How fusing work and passion sparks breakthrough innovation

This week I had the opportunity to chat with Extreme Artist and Creativity Mentor, Alex Inchbald, about juggling creativity and business. One of the main questions that came up over the course of this talk is how to balance passion (“creativity”) and work (“responsibility”). Are these two realms mutually exclusive? Is it possible to be creative in a traditional job? Can large organizations truly empower their employees’ creative thinking while still fulfilling shareholder expectations?

Work or Play?

Everywhere I turn these days I come across people — and organizations — struggling with these questions. On the one hand, they speak of craving greater stability: something that is increasingly rare in our world of economic, political, social and environmental turmoil. At the same time, they yearn for a deeper sense of purpose, appreciation and social good, both in work and personal spheres.

Meanwhile, increased competition requires breakthrough innovation at a faster pace than ever, which adds to the all-around pressure to perform. There are no easy answers to this dilemma, nor is there a one-size-fits-all approach to suit every individual or organization.

Blurring the Lines

The day after the Blab chat, during my daily commute to the office, I was mulling over my own experience of passion and work when I stumbled upon a story that sheds an interesting perspective on the subject. (Side note: If you haven’t yet discovered Q on CBC Radio One, it’s a fantastic daily arts and culture show, available also as a podcast.)

The guest on this particular episode was Stephon Alexander, a Physicist / Jazz Musician who combines two unlikely disciplines — science and the arts — and, in doing so, fuels new discoveries in both fields.

Alexander talks about what happened when he eventually connected his Day Job (doing string theory calculations at Imperial College in London) with his Night Job (playing music in jazz clubs), and how intuition guides his understanding of these seemingly disparate passions.

What struck me about Alexander’s story is the power that comes from letting go of externally imposed constructs to blur the lines between what may initially feel like opposite sides of yourself: at work and at play. In taking that leap of faith, Alexander found a connecting thread and opened new doors for both his art and science practices.

Solutions in Unexpected Places

Like Alexander, I spent many years deliberately compartmentalizing the seemingly polarized facets of my life: channelling artistic pursuits into weekend projects and applying MBA business model thinking to my day job. But over time I have learned that creativity can’t be contained in neat little file cabinets in my mind.

Moreover, creativity isn’t limited to a chosen few in artistic careers. Creativity is necessary to advance every field of practice, from science and business to sport and the arts. It’s a driving force for discovery. And it pops to the surface when you least expect it: that Eureka moment while mowing the lawn or upon waking from good night’s sleep after an idea has simmered away in the background for eight hours.

The big question we should be asking ourselves is not whether creativity and work are compatible. Rather, we should figure out how to empower individuals everywhere to unlock their creative potential in order to tackle today’s complex issues with truly breakthrough solutions.

(Feature photo: Stocksnap / Jorige Kuzmaite)