industry thoughts from Clarteza

Perhaps one of the more damaging myths we live by is the one that claims that creativity is a gift. You either have it or you don’t, many believe. Some are born with some kind of special talent bestowed on them, they say, or, poor souls, they must lumber in the regular, plain world with the rest of us.

This myth must be busted.

At Clarteza, we know that creativity is not some magic manna from above – it is a skill, and a collaborative one at that. We have to do away with the image of the lone genius, stumbling, as if by accident, upon inspiration. It just doesn’t work that way – and it never did.

This focus on creativity, as part of our design thinking method, is just one reason we offer some of the best solutions out there. Creativity is collaborative, iterative, and it’s hard work. Here’s how we make sure we stay creative in a world that too often demands conventional solutions.

• We recognize that creative ideas come forth in supportive environments. No one wants to be seen as ridiculous or unintelligent: this fear of judgment holds so many back from offering their ideas. Our small and supportive group eliminates the fear so many feel when they have a new idea. What may be a silly or strange idea now, but can lead to amazing discoveries with input from others.
• Our work centers on empathy with the consumer. Understanding the life of the consumer is key to our creative process. We must empathize with her, imagine her life and her attitudes. From observation we gain understanding and from understanding, empathy. This is a creative endeavor for it demands that we look at the world from a new, possibly “other” experience.
• Creativity is understood as collaborative. Not only do we work together, but we value highly the input we get from our clients. This means we do early evaluation or prototyping to get the other party’s buy in to make sure our ideas are on track.
• Our idea generation is multi-disciplinary. We don’t allow just one way to broach ideas: each team member can bring his or her process to the table, allowing for so much more possibility.
• We focus on small, iterative steps in the ideation process. Big ideas are grown from the seeds of innovation.
• Fun is encouraged. Again, it’s those silly moments that can sometimes blossom into truly new and creative avenues.
• Nothing is impossible. What would you do if there were no limits or rules? While such possibilities may be too out of reach, they may lead us to new discoveries of the user’s needs or challenges.
• We challenge each other, and we expect to be challenged in return. Our entire business model and philosophy challenges convention, and thus that spirit is built into our innovative work.

Above all, we recognize that we must be open to seeing the world anew in order to understand the users our clients seek and serve, and to offer the ideas that will truly change the game. In our creative work, we remind ourselves that, as Proust said, “the real voyage of discovery consists in not seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” Our process allows us to see with new eyes, and thus re-imagine new landscapes.