Creatives can get into a rut. Even more so when a team of creatives tend to find out what works for them. If you are using the method from Part One of CRAFT, then your team is on the right track toward creative success. However, we can easily fall into a rut of staying complacent in producing our typical creative work. Once your team is in place and is producing a good supply of artistry and creativity, then it’s time to completely flip how you work.
I know, it almost gives me a heart attack too.
It’s what a creative always wants.
Change.
Change is the biggest producer of creativity inside a creative’s soul. When we find out what works for us, we beat that dead horse until there is absolutely nothing left. As the leader of a creative team, it is our job to completely defy this system. In the following paragraphs, we’re going to walk through how to do this easily and effectively for your team.
New Experiences.
Get your team out of the office. Take them out into the wild for a bit. Get them off the beaten path. Take them on tours of other church facilities or creative businesses. Have them talk to the employees and staff members. Make them experience how other cultures are pushing their creative buttons, then come back to your office, and put in place the things that will work for your team. Most of the time, this means removing a certain way you are already doing things. Your team will typically see this as growth – but really, all you’re doing is developing a new way of creative structure. Change = major creative growth.
New Resources.
One of the things I make a point to do every week is to search for new resources that can help the creative process within myself and my team. Whenever someone from your team finds a new resource, whether good or bad, have them send it to you, and start creating a place online where your team can view all of these resources. All creatives think differently, and a resource that didn’t work for you might work for someone else. Make your team take time every week to review all these different resources – I promise, they’ll come out more creative just by viewing them.
The infamous White Board.
We all love and loathe the giant white board. Truth be told, it’s the throne of creativity. If you’re team doesn’t use a white board for their creative input, I highly suggest using one in your next meeting. Make it a staple for your team. Have them add things to the board. Have them take pictures of it and share it with their creative team. A drawing, encouraging sentence, or even a doodle can cause a new project to spark inside a creative’s mind.
Start placing these areas into your worship and creative teams. I promise you, new experiences and resources can cultivate and fertilize your team’s creative development. In Part Three of CRAFT, we’re going to talk about how ideas can become realistic projects for your church.
Healthy Submission