The Structure of Creativity
Creativity is arguably one of the most important skills/capacities available to mankind today in all areas of life from floral arrangement to story writing to even the digital marketing industry. Sadly, it is often the least used and sometimes a most scary and uncertain process we have to engage in.
However, what we really fear is the unknown, of trying to do things that we are not sure about; things we’ve never done before. But, then again, there was a time long ago when we had never been able to walk before too; Thankful, most of us were able to figure it out.
Creativity As Learned Skill
Just like driving a car, riding a bicycle or reading a book — Creativity is a learned skill. And just like all skills or abilities, creativity has a structure. Specific internal sequence of steps or ways of organizing our thoughts. Some of us learned to do it quickly and elegantly, some of us got stuck a long the way. But, the good news is, it’s never too late to learn something differently.
The Walt Disney Strategy
This is one of my all time favorite creative strategies because of both the simplicity and elegance of it. This strategy was first observed and modeled by Neuro-Linguistic Programming Robert Dilts. Dilts was an early pioneer of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and along with the other founders of NLP wanted to know how some of the most successful men and women of the 20th century thought, felt and spoke. In the case of Walt Disney, Dilts found that in creating animation films such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Bambi” and “Dumbo”, Disney used the same creative strategy every time. The strategy was based on using 3 kinds of thinkers. The first was the Dreamer. The second was the Realist. The third was the Critic.
Walt Disney’s Creative Strategy: 01. The Dreamer
In Walt Disney’s Creative Strategy, the first step in the creative process was to let his and his team’s imagination run free and dream of the ultimate picture they’d like to have. This stage answered questions like:
- What would we love to put on the screen?
- What excites and inspires us about it?
- If we could wave a magic wand, what would we create? How would it look? What could we do with it? How would it make us feel?
- What would we do if money, time, and resources were no object?
- How big could our dream be?
Walt Disney’s Creative Strategy: 02. The Realist
The second role in Walt Disney’s Creative Strategy was the Realist. This person’s job was to take the ideas of the Dreamer and turn them into something that could work. This would mean a step-by-step plan using logic, reason, and pragmatism. This stage answered questions like:
- What resources do we need to make this happen? How much will it cost? Where will we get the money from? Does the business plan stack up? Do our arguments make sense? Are they convincing?
- Does the technology exist now or in the future? Is it safe and reliable? Can we source the skills needed?
- What’s the plan?
- What obstacles will we face? How will we get round them? Do we have a plan B if plan A fails?
Walt Disney’s Creative Strategy: 03: The Critic
The third role in Walt Disney’s Creative Strategy was the Critic. At key stages of the creative process in his early days in Hollywood, Disney himself would sit in on group meetings and, in addition to his vivid imagination and his keen business sense, would act the part of the Critic, asking questions such as:
- Is this the best we can do? Are we missing something here? Is this voice right? Is the music appropriate? Can we improve the color and detail?
- Why have we done this? What else could we do?
- How will this look to the audience, the movie-goer, the critic, the newspapers, children, adults?
- How do all the elements work together?
Using the Disney Creative Strategy to Sniff Out Explosives with Flowers!
There are many applications of the Walt Disney Creative Strategy. One fascinating example is the ongoing work at Colorado State University to find a way to detect explosive chemicals without risking the lives of humans or animals. In a daydreaming session, researchers came up with the idea of somehow using flowers which are uniquely suited by evolution to detect chemicals in their environment. In a Reality-check session, they found that plants can be modified to sense much smaller levels of TNT than any bomb-sniffing dog or mechanical device could do. When exposed to Critic-based checks, they found that the plants will change color from green to white when explosives are detected. The researchers are now working to refine the process so that the color changes faster and for ways for the plants to recover the lost chlorophyll once the detection process is over. This offers the alluring prospect of airports, underground stations, and war zones being made safe — and beautiful — with displays of all-year-round bomb-sniffing flowers!
Adding To Your Creative Arsenal
There are many, many more delightful strategies to stimulate creativity, but this one is definitely one to try out and add to your creative Arsenal. Enjoy!