Forget Blue Sky Thinking

I’ve spent years running ‘blue sky thinking’ workshops. Where anything goes. Where every idea is a good idea. I now realise that this is a waste of time. Firstly, people find it difficult to come up with ideas when there are no boundaries. Secondly, in the post-workshop review, the ideas are impossible to implement. No wonder ‘brainstorming’ workshops have got a bad reputation.

Instead, I would recommend the opposite. I like to call it ‘black sky’ thinking. It involves setting up the workshop completely differently. Here’s what to focus on.

Sharpen Up the Brief

Firstly, be crystal clear on what you want to achieve from the workshop. Be as specific as you can. For example, specify how many ideas you intend to generate. Be explicit with the format of the output. Provide a simple idea template.

Be prescriptive. We enjoy working towards a clear goal in a workshop. Otherwise chaos will ensue.

Incorporate Your Constraints Within the Brief

Everyone has constraints. You may have zero budget. Or you could have a tough deadline or a small team. Whatever it is, be transparent about it. By all means, be ambitious in setting your goal, but equally, be clear on the constraints you’re up against. In the book ‘A Beautiful Constraint’, this is called a ‘Propelling Question’.

This may seem impossible at first, but the juxtaposition of a bold ambition and a significant constraint is essential for creative thinking. You’re forced to think of new pathways, beyond the tried and trusted ‘best practice’ models.

Summary

Blue sky thinking workshops have got a bad name and rightly so. This doesn’t mean that you should abandon idea-generation workshops altogether. Getting the right people together to solve difficult problems or invent new ideas can be invaluable. You need to design them better. Focus on getting a sharp clear brief. And don’t shy away from including your constraints within it. As a consequence creativity will increase and solutions will be realistic. You may even enjoy taking part in them.

To Be More Creative, Just Follow the Rules

I’m reading a great book on storytelling called ‘Into the Woods’ by John Yorke. What struck me was how rule-bound everything is. The way you structure a story, and how you create characters. How you create drama, intrigue, and heart-stopping moments.

All the elements of a great story follow a clear set of rules. And have done so for centuries, no matter whether you’re sitting around a campfire or creating a Hollywood blockbuster.

To be creative we’re often encouraged to break existing rules. I’ve heard this so many times - and said it too. However, I’ve concluded that this is not the best advice. Focus instead on understanding the rules of creativity intimately and become adept at following them. This is the true path to creativity.

Understanding rules is not just for storytellers. The same applies to any creative field. If you’re cooking, you need to understand food chemistry. What happens when heat is added. How flavours combine. The role of fat, sugar and acids and how they react to each other. (I got all this from my favourite Summer read - Lessons in Chemistry.)

The same with playing a musical instrument, drawing, dancing - anything. You’ve got to invest the time and effort into learning and following the rules. Alexander McQueen was one of his generation's most celebrated and creative fashion designers. Aged 16, he served a two-year apprenticeship in tailoring on Savile Row and worked for other fashion labels. He then completed a Masters in fashion at Central St Martins. He was a true craftsman and an expert tailor before he launched his brand.

Once you’ve mastered the rules, you can push and challenge them with more confidence and freedom. You’ll feel powerful enough to improvise and play around like a jazz musician. If, for example, you’re an architect, once you’ve mastered your craft you can experiment with new materials, new structures or add personal flourishes.

SUMMARY

Saying ‘break the rules’ is a trite and obvious thing to say when encouraging people to be creative. I understand why. Creativity is about standing out and being original. We mustn’t just copy and imitate everything that has gone before.

However, getting to know the rules is fundamental to creativity. Like the storytelling experts tell us, there are tried and tested ways of taking people on an emotional journey and keeping people engaged.

Mastering rules is hard and time-consuming. It requires practice and dedication. I guess that’s why being creative is a lifetime’s journey.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

I’ve recently finished reading Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, a novel by Gabrielle Zevin. A great read. It’s set in the 1990s and focuses on the relationship between Sam and Sadie as they create a series of computer games. Whilst the Rick Rubin book teaches you about creativity, this book shows you creativity in action.

This is what I learnt and some of the questions it raised for me.

1 Creativity is Hard Work

Sam and Sadie work incredibly hard. They’re fully committed to the creation of their games, to the point of obsession. Their standards are high. They strive for excellence. It’s the only thing that’s important to them. They don’t sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. They keep showing up. They keep producing.

What’s clear is that there are no shortcuts in the pursuit of creative excellence. It takes dedication, practice, and consistency.

2 You Need Complementary Skills

They work as a creative team, but bring different perspectives to the table. They work as a true team by sharing feedback and adding to each other’s thoughts. Conflict is inevitable but they work through them. Other people are involved in some of the decisions, but they do the heavy lifting on the creative front. They trust each other. They believe in each other.

There are other creative partnerships in the book beyond Sadie and Sam. Is this the way creativity always works? Two people working seamlessly? We see this a lot in other fields. Advertising, comedy, music, and film-making. If you have a third person involved, does it feel imbalanced?

3 You’ve Got to Be Selfish

Not only did they work hard, they were focused. They excluded all distractions. They made sacrifices. Their personal lives suffered. They found little time for their families. They didn’t socialise very much. All the decisions they made were about getting a better outcome - despite the negative impact it may have had on others. Even those that they loved.

Is this evitable? Does all creative work come at a personal cost?

4 Failure is Inevitable

Despite their successes, there were failures. Sometimes public, sometimes private, but not everything they did turned to gold.

You have to accept this, but it can be hard to take. Feedback can be brutal and sometimes humiliating. However, it didn’t put the protagonists off. They continued to work on new ideas and move forward. It’s part and parcel of leading a creative life. You have to put your work out there, You cannot control how people will react to it. You can’t always predict what the response will be.

5 You have to put your whole self into your work

All the ideas and quirks that went into their games were drawn from their personal experiences. Their work revealed who they were. You have to expose yourself, bare your soul, and include it within your creative work. If you hide behind a facade or pretend to be someone else, then your work will feel inauthentic.

Clearly, the author had a deep knowledge of the computer game industry in the 1990s. A friend of mine, who also worked in computer gaming, verified the accuracy and truthfulness within the book. I certainly felt immersed in that world she created.

All the main characters in the book had a troubled background or had suffered some kind of traumatic childhood experience. I see this a lot in artists, writers, and performers. Is this always the case with creative people? Is the best work born from suffering?

Summary

If you’re interested in the creative process and want to get transported on a creative journey then I’d recommend you read this book. I felt a little sad when it finished, as I often do when a good book is completed.

It reminded me a little of the Beatles docuseries ‘Get Back’. Where we see the real-life, behind-the-scenes creative process of the Beatles.

Even if you’re not into computer games, you can still get a lot out of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. It’s not just about creativity. It’s about love, loss, friendships, and grief. All the big stuff. I loved it.

Challengers to Watch 2023

Every year, eatbigfish produce a report on ‘Challengers to Watch’. New, interesting emergent brands that are challenging conventional wisdom and incumbent brands. This is the 10th annual report and it’s particularly good.

Click here to access the report. Happy reading.