Creative Reaction

John Cleese gave an excellent presentation at the Creativity Worldforum in Belgium and excerpts of it are embedded here.

Cleese’s background as a scientist has allowed him to observe his own creative process and present some ground rules for creativity.

It’s encouraging to find that he is in 100% agreement with that we’ve been presenting here at Creative Reaction for the past three years. He speaks of the dangers of interruptions. He also speaks of creating the proper environment for creativity; creating boundaries in space (separation from distractions) and boundaries in time (setting a start time and a time to finish). Without these conditions, creative reaction will be inhibited.

Most importantly, for managers of creatives Cleese offers two profound insights. The first is “to know how good you are at something requires the same skills as it does to be good at that thing.” And the converse is true as well. ”If you are absolutely hopeless at something, you lack the exactly the skills you need to know that you are absolutely hopeless at it.”

In other words, we are all blind to any lack of expertise we may have. There’s no point in bluffing. Those who truly excel can call  you out.

The second insight describes a pandemic issue in many advertising agencies.

“If the people in charge are very egotistical, then they want to take credit for everything that happens and they want to feel that they are in control of everything that happens and that means consciously or unconsciously they will discourage creativity in other people.” I’ve seen this first-hand. The impact this makes on creative output as well as morale is devastating. (In fact, it explains some of the career choices I’ve made.)

Humility, a willingness to learn, and giving others credit are not only valuable lifelong skills, they are also the basis for collaboration and learning together as a team. Without them, everyone is working against everyone else. Managers beware!

Be sure to watch John Cleese’s presentation.

David Rock’s Your Brain at Work blog explores the importance of dopamine levels in having a positive attitude and staying inspired. Managers and creatives can find a number of simple, practical suggestions, but since you probably do not want to spend your time wading through a bog of psychological wonkdom, I’ll do my best to make a pithy summary here.

Rock explains the tendency for moods to either spiral upward positively or downward negatively, and dopamine levels play a key role. Managers should pay attention to this for two reasons:

1. Higher dopamine levels correlate to positive, cheerful attitudes and
2. Higher dopamine levels are necessary for clear thinking.

According to Rock, dopamine is created in three ways;

1. Novelty – taking delight in new, often “small” things
2. Social Connections – at work and especially outside of work
3. Positive Expectations – being part of some bigger than oneself

Moods and attitudes are heavily influenced by those of others around us, so it is of utmost importance for managers to carefully guard their own attitudes and take time to be inspired. In addition, we should take a look at the above list, ensuring that our management skills and workplaces are conducive to positive, inspirational experiences.

At Fast Company, an excellent article with a somewhat misleading title discusses the futility of overworking, especially within a creative environment.

In order to use your time and energy effectively (not efficiently) your brain needs some “breathing room”. This means a healthy lifestyle (exercise, rest, healthy eating habits), healthy relationships, as well as time to brainstorm, and have fun at work. (Click on the effectiveness tag below for related articles.) Without these activities, you are all but eliminating opportunities to “see patterns, make connections, and read what (your clients) want”.

Still unconvinced? Ask yourself, “how often do I have a great idea at work or at my desk?” If you come up with your best ideas in the shower or at home in bed, then there’s something wrong with your workplace.

A pair of recent articles show how conglomerates are obsessed with piracy, and yet, ironically, are blind to their own roles in creating the impetus for it.

The first, from techdirt, where Comcast’s COO blames consumers for piracy and hopes to educate them “to respect subscription revenue”.

The second, a more detailed and analytic account from Ars Technica, is about Paramount seemingly blaming everybody on the Internet for piracy.

A big part of the issue is that conglomerates are so big and have so many business units, that they cannot innovate without hurting one of their own companies. And so they go crying to the government and ask for more regulation. It’s really kind of sad. They are limiting their own innovation and revenue streams, while alienating their audience.

Their audience is what drives business, and simply wants more control over what content it buys and how & when it buys it. It’s time for a shake-up.

Check out this awesome video of a passionate Small Business owner.

John Nese of Galco’s Soda Pop Stop sells more than 450 varieties and clearly loves what he does. He speaks about quality, consumer choice, the evils of corn syrup, and even what’s wrong with recycling. He cares about his customers. He cares about the companies he does business with; mostly independent businesses such as his. And he is clearly gifted with common sense. Case in point: instead of having a diet soda that tastes awful, drink half of an excellent soda (and you’ve cut the calories in half).

I seriously had moist eyes watching this; I found it that inspiring. I’m making my kids watch it tonight. And if I’m ever in LA, I’m going to visit his store.