Creativity doesn’t just “happen” – and it doesn’t happen alone.
By Riley Fisher, Business Development Coordinator, OneWest Events Inc.
We often get asked about our creative process – where ideas come from, and how we work together to keep things fresh and exciting. From dream to design to creation, the process of creativity has some major steps to nail and various tips to consider, but there’s one overarching mantra that we never stop repeating: collaboration. Here’s how we get together to get creative.
First things first: know your end game
Before you start offering solutions, you need to know what you’re trying to accomplish, and that means that the first chance to collaborate is with our client. The more we can understand about the objectives, the guests, and any parameters we might be working within, the better. This means getting involved as early as possible, and asking a lot of questions.
Ultimately, our role is not to create a design based on what’s currently trending on Pinterest, but to understand what is in-line with our client’s expectations and goals. The space between parameters and expectations is where we can push the boundaries. Sometimes this space may appear small, but if you approach the challenge with the right attitude, there is always room to do something creative.
It takes a village
Each event is dreamed, designed, and pulled off through the collaborative efforts of our team. Sometimes that means booking a set time where we zero in on a project; sometimes it happens organically as we go about our day. Each project is different, and the creative process is dynamic and fluid, but it’s always done together.
Collaboration doesn’t just mean focusing specifically on a current project. As a team, we make a point of constantly sharing ideas, thoughts, and moments of inspiration. We like to think of this as building a collective creative database; it might not happen right away, but at some point down the road, that random share could be the seed for the perfect idea.
Keeping the spark alive
After hundreds (or thousands!) of events, keeping that creative flame lit takes time, attention, and a willingness to explore. Here are a few ways we keep the love alive:
- Debrief: We make it a point to consider what we wish we could have also done, or done differently, at the completion of a Every event can teach you something.
- Dream big, every time: We can’t always (or ever?!) fit every idea into the budget, but we always start If you let yourself ‘go there’ before reining in, you’ll have those pieces to build off of for the next project.
- Stay engaged: Keeping up with trends, attending events, and knowing what vendors are doing and how we can collaborate keeps on our creative
- Get disruptive: When things feel stagnant or overdone, looking for ways to disrupt our creative process or even creating our own challenges can shake things up, and result in something new.
To read even more about our process, and see our practical tips and tricks for getting the best of a blank page, check out our full post here. And we’re always up for hearing what other professionals do to challenge creativity or encourage collaboration!
