In his Ted Talk, author and thinker Steve Johnson talks about late 17th Century Enlightenment era coffeeshops. Places where some of the most fundamental ideas in modern philosophy began percolating. Part of which is owed to a substance change: from all-day alcohol — because of undrinkable water — to coffee. A depressant to a stimulant. Just imagine what that did to the population’s brain chemistry. A flood of new mental movement.
But the other predominate factor was human movement; people were socialising more in public places and making unexpected connections with each other — in their lives, in language, in ideas. These ‘Liquid Networks’, as Johnson calls them, were the ‘conjugal bed’ of ideas. Where people enjoyed ‘unpredictable collisions’ and cobbled their thoughts together from what was around. And who was around.
As this story demonstrates, ideas, whether philosophical, creative or social, rely on connections. Connections within our brains or connections between people.
So, it’s no surprise that the result of the restrictions, regulations and isolation of Covid times has felt like torture for creatives of every disposition. With connections severed and spontaneity all-but eradicated, the flow of inspiration that many of us took for granted dried up. Replaced by the constant drip-drip of virtual meetings, endless Miro boards and IM’s.
But whilst we have been suffering in isolation, we have also been learning. We have mastered new tools of remote creative collaboration, invested in our own infrastructure and built teams that transcend geography, time zones and even agencies. As the cultural glue of agency life melted away, we have all had a taste of independence, with its accompanying freedoms and pressures.
As well as learning, we have also been yearning. We are impatient to get going again, to experience the thrill of progression, exploration and connection. And with this pent-up energy, perhaps we also have a new sense of purpose. A new determination to make a difference after a time of reflection and challenge, which saw our freedoms snatched away and exposed the fragility, inequality and injustice of our societies.
The conditions for a golden era of creative connectivity are right. A new creative enlightenment, fuelled not just by coffee, but by a potent mix of economic recovery, technological innovation and seismic shifts in lifestyles and values. A system change, not just a substance change.
As Annette King, chief executive of Publicis Groupe UK, said ‘how we work in the future will not be the same as we worked pre-Covid.’ King captured the notion of hybrid working with the phrase ‘heads up, heads down and heads together.’ A trilateral system enjoying the community of ‘routine team meetings’, the peace of ‘heads down at the kitchen table’, as well as the buzz of ‘in-agency, real-life, person-to-person work’.
Which is surely a better model for idea generation and creativity than either of the two extremes: too much company or too little. Adapting our working systems like this will lead to a more inclusive, distributed kind of creativity. Less concentrated metropolitan power, a more diverse talent pool, a healthier and more balanced workplace; a platform for a network of empowered creative collaborators, free to make their own connections and encouraged to think independently. Something the younger generations have been desperately calling for — but older voices are now joining the chorus, too.
"The democratisation of creativity is accelerating, supercharged by the creator economy."
Meanwhile, outside the microcosm of the agency world, the democratisation of creativity is accelerating, super charged by the creator economy. Platforms like Patreon, Substack and Teachable are enabling artists, writers and designers to monetise their output directly – without any agency involvement. The next wave of ‘creatives’ are already ‘creators’ with their own fan base, a steady stream of income from subscriptions and a portfolio of directly commissioned projects. The intersection between these platforms, traditional creative agencies and content-hungry brands will be the most exciting space for new ideas and the next wave of disruption to sweep through the creative landscape.
Written by Hugh and Jamie.
