The Art of Co-Creating
Want better ideas, relationships, and conversations? Co-create with others.
A fictitious band is co-created with 700 people
Your Best Conversations
There is unparalleled joy in spontaneously collaborating with the people around you. Think about your best conversations, interactions, brainstorms, and meetings. The best ones had some of the following:
Things happened that you didn't expect.
You were listened to, and you listened to others.
You stayed present, off your phones, with minimal mental wandering.
You were vulnerable, expressing half-baked thoughts and ideas, serving them up for others so they could find the value in your synaptic firings
Ideas flowed, were built upon. It was generative.
People were surprised
We need more of this right now. We need people to pause from their own isolation and screens and show up, available to be changed by others.
One of the fastest ways to find joy, inspiration, and a feeling of being completely alive is to make things with other people.
Above is an example from a TEDX talk from OYF co-founder and artist Gary Hirsch that he gave in Portland, OR.
What is Happening Here?
Why is the audience so damn happy about this? What can you learn from this to help you feel more collaborative and more creative?
Think about all of the things people in the audience had to do to make this work: They had a willingness to:
Participate and play
Sing
Stand up in front of 700 people
Talk to someone next to them
Shout things out in a crowded room
In short, they had to be vulnerable, engage in the present moment with the “offers” coming from the stage, and support Gary and each other. They all helped each other “shine.”
The Science Behind This Joy
(Troy, a few thoughts?)
How Can You Co-create More?
This will not be a surprise to those who know the work of On Your Feet, but the way to feel more creative with the people around you is to behave more like an improviser:
Let Go:
of your agenda
Your need to be right
Assumptions
How it worked/didn't work before
Of a bit of your ego
Notice More about:
Yourself (thoughts, feelings, stories)
Your collaborators
Your environment
What you are ignoring/taking for granted
Use Everything:
Use the good and bad that show up. Ask what I can do with this “offer” instead of wishing it didn't happen.
Have a willingness to be changed by the unexpected
Build on ideas instead of “blocking the.m”
Initiate even half-baked ideas so others can build on them
At OYF, we are all about More Joy, Less Fear, and Better Results. Deliberately finding ways to co-create with the people around you is a prescription for more joy. Enjoy!
