, why, when, where and to what extent you leverage a “creative process.”
Additionally as our company pushes for new edges that can drive change on an INDUSTRY WIDE level we’re exploring creativity/innovation as a subset underneath the overarching umbrella of performance. I’m discovering that (from our work) “creativity” helps but doesn’t really push that “shift” that changes the psyche and helps to drive more desirable outcomes. It’s understanding performance and how supporting actors (i.e, value, creativity, community, innovation, empathy, story, strategy,etc) supports performance as the ultimate goal. We’ll see how it goes…. we’re constantly in beta, constantly prototyping.
Let’s keep the dialogue going.
e
Thanks for adding your additional thoughts. I am all for thorough!
I can appreciate how a focus on creativity alone might be deemed insufficient or narrow. I’m comfortable with the creativity piece under the performance umbrella; I believe that to be a logical relationship. However, I do feel that cultivating a mindset for creativity, which is, by necessity, influenced by additional organizational imperatives, will impact performance in a positive way.
At the risk of generalizing–a mindset for creativity is the soil that yield the fruits of innovation and high performance.
Kira, let’s keep the discussion going to expand into practice, constructs for learning, for thinking!
Thanks for your comment, Louise. yes, to learning/thinking via creative expression!
So glad to have discovered your blog.
Very best,
Kira
Creative expression and innovation are two of my favorite items on Life’s Menu. Because of my work with children and educators for the past 30 years, my mind is focused on schools. I am passionate about weaving creative thinking throughout every learning opportunity.
Too often in schools, creative expression and innovation are left to the last page of Life’s Menu under “Desserts.” Flavors include Theatre, Art, Music, Design – even Programming – which is new poetry for the 21st century. All of these have something in common. They all start with a blank page. I am talking about making it – not just listening, looking, and experiencing it.
The main section of the School Menu has, in the past decade of test-centric rigor – been trimmed of the “fat.” Those pesky, time-consuming projects that require kids to think deeply – going beyond memorization. They have no place in efficient schools vying for federal dollars by waving test data.
I work with schools across the country and I have heard the pain of educators who are literally handed scripts to teach from. This is as detrimental to creating vibrant learning cultures as requiring kids to consume a “fast food curriculum.”
Creative teachers know how to work around the system. THAT is innovation. A shame though to use their energy to do “work arounds” when they could be directing it to innovative projects to inspire their students to think for themselves, vision what does not yet exist, make new connections, and to share what they know. Sharing is a fuel for the new collaborative culture. Kindred spirits can take the torch and keep running with it.
That ability to construct a new idea and share it is powerful. To pluck a flash of inspiration from thin air and to plunk it down on a white sheet of paper – that requires bravery, confidence, and inspiration. Are we giving our children those experiences to stimulate, strengthen and flex their Innovation muscles?
Let’s mix up the menu.
Better yet: throw out the pre-printed menu… invent your own menu… and get into the kitchen.
Bon Appétit!
[…] of transforming supply through innovation, rather than reducing it. Avid twitterer and blogger Kira Campo picked up on the notion of innovation and pondered what innovation means in the arts. Meanwhile, […]
Linda,
I’m glad that you shared the Dream + Action theme. As you say in the last sentence of your post, there is so much thought-provoking discussion to be had surrounding the subject…all in the service of effective ACTION of course!
Creative expression is the problem.
The fact that many people still believe it is reserved for those with art supplies in front of them.
The difference between the artist and “non-artist” (I say it that way because we are all artists, even if we don’t believe it)… But, the difference between the two is that the artist has embraced “creative expression.”
When you were young, the neighbor kid made fun of you for using the refrigerator box as a spaceship… So, you stopped.
In high school, you’d imagine better ways to learn history – kids acting it out instead of reading passages from crappy textbooks. You got in trouble for day dreaming.
In the board room, when you express yourself creatively, peers laugh at your “goofy” ideas. So you stop that type of expression.
We learned that creative expression is only supposed to be for those with art supplies in front of them. The rest of us have to be more practical.
Creativity, problem solving, and the ability to think-up remarkable ideas come from environments where creative expression is fostered. (Even if that environment only exists in your own mind…)
Paul,
Your examples speak to the reason why many people have relegated creative expression to *outside* the board room, so to speak. Expressing a novel idea does demand a certain amount of effort and risk-taking…and one reason why many peeps find it uncomfortable or difficult.
A commitment to creative expression opens the door to abundant rewards (many of which are expressed beautifully in a favorite book, ‘The Everyday Work of Art’, written by Eric Booth). But without creative expression, only the status quo remains.
One powerful statement about creativity that I love is from Maria Popova (@brainpicker on Twitter). She writes: Curiosity + Courage = Creativity
I hear your point about an environment that is hospitable to creative expression, loud and clear! It’s something I have thought about quite a bit.
Also, something I want to acknowledge with a future post, is the the difference and similarities between creative expression with art supplies and creative expression in the boardroom or classroom.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Of course I agree with this; what’s to disagree with? At your behest, I wrote about it, too, but with a little twist.
http://stayoutofschool.com/2011/02/arts-and-innovation-whats-our-problem/
Elizabeth,
So glad you linked to your recent arts and innovation post (I was going to and you beat me to it!).
Likewise, I agreed with many of your thoughts.
I look forward to continuing the discussion!
Great insights! Research suggests that while such transfer of skills is possible, it rarely happens. We DO need to develop the thinking skills you associate with creativity, but we also need to help students see where/when/how they can be transferred to thinking about other topics. Bridging is critical to the transfer of thinking skills we’re pursuing. Your argument, however, establishes the arts as a great starting point for some of thinking skills we want students to develop.
Kevin,
Thanks for your comment and kind words! I hope that we can continue the discussion, as the issue of transfer is a biggie. I have some thoughts, but many questions arise around this important aspect…
Hi Kira,
I completely agree. My career in the arts has absolutely been an asset to my career in innovation as a product developer. It’s the idea of reflection, fresh eyes, and constant reinvention that fueled my career in the arts and continues to serve me so well as a product developer. Art continues to be a constant inspiration for me in my work, and my life as a whole.
Cheers,
Christa
I’m glad to know that this resonated with you as both artist and innovator, Christa!
“A sustained creative practice, broadly defined, promotes the fluidity of ideas that is integral to innovation.” I think that says it all. I’m looking forward to future articles where you start to use examples of innovators and tie them to specific points in this dialogue.
Here’s one somewhat related quote by Steve Jobs I like, “If I had never dropped in on that single course [calligraphy] in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.”
Thanks for sharing your thoughts here, Neil. Always grateful to have suggestions for future posts!
Agree completely, and well stated Kira.
I don’t see artistic self-expression as a parallel process to that which happens in business, I see it as the exact same process. So, yes, there is much we can learn by watching artists doing their thing. It’s also worth saying, that art itself is a business, at least for professionals, and the process in that case isn’t a mirror to the business world, it is the business world.
Thanks for your thoughts and kind words, Gregg.
As for the commercial art world…yes, and a very temperamental business, at times!
thanks for breaking the silence in the comment section of my blog, Dr. Timony! I don’t disagree that removing restrictions paves the way for innovation. But, when/if those impediments are removed, it is my opinion that the new (presumably improved) conceptions will require an element of creative expression. I intend to post more in about this topic in the future, and I will aim to be more clear about this point.
Again, I appreciate your thoughts!
Kira
Innovation is not about adding creativity to a situation. It is about removing conceptions and restrictions from long-established models of formerly effective industries.
That’s all I got.