I like this statement:
I have more creativity in my little pinky than you have in your whole body.
It’s a juvenile bit of arrogance. But it illustrates my point for today. So get over it.
The idea is this: the more limited you are, the more chances you have for creative thinking.
For instance, let’s imagine you need to open a jar of pickles. If you use your whole body as your resource, it’s pretty easy. Now imagine opening the jar with just one pinky. Which requires more creativity? Which requires more out-of-the-box thinking?
The truth: creativity thrives in extreme constraints.
So here’s what this means for churches. If you are the only “creative” on staff or you work at a small church with a tiny budget, you have the opportunity to be more creative than the mega churches. While you may not be able to “wow” people with massive productions, you have the ability to communicate clearly through creativity. You can identify what you want to communicate and do that effectively. And that’s what creativity is all about in the church.
Too many creatives get sucked into the trap of thinking creativity happens without limits. “If I had $$$ I could be so creative. If I had ## extra staff members I could do amazing things.” But that sort of thinking only translates to throwing resources at a problem.
Why do the wise, large companies study smaller companies? The small companies are forced to innovate. They’re forced to be creative with their resources. It’s difficult for large companies to think creatively because they’re used to throwing money at their problems.
So here’s my encouragement. Be happy in small spaces. Embrace boundaries and constraints. Use them as a chance for creativity. They’re an opportunity, not a hindrance.
Love this post. I refer to it as knowing the size of your canvas and work within it. You are a great resource to church creatives Jonathan!
Love this post. I refer to it as knowing the size of your canvas and work within it. You are a great resource to church creatives Jonathan!
As someone that’s been in the “church creativity racket” for close to a decade, this rings true on a lot of levels.
One such level is the expectations of leadership when developing a project, campaign, or other communications vehicle.
I’ve been approached by a pastors, ministry heads, or department directors for creative development on a project with a creative brief that reads something like this (stop me if you’ve heard this one):
“Just give me something creative. I’m sure whatever you make will be great.”
They think they’re doing me a favor by giving me no restraints. The reality is, that approach can weaken the project, and lead to solutions being pursued that don’t really fit (after pitching the concept to only find out it’s “not quite right”).
When no clear direction is provided, or no restraints placed on the project, you end up trying to use your feet to open the jar of pickles, instead of just using your hand.
Just as we can find a wealth of creative solutions due to resource limitation, we can be equally creative when the direction is limited by expectations.
huzzah! right on 🙂
As someone that’s been in the “church creativity racket” for close to a decade, this rings true on a lot of levels.
One such level is the expectations of leadership when developing a project, campaign, or other communications vehicle.
I’ve been approached by a pastors, ministry heads, or department directors for creative development on a project with a creative brief that reads something like this (stop me if you’ve heard this one):
“Just give me something creative. I’m sure whatever you make will be great.”
They think they’re doing me a favor by giving me no restraints. The reality is, that approach can weaken the project, and lead to solutions being pursued that don’t really fit (after pitching the concept to only find out it’s “not quite right”).
When no clear direction is provided, or no restraints placed on the project, you end up trying to use your feet to open the jar of pickles, instead of just using your hand.
Just as we can find a wealth of creative solutions due to resource limitation, we can be equally creative when the direction is limited by expectations.
huzzah! right on 🙂