Do You Work in an Environment that Fosters Creativity?

"One of the things I love about this place is the ILM (Industrial Light and Magic) methodology. We try to create an atmosphere here where creative people are free to share their opinions about things. If somebody has an idea about a shot, they say it. And when people are honest about what they think, the work is better." -John Knoll, Visual Effects Supervisor, ILM

I heard this quote recently while watching a documentary about Industrial Light and Magic, the special effects company that pioneered CGI and other technologies that work together to create movies such as Star Wars and Avatar and hundreds of movies in between. ILM spun off Pixar, another creatively free environment that gives their storytellers years to create their narratives.

The quote struck me, though, because of what John Knoll said about ILM is true for any creative environment. One of the reasons a community can fail to be creative is if thought is over policed.

Here are some things to remember:

1. Many pioneering creators who's work have lasted centuries, including Michelangelo himself, were often enemies of established communities. For Michelangelo it was both the church and the state, though both loved and hated him, to be honest, depending on who was Pope. Their critics are not remembered, but their work remains, and thousands are invited to worship when engaging their work.

2. Criticism will not stop your success, but enhance it. Have you ever noticed that when a bully pastor criticizes a book or movie it only increases in success? Paul Young and Francis Chan have both caught heat, recently, from bully fundamentalists, and both are selling millions of books. Pretty soon, authors are going to start sending their books to these pastors begging them to take a stand against their work.

3. If you are in a position of leadership within a community, strongly express to your staff that it is okay to be wrong, that they won't be attacked. The freedom to mess up a few times is the only way a creator will figure out how to do something great. Creative environments are not governed by egomaniacs or control freaks, they are governed by leaders who love the work more than themselves.

If you find yourself in an environment where you fear expressing your opinion, then as a creator you should consider leaving. I'm not saying you should leave, but you should certainly consider finding a place where your gifts can be used in an ego-free environment where creativity and expression of thought can flourish. There really is a community where you can be yourself, you just have to do the work to find it. If in the next community you aren't appreciated either, then move again, and if it happens again, it's probably time to ask yourself if you're just an annoying person. Sorry, it had to be said.

Go and create!

Do You Work in an Environment that Fosters Creativity? is a post from: Donald Miller's Blog