Thinking about Systems

Like any stereotype, there are some elements of truth in all of them, but they oversimplify reality and create a lot of roadblocks to healthy collaboration.

Myth 3: Creative people lack analytical ability or business acumen. 

I’ve heard the equivalent of “Just focus on making things look good, and let me worry about the strategy” tossed out in a meeting. Not in those words, of course, but the sentiment is still there. The truth is that most creatives have a well-honed analytical process, which is essential to their creative process. It is often a circuitous one, analyzing many sides of the problem at once, rather than the linear, straight-line analysis that many strategists use. Consequently, it often yields insights that others have overlooked. The kind of systems thinking that creative people provide is of tremendous value to the organization and should be welcomed at the table during strategic discussions.

One of the patterns you’ll likely notice if you study nearly every prolific creator is that they utilize systems.