Unfolding Creativity

During our visit to KIKK, an international festival of creativity in digital cultures, some of the world’s most talented creative coders, innovators, designers and artists gave me the inspiration to share something important with you: three helpful insights towards creative success.

The venue: Théâtre de Namur

1. Fail hard towards success

We at Edenspiekermann believe experimenting boosts creativity, and failing is an important part of that process. This also means getting used to receiving criticism by growing a thick skin. “Your work is guaranteed to get frankensteined, and it sucks,” commented Irene Pereyra, who started her own studio together with Anton.

Learning how to fail is important: “Keep sharing your work. Look for the right balance, and always, always experiment. And if you’ve failed, sometimes just go back where you’ve learned,” says Juliette Bibasse. Even if that means the classroom. But, remember this: “Don’t focus only on your failures, but also learn to enjoy your successes. All of them.”

The ESPI crew at KIKK

2. Make your side projects wildly successful by making them stupid

We love making things. Not only for our clients, but also for ourselves. At Edenspiekermann we organize ESPI Maker Days, two whole days where we can work on all kinds of projects to experiment with new ideas, and these projects help us to develop new skills.

Side projects can be scary, but don’t be afraid to fail. It’s not about perfection. As Tobias Van Schneider said: “Just keep them simple and let yourself be stupid. Follow the KISS (Keep it simple, stupid.) principle in all of your side projects.”

Tobias van Schneider on excuses to avoid starting a side project

3. Make sure you can do whatever the hell you want

As a designer, don’t limit yourself when it comes to being involved in other activities, as it can provide a real understanding of the business you’re in. Just as Irene Pereyra says, "get yourself involved with all scoping, meetings, new business and client presentations.”

But you need to be passionate about the job. Keep this one in mind: “If you’re not passionate about the job, just walk away. Because when you’re not passionate, you can’t sell your work either. And as long as you can sell your work, you can do whatever the hell you want.” And don’t we all want that?

The great people that made KIKK possible

Photos by Jelko Arnds