Collective Creativity: How Artists' Collectives Can Inspire Better Business Collaboration

As an experimental contemporary composer and performer, I may not be the first person you think of when you think of collaboration. But composers, like entrepreneurs, often work better in community, even though they are wildly individualistic and intense personalities. In fact, I have dedicated decades of my career to collective work with fellow creators, as part of the Wandelweiser group and Music for Contemplation.

Creative communities take conscious effort, however, be they businesses or artist collectives. Here are a few key elements that can honor the personalities and talent of everyone involved, and still get things done.

Structure relationships from the start. Most people neglect to take a close look at the structure of their shared situation before they begin to work together. Each structure has predictable tendencies including geography, money, relationships and the nature of the task at hand.

One thing I advise younger creators and those new to a collaborative effort is to take a frank look at the situation. Are you operating within an institution or organization that will automatically affect the spirit of the endeavor, with its own rules and culture? Are participants paid to be there or paying to be there? Is there a difference in participants’ profile as an artist or professional that sets up power dynamics to be explored? Does everyone have the same amount to gain or lose by participating? How much time do you have to work together? All of these factors, many of which may not be in the direct individual control of participants, need to be considered and ideally aired early on between project participants.

The communication medium can be the message (for better or for worse). There’s a real difference between spending a day in the same room versus sharing emails and files asynchronously. Both methods of communication have their advantages, but be ready to get into synchronous conversation when needed. Don’t default to email when things get complex. And sometimes physical presence is the best way to ensure a creative breakthrough.

That’s why I have learned to clarify with collaborators what we will to together and why. Before we begin, we write out details in email or on paper, especially anything related to money matters. This process can in itself be very empowering, especially when everyone has a real say.

Talk explicitly about resources and needs. Sometimes there are conflicts or disagreements that can be worked out on a personal level. But what people often don’t see is that conflict can be built into or encouraged by the situation. Often these built-in points of contention come from unrecognized differences in perspective, personal investment, or needs. Talking about them is uncomfortable, but necessary. Do it explicitly and write down what you learn, to share with the group.

One frequent area for conflict is financial matters, especially if resources are limited or people expect certain financial outcomes. If people aren’t upfront about money, if they can’t talk about what they need and if they can’t be honest about what everyone is earning, this can quickly become a problem that involves the entire group. If it’s an open-ended project without pay, a passion project, it can be very emotional if one person wants to move forward and one doesn’t. Transparency can help, whether the issue is passion or pay.

Deliberately address emotions (and start with your own feelings). You will have feelings. Full stop. It’s best to prepare for them, rather than pretend emotional moments won’t happen to your group.

The first step I’ve learned to take, as challenging as it is, is to step away from my own emotions and reactions. I can’t always influence what someone else is feeling and thinking, but I’ve learned not to escalate, which only makes resolution more difficult. Instead, take a step back and take care of your own emotional needs. Spend some time outside the situation, away from the group project, even if it’s only a few hours or a short walk around the block. I find I sometimes need to complain or get some affirmation from someone not connected to the project, as a way to temper my reaction.

Then I find I can go back to the situation and see if there are some needs of the people I work with that aren’t being met. Returning to a tense situation with the hope of contributing something positive instead of rehashing the issues can make all the difference.

It’s especially important to pause when you recognize a natural low point in a project. Sometimes, for example, I’ve noticed there’s a moment right after the dress rehearsal or sound check when everything feels hopeless. It’s easy to try and assign blame. But it may not be anyone’s fault. Take a pause. Remember: there will be low or high energy depending on the flow of the project. You can learn how to add energy at the right time with experience. Adding conflict may increase the energy, but not in the way that’s the most helpful.

Regroup with stillness. When one of the collectives I’m part of, Music for Contemplation, starts a day of workshops, we always begin with sitting and listening. This isn’t because we are musicians; it’s because we’re a group that wants to work together well. We need to be able to slow down and listen to each other.

Once your group has that experience, you can return to it. You can come back to this stillness when you feel things get more intense by working it into the process. This can even work well under pressure, when time is of the essence.

A recent example: We were in the studio in March for a day. Studio time is expensive and we only had a limited session. The end of our day was approaching and people were starting to get exhausted,making mistakes. Instead of arguing or going over and over what was wrong, we stopped and sat together for fifteen mins in silence. When we returned to playing, we had a wonderful take, and completed the session before our studio time ran out. That is the power of taking a moment, just a moment, to regroup in stillness.

Regroup with a shared time-sensitive task. We’ve found groups can change dynamics if they do something straightforward like prepare a meal together. Kitchen work, to add to that example, is a deadline-driven process. The deadline can be used to incorporate thoughtfulness into the hustle, however. Often as we make a meal for one of our retreats, we appoint someone as a timekeeper. In 15 min intervals, the timekeeper rings a bell and the team stops and takes a moment of silence. We direct our attention to our bodies, to our tasks, then goes back to work. It sounds strange, yet it works wonders. The mix of intense focus and activity, the punctuated rhythm of the job at hand, helps people shift and find new ways to work together.

Craig Shepard is a composer, musician, and mentor/facilitator based in New York. With Music for Contemplation, he organizes group trainings, workshops, and full-week retreats to enhance creativity and enable collaboration through music making and mindfulness work.