Beyond Selfish-Expression

Though all people are creative, there are some of us who live for creativity. As we go through the drudgery of everyday life, we are always planning a creative getaway as soon as we get off work, or maybe when your kids are finally in bed. In fact, I think some of us are so lost in the world of ideas that we find ordinary communication challenging!  If so, it's likely friends and family may enjoy your originality, but still tire of you constantly trying to elevate conversations to something out of the ordinary. Most people just like small talk and friendly company, bonding and laughing about the little things in life!

But don't  feel alone. There is a tremendous amount of creativity hidden behind many ordinary exteriors. All people have a need and potential for creativity. Many people feel alone in their creative endeavors. Joined with another such person, we can have both a creative outlet and a social life!

Since Ancient Greece our culture has glorified the idea of one heroic man of ideas who stands against the world, and wins! This is an unfortunate myth, because most who stand against the world will lose!  And even the  heroes often die alone, vindicated or not. We need to rid ourselves of these juvenile romantic-tragedies. Creative people need to work together, the more the merrier! And we need to get along, sacrifice and compromise. It's no different from other social interaction. In fact, one of  the most important lessons I learned in college was that I could stand up to some brutal criticism of my work and walk away satisfied. I had learned that my work was not as good as I thought, but I was confident I could improve.

 I also learned to work in a group. Groups can be complicated, but if all members are open and honest with themselves and others, groups tend to improve not only the ideas being discussed, but also the creative potential of each person in the group! I don't know how this works, but it does. There is a subtle group dynamic where each individual almost becomes part of a "mega-mind." The sum is greater than the parts. But it won't work if one or a few people try to dominate. In that case, the ideas will be no greater than the biggest part(s) - the number of members in the dominating group. It always seems a terrible loss to me.

Anyway, I have finally gotten around to my point. Creativity is always better in groups! It may not feel so at first, because many creative people feel criticism of their work is criticism of them directly. I see it this way... I have this great idea, but the idea is bound up so much with my personality that I cannot communicate it fully. When people criticize the idea, it feels at first as if they are criticizing me. They're not (unless they happen to have a personal grudge). They just don't fully understand where I'm coming from. Trying to explain may or may not help. It may help them to know where I was coming from, and that may lead to a new improved idea. Or it may lead to a dead end.  In that case I just have suck it up and go on.

But I absolutely believe that a working group will outstrip the creativity of any one person. Because it is made up of  ideas from more personalities, it is likely to appeal to more people. And it beats working alone. There really is no downside, but the groups may take a lot of time before they reach their full potential. Creative differences usually add more to the dynamic than agreements do, but they can also cause discord. Thus, a really good group may dissolve, because they can't agree. The thing is they really shouldn't agree. They should be hacking away ideas until what's left is a beautiful plan.