Right from prehistoric times, people have always been very social beings. We like to share stories and experiences, we like being inspired by and inspiring others, and we like feeling that we're needed, that we're not alone.
Creatively, that's a huge advantage. When we asked what creative people like most about working for an organisation, the biggest response was the community. Creative people like hanging out with other creative people. It gives us a sense of belonging, being part of something bigger, being part of the team.
Creative people love hanging out with other creative people. It stimulates them, stimulates collaboration, and allows them to bounce ideas around.
Being with like-minded people is incredibly stimulating and engaging. Conversations spark interest and open all sorts of doorways to new arenas of thought and interest. And it also makes good creative sense.
Working with a team allows creative people to get different perspectives on things. We each see the world differently, so hanging out with other people triggers fresh insights. It allows creative people to play to their strengths and tap into the strengths of others. It allows them to learn from each other and so grow their own skills.
So whatever you do, make sure your creative people get to network and hang out with others. Work out ways to help your creatives build networks, blow off creative steam, and develop sounding boards and avenues of inspiration.
But here's the caveat. Collaboration isn't just about hanging out in your own business: creatives also need to hang out with creative people from other businesses and other industries.
Tapping into the creative wisdom and talents of others is a major creative tool - but collaboration often gets restricted to the creative team or project team. Businesses are great at getting the people together within teams to bang out solutions, but the collaborative action stops there.
It's one thing to collaborate within a creative team and another altogether to collaborate with people outside the team, even outside the company and the industry. That's when you start getting really interesting input and ideas.
They also need to hang out with people whose main focus isn't creativity. That gives them a larger view of the world, new perspectives, and helps them get into the heads of other people from other worlds.
This isn't just good for business; it's good for the soul. Sometimes you just need to play: empty your head and have an outlet other then work. Don't leave that for people to do for themselves. It should be on the blueprint of building your creative human capital. Make sure you create opportunities for these things to happen.
Break down the us-and-them mentality between creatives and everybody else. Find ways to collaborate, not just inside but outside the camp. Nurture a culture of collaboration. That doesn't just happen - it takes effort and planning. In return, their collective creativity takes a huge leap forward and they learn new skills.