Suffering is justified as soon as it becomes the raw material of beauty." Jean-Paul Sartre. So do we need to suffer to be creative? ...
The tortured artist mythology is an ancient and enduring notion: that art comes mainly from suffering, and artists are likely to be emotionally fraught and even need their pain to create. Support for this view at: Pain and suffering and the artist
Our hypothesis that suffering is one way, and in the arts - a common one,
· in which the artists supporting abilities or capabilities
· are formed or strengthened
· to enable him/her to be successful.
What is the significance of this for business??
Trauma is in no way the only characteristic required, but it may play a decisive role in the development of those things that will eventually discriminate between the arty person and the successful artist.
The causal loop diagram below illuminates this view that “trauma” or suffering, is one of the drivers that might eventually lead to successful creating. This is not to say that it is necessary or sufficient, merely that it can play a significant role when conditions are right.
It appears from the above that traumatic experiences can affect the creativity of an individual in two ways.
Firstly, as one of a class of experiences that provide the creative individual with a new perspective on life, and so removes the fear of the consequences of failure. This allows the creative individual to perform without barriers.
The second effect is as a creative stimulant. A traumatic experience can provide energy and inspiration that drives the creative session. We do think that if people embrace the journey that trauma brings, they are likely to evaluate what truly matters in life, and thereby, may be more willing to step out of the confined parameters of 'a normal life', and start experimenting, taking more risks, living it up and creating experiences that are more deeply fulfilling.
But what about business? Rather than traumatise people, one might simulate the conditions of uncertainty, ambiguity and introspection that trauma brings. Although this might be stressful at first, if it is embedded as a culture the organisation might find itself being creative much quicker than taking the “nurture/caring etc.” route.
The conclusion is that “disruptive initiatives” may have a role in moving a business to creativity quicker than by trying to facilitate it through more supportive environments. Once the business is there this environment will have to be supported and nurtured and won’t be sustained through suffering.
"Big crisis will only reveal the stuff we are made of; it won't put anything into us"- Oswald Chambers
4 comments:
I wonder... I've been listening to a dvd about Joseph Campbell - about myth and human development. He makes the point that extraordinary achievement is often prompted by major crises that push people over the boundary between the search for adventure and the dark guardians in our minds that prevent movement - fears etc.
It seems to me that creativity is a journey that is about passing the guardians and entering a world of uncertain outcomes but of flowering internal expression, authenticity and originality. This must mean angst but not necessarily trauma - the acceptance and reframing of discomfort as part of the journey.
Some questions for you:
- What kind of Disruptive Initiatives are you thinking about?
- What does this mean on a practical level within an organisation?
- How do Strategy, Design and Creativity meet?
- What organisations are currently beacons of Creativity? How are they encouraging creativity?
Film maker, David Lynch's book which discusses the impact of Trancendental Meditation on his creative process might make for interesting reading. Catching the Big Fish (Tarcher/Penguin 2006).
In response to anonymous..
I agree with your assessment of the angst or anxiety that necessarily accompanies creativity. This may be due to fear of failure, criticism or self doubt.
The trauma or disruption that I am talking about is more with regard to the spark or motivation that leads to creative excellence or a period of high creativity, still with the attendant angst.
For example in the post it is mentioned that Frida painted some of her best paintings showing her back pain...
Many poets write their best work around some very traumatic experience.
I'm wondering if this insight can be used as a spark in a business sense as well...
In reply to kirsten...
I do not propose that this is a sustainable model. Just as a creative individual will pretty soon be demolished by trauma, an organisation will not be able to function under continuing trauma.
However, sparking creativity in an organisation that traditionally function along very bureaucratic lines and that is starting to fall into difficulty is a very big challenge. There are many examples of companies that were powerless to do anything about the changes they saw coming. Encyclopedia Britannica is a good example.
Now rather than trying to implement a cumbersome traditional creativity drive, hampered by all the traditional trappings - would it not be easier to introduce a disruption - forcing those creative individual hidden in the woodwork to show themselves.
Once "creativity" has been shown to work, and the organisation has changed direction, this will have to be nurtured and supported in all the traditional ways and in the manner in which the IDEO's of the world does it.
This disruption might be anything from uprooting traditional departments and roles to demoting and firing current leaders or managers – all with the intention of sparking creative change at all costs.
Frequently the alternative is downsizing and retrenching which would anyway cause the same amount of trauma. I’m proposing using this to good effect to prevent the downsizing.
This should in no way detract from all the other drivers of creativity, which would be at work in a sustainable model.
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