In our wild, wild west world, there's a lot of chat among our community about collaboration over competition. It’s a sentiment I appreciate, but lately I've been wondering if there's another idea worth talking about: creation.
After years working in marketing, one thing has become abundantly clear to me. While many of us genuinely want to collaborate, there are often very real limited resources that limit that potential.
There's also something to be said, I believe, for having a few too many cooks in the kitchen. Collaboration is great if you can define distinct roles, but often we work so much more effectively in groups with complimentary skills and perspectives.
Somewhere along the way, I realised that instead of feeling disheartened about not always being able to use my skills to their fullest potential, I could start creating something of my own.
Something I could have ownership and creative control over, and build upon over time.
That’s part of why I started Impact Digital — to use as a long-term campaign, in some ways, and it’s also why I continue to pop out other projects every now and again.
I think a lot of us crave that kind of creative licence — the chance to bring an idea to life — and the good news is, it doesn't have to be your main job.
For me the obvious outlet for this is events. It’s the thing that I am the best at and can produce beginning to end — getting to go through the full marketing cycle.
Ironically, creating something new almost always leads back to collaboration. Once you've grasped an idea, you'll inevitably need people with different expertise to help bring it to life.
But perhaps instead of always starting with collaboration, we could start with a different question:
What do I actually want to create?
Because once you begin creating, the right collaborators often find their way to you.
I have a couple of ideas… stay tuned.
📌 This was Issue 49 of The Forward — our regular communication for conscious-minded business leaders.
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