Creativity And The Necessity of Conflict

Continuing from my last blog, where I had convinced, myself at least, that group dynamics produce dynamic creativity, I have to also say that some creative teamwork is more difficult than teamwork in other areas might be. All teams have differences of opinion, colliding egos, personality clashes and jealousy. Therefore all teams must have a few arguments, many ego-adjustments, need for reconciliation and a few personality adjustments.

 However, on independently formed creative teams, such as those freelance artists may form, many are also profoundly involved in personal philosophy, creative outlook and sometimes deep emotional attachment to personal convictions I just watched a video form the nineties where Kurt Cobain said he didn't really like Pearl Jam's music. I think he mentioned something about them being sellouts. Well, I was a fan of both bands back in the early 90's, I will just say that both had extremely moving music.

Now, I don't really care that Eddie is probably a little bit of a show off, or that Kurt was very shy in front of a crowd. They were both great in their own way. Could they have worked as a team? I think so. And, given a lot of time to adjust, I think that might have produced something wildly original. Would they ever have worked as a team? I doubt it! But then they didn't have to; They were famous! And famous people have the unusual luxury of doing whatever they want to for as long as they want and changing their mind later, if they want to.

But why do I think they would have produced something wildly original? Because personal clashes would have forced them to. If they had been locked in a room together and  had no other choice than to hack out an album before they were released from the room, they would have been forced to listen to and learn from one another and grow creatively.  Because they were young and arrogant at the time, it might have taken years, but eventually they would have grown up. 

Okay, there is the very real possibility that they both would have agreed to make a really crappy album, just so they didn't have to be in a room with one another. In fact, that's likely. It's obviously a hypothetical situation. But the point is that some of the best teams can be formed from unlikely combinations (Take Roth and the Van Halens.) It is the conflict and the necessity to reconcile the conflict that produces something uniquely original. It is even the pushing and pulling of egos and individual competition that boosts the performance of all members. 
 

Making harmony out of conflict may well be the force that compels the creative urge. Periods of conflict,  whether personal or cultural or logical in nature, require creative insights to resolve the conflict. When the book of old standbys come to a close and still there is no resolution to a conflict, creative sparks start flying, and a new idea is chiseled out of seemingly impenetrable stone. Michelangelo said, " Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it." Some instinct tells us this is true of personal, social, and perhaps all conflicts. And creativity is our only hope in resolving them

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So here I will make an assertion; Creativity thrives on conflict. Conflict is not a liability, but an asset. If this is true, then groups forged out of conflict have the greatest creative potential. This is important, because we are so accustomed to see personal disagreements as negative and harmful. Some believe that "agreeing to disagree" is the optimum solution to all conflicts.    It's certainly better than angry tirades or ostracism of those who disagree, but neither of these are necessary. Instead, conflict could escalate our creativity into a solution that becomes so clear  that it's hard to believe the idea was not there all along.

Okay, my point again is groups offer the greatest potential for creativity. I was going so say more about the problems with creative groups, and how they might be resolved, but the longer I make my blog entries, the more likely they will be ignored, so I will save that issue for my next entry.