Where does innovation come from?

I have been thinking a lot about the creative process lately. About how important it is for me to not go through it alone, how I flourish in a team environment where like-minded people are pushing toward a common goal.  This is why I love directing a troupe--not just because I prefer dancing synchronously with others and the aesthetics of group performance, but because I prefer the process of creation more when I share it with others. Even now when I am not myself performing, directing my student troupe, sharing our ideas and combining all of our energies to create a performance is such a joy.

This attitude is what makes online discussions such a valuable part of my creative evolutionary process as an artist.  I feel that engaging in discussion/debate with others--comparing and contrasting my instincts and opinions with others of various backgrounds--strengthens my mental and emotional impulses.  I am better as an individual because I become a combination of ideas and considerations introduced by others. Being challenged by someone who doesn't share my vision is an opportunity to expand the scope of my understanding, and better hone in on the "how & why" of my own tendencies or opinions.

And it is also why I love to teach workshops and get to travel to bellydance events in other parts of the world.  Being able to teach, to share my ideas, and in return be exposed to so many other attitudes and ideas is so invigorating to me!  To sit over a meal and a glass of wine and geek out over dance stuff is my idea of a perfect evening.  Combine that with some performances, workshops, and lots of laughter, and I come away from it inspired and refreshed.

I recently watched a TEDTalk with Steven Johnson, exploring the idea of "Where good ideas come from."  What he talks about really reinforced my own experience with the creative process, and how important these words are in my life: connect, communicate, commiserate, community. Below are some quotes I felt particularly moved by, and the full TEDTalk is below that.

Internet debates and attitude...

I think the difference between me and a lot of the people I meet in internet discussion group debates is that I almost never enter a discussion deciding that I have all the answers I need. I go in thinking that even if everyone else disagrees with me, and even if I am not convinced to change my position in any way, I have an opportunity to learn by talking through my thoughts and hearing theirs. I am grateful to all those who would stand up and, thoughtfully and tactfully, speak an opposing opinion to mine. In the case of people who engage in fair debate, it takes courage, conviction, and a deep seated passion for the topic to jump into the "fray".