JKLTip Support projects by focusing on questions, creative ideas. Give people materials and get out of the way
When it comes to being collaborative, there is no better question than “yo, what if we…”
This is key to any collaborative project. Said with tremendous excitement and unrivaled enthusiasm, there is no better question. When we want to measure whether a project is going to be awesome or not, we should focus on the quality of excitement toward the unknown. If we support questions that have no right answers we are on the right track.
Most kids are great at this.
They will continue to be great at this if we give them opportunities to maintain this sense of wonder. If we give them building blocks with instructions we start to steal this childlike fascination of trying things out. So give them materials and get out of the way.
Most adults are not great at this.
We will never be great at this if we don’t find opportunities to support projects that create an authentic sense of wonder. Every time we add a manual, a set of guidelines, or a script we steal the opportunity to figure things out. So give them materials and get out of the way.
Collaboration Is Rare
Working in a group does not equal collaboration. A true collective effort is extremely uncommon. That’s why it is so incredible when it happens. Collaboration is not specific to a creative field. Statistically, an artistic industry may be better primed for collaboration, but it’s no guarantee.
It’s perhaps more likely that making a film is more creative than working in a hospital, but not necessarily. Take for example a film crew who uses shot lists, scripts and techniques without wavering. And how about a group of nurses who decide to start an esports video game league in the cancer ward. Or MRI technicians who paint the MRI room in a children’s hospital with a Paw Patrol rescue theme?
We can all be creative. We can all be collaborative. If we become more creative and collaborative, then we can come up with incredible, artistic solutions to problems. But only if we start supporting people who ask “yo, what if we?”
* Let’s work together: 8 Billion People
** Read Why Just Keep Learning: JKL Post