How to be invited into a creative process

Hear me out, I say this with care.

Chances are, your creative team isn’t bringing you into their creative process. 

You mean well, of course. You have ideas. You typically know what looks good. But, your design teammate only shares stuff with you when it’s nearly done and there’s little time for collaboration. 

This could all be different. 

There are two ways to be invited into their process:

Be affirming. Show interest and encouragement. Show your weirdness so they can proudly show theirs.

Be additive. Share inspiration from a source that’s unexpected: a photo of something you saw in real life or a snippet from that podcast you listen to.

Be affirming and be additive to be invited into others’ creative process.

The creative process is messy and nonlinear.

Being invited in makes the work not just better, but more fun.