Castastrophe is Creativity

Last year I did some ethnographies for a children’s entertainment brand. We went into homes to identify the distinctions between self-described “creative households” and those who do not value creativity as highly. It was fascinating to see how deep the differences ran.

One of the most striking observations for me was the absolute comfort with chaos we observed in the creative households. In these homes, children were not only allowed to do ‘unthinkable’ things like paint on the walls, they were actually encouraged to do so. Parents in the creative homes lived in and among the raw materials and fruits of their children’s creations. There was no separate playroom or area designed to corral kids, keeping the rest of the house neat and presentable. Toys were everywhere. Artwork was primarily handmade and displayed proudly in prominent locations, like the living room. Adult furniture was pushed aside or deconstructed (a dining room table’s legs were lopped off to make the table short enough for the children to work at while sitting on the floor) to give kids the run of the place.

While it seemed to me at the time (pre-children, myself) that living in such chaos might make one…uh, crazy. The effect was the opposite. The parents in these creative households were HAPPY and spoke clearly about the fact that they VALUE creativity–as part of their own life and the lives of their children. They had made a decision as individuals, as couples, and for the family, that a little chaos was the trade-off for celebrating a life full of color and creativity. They consciously embraced the chaos and saw it as something that fed their children’s developing minds.

Coming out of that research I thought a lot about the creative process in life and in business. I thought about how we’re always trying to impose order and process on creativity when we seek it in a business context. I thought about how few of my clients are comfortable with chaos and I contemplated ways I might be able to create a comfortably chaotic atmosphere in my own projects, in the interest of coming to more inspired solutions.

Shortly thereafter, I visited the Kandinsky exhibit at the Guggenheim. The work was stunning, enlightening. On the wall at one point in the exhibit, the artist gave me a further insight into the absolute necessity of chaos in the creative process. I share it with you here to see if it might inspire you to let go a little in your own work and see your next big “catastrophe” as a potential gift:

“Every work comes into being in the same way as the cosmos – by means of catastrophe. The creation of the work of art is the creation of the world.” –Kandinsky, 1913