A design colleague of mine, Craig Brimm of Kiss My Black Ads, recently posted an intriguing article that was featured on the Communication Arts website called Homogeneity Is the Enemy of Creativity: So why are we so male? And so white?
by Kat Gordon, a creative director and advertising executive. The
article shares Gordon's thoughts on why creative agencies need to make a
more conscious effort to build diverse creative teams with women and
people of color. Being both a woman and a person of color this really
spoke to me. I appreciate Gordon's honesty, and nodded in agreement when reading her thoughts.
In the article, Gordon shares how we can all afford to feel a little
more creatively uncomfortable and challenged when problem solving; which she says only happens when we work
with people who have very different experiences from our own. Innovation
and awesome ideas come from groups of diverse thinkers. We need more
people with very different backgrounds brainstorming, making decisions,
and solving our world's problems.
Gordon states:
"Someone agreeing with me, thinking like me, reinforcing my train of
thought—while reassuring at a cocktail party or during pillow talk with a
partner—is not the stuff of big ideas. True breakthrough thinking
launches with “what if” and “why couldn’t” and “I see it differently.”
There should be some tension, struggle and compromise in the birth of a
great idea.'
To summarize, sitting in a room with a bunch of
people who look like you and think the way you do is a recipe for bland
ideas.
One of Kat's suggestions for fixing this problem? In addressing her colleagues in creative and ad agencies she challenges them to
"rethink the Rolodex hire" — which I do agree is a good place to start, but wonder if that is enough.
Is asking these
long-standing companies, agencies, organizations, print and online institutions to
be more diverse (in front and/or behind-the-scenes) the answer? Is asking them to consider content with a different face a solution? Are these the
best answers to resolving the homogeneity problem in creative industries, or more broadly, the media?
The problem with this solution is that it's putting too much power into the hands of people who aren't forward-thinking enough to come to this conclusion on their own. Most of these companies are in a "if it ain't broke why fix it" mentality and are often producing work on the defensive. In order for these entities to change they have to be challenged, and they are only challenged when other creatives give those entities a run for their money (which also means a run for their clients/projects).
How does one create a challenge? Be a maker.
Don't wait for others to tell you what to make. Don't wait for an entity to validate you in order for you to contribute. Make your own ad agency, multimedia company, design firm, magazine, show, website, platform, gallery, museum, live/work space, artists collective, studios, or start-up.
Create what you want to see.
With technology, social media, and skill-based educational platforms at our fingertips there are few reasons if any for us not to be authors, creators, curators, producers, and directors. Consuming content is cool, but creating original content is power. Whether you're an artist, designer, director, writer, photographer, or crafter there is no reason for you to wait to be validated by institutions that refuse to acknowledge your talent. There are new rules. The folks who used to say what's hot, avant garde, or innovative aren't the know-it-alls anymore. You and your creative crews need to establish new rules, new standards, new definitions of what's dope.
I will say, being a part of these institutions is a great place to start, sitting at the table contributing to those conversations is a great way to learn. I support this direction, but I believe that it is a steep hill to climb. One person, or a few folks changing the culture of an entire institution is a hard fight. So I often wonder if it's a better fight if that energy is used to create new institutions that serve this new time, space, and world we now occupy.
When looking at media brands like Clutch Magazine, neonV, iamother.com, and the newly launched Saint Heron I smile because it's already happening. But we need more. There are too many creatively talented and visionary people in this world for there to be a handful of entities that support and bring light to neo-culturalism and dynamic-diversity.
Challenging old ideas by showing other successful options is a way to address the homogeneity issue we have in our creative industries and media. I know it ain't easy, but it ain't impossible!
What say you?