Concept development and what music producers can teach us about cultivating creativity
Concept development is the very first stage of any new project. It includes both establishing the practicalities and developing the creative strategy and it all starts with interrogation of the brief.
Stage 1: Interrogation of the brief
Our approach to concept development, refined over many years of experience, begins with interrogation of the brief. Although it may be tempting to skip this step, it is vitally important and will determine the ultimate success of the project. Taking the time and effort at this stage can ensure that the project actually meets its objectives and will very likely save money in the long run.
Clearly defining the objectives and deciphering core needs are the key features of this stage. Here details are scrutinised and everyone’s voice heard as Luke, our creative director, and Gemma, our managing director, draw on their extensive expertise and knowledge within education, publishing and media production to guide you through the practicalities.
Once everyone’s buy-in has been confirmed, a new brief is finalised and this will form the basis of the project. We can then progress to the next stage.
Stage 2: Developing the creative strategy
The next step is to develop the creative strategy. Developing creative and engaging solutions to meet the objectives of the brief means working collaboratively to get the best results. People are both the source and executors of great ideas. Therefore cultivating the conditions that enable creativity to flourish at the ideation stage can lead to wonderful things.
Some of the world’s best music producers including Rick Rubin, Quincy Jones and George Martin have discussed how important it is to establish environments that facilitate their artists’ creativity when producing hit records. Well, it’s the same when it comes to creating brilliant learning-first content!
Cultivating the conditions that allow creativity to flourish includes establishing a culture of collaboration and a sense of freedom, playfulness and psychological safety. This sentiment is now backed by science as this excellent article on the neuroscience of creative insight by John and Yvette Kounios on Scientific American details.
An example of this kind of creative ecosystem in action can be seen in the Beatles documentary, Get Back, which captures the band as they write material for the album, Let It Be. Much of the footage actually consists of the band members – but predominantly Paul McCartney and John Lennon – playing around, being goofy and having fun together, under the pressured conditions of having to deliver the album and prepare for their infamous performance atop the Apple Corps building. This balance of playfulness and constraints often proves to provide the optimum breeding ground for creativity to flourish.
So how do we nurture this kind of environment when it comes to ideation and developing the creative strategy? Here are some highlights of our approach:
One key ingredient, quite simply, is an awareness of the energy we bring to the room. Enthusiasm, positivity and a can-do attitude go a long way – and this is where Luke, our creative director, really thrives!
Further to this, one of our core beliefs is that everyone has something to offer – extroverts, introverts and everyone in between. So ensuring a sense of freedom for everyone to share their ideas involves cultivating an atmosphere of kindness, social intelligence and warmth – and these are traits that Gemma, our managing director, is naturally gifted in.
Another factor, as highlighted by “the godfather” of creativity research Miahly Csikszentmihalyi, whose work on flow states has been widely popularised, is establishing clear goals, again proving the value of stage 1.
Constraints too can actually facilitate the flow of ideas. So practicalities, pragmatics and budgets don’t necessarily limit the quality of ideas.
Another guiding philosophy is an appreciation for every idea, even the “bad” ones. In songwriting, it is oftentimes the mistakes that lead to new melodic ideas. In evolution, it’s the random mutations in DNA that allow the variation for natural selection to act upon it. In concept development, the journey to a good idea often encompasses several not-so-good ideas which ultimately transpire to have been necessary steps to its unfolding. So let the ideas flow!
It doesn’t all happen at once, but by working with us we can answer your questions, guide you through the process and, most importantly, create learning-first content that elevates education, engages your audiences and helps you to land your learning goals.
Want to talk to our team about your learning-first content?
Get in touch: hello@creativelistening.co.uk