The Creative Ego Is Kryptonite Within The Ideasicle X Model
Photo by Orkun Azap on Unsplash
I need to set an expectation with all the new Ideasicle X freelancers who will soon be populating our virtual hallways. The original Ideasicle Experts all know this, so this is for the newbies. To succeed within the Ideasicle X model as a freelancer, you will need to leave your ego at the digital door. This platform is not about award shows, it’s not about individual glory, it’s not about competition, it’s not even about who has the best ideas. Ideasicle X is what happens when four brilliant people work together as a unit, posting, building, riffing, and inspiring each other. Let me explain.
The total is greater than the sum of its parts.
Your job as one of four freelancers on a team is not only to post your own ideas, but to pull ideas out of others. Meaning, you may have a half-baked concept in your head swirling around and you’re not sure whether or not to post it. You may be afraid of what your teammates might think of this half-baked idea. But that’s your ego talking. Egos are creativity’s kryptonite, at least within the Ideasicle X platform.
Half-baked ideas, when fearlessly posted, tend to inspire the rest of the team to either complete the other half or to come up with an entirely new idea. Remember your team gets pinged whenever a new idea is posted and are prompted to make that idea better. That’s what this crazy train is all about. It’s the cascading of thoughts, notions, inklings, and, sure, fully baked ideas, that bounce from one team member to another, each of whom come at the problem from different perspectives.
That’s the real magic of Ideasicle X. It’s not the four brilliant minds, it’s the four brilliant minds colliding. You know, the old “gestalt” thing.
Side note #1: we once had a freelancer post as an “idea” that he had a dentist appointment that afternoon and—I swear to God this is true—the rest of the team somehow turned that non-idea into an idea that was presented to a client. So trust me, there’s no reason to fear posting a half-baked idea. At least it’s half-baked.
It’s being open to others improving your ideas.
Given that the magic resides in what happens between the four team members, it’s critical that your ego not get butt-hurt when someone posts a build on what you thought was a perfect idea. That’s what they are supposed to do, and what you are supposed to do with their ideas. So let it happen, let others play with your idea, and then contribute yourself to their line of thinking, see where it goes.
Again, egos are kryptonite to creativity within this model. Defensiveness against criticism is your ego trying to disrupt the wonderful natural flow that occurs within our “Quadraneural Accelaration” model.
But it’s also calling out what you think is best.
All that said about being open to others’ opinions and builds, you were selected by the agency for this project because of who you are, how you think, and your experience. So you have every right to call out what you think is a great idea (of yours or anyone else’s) and question what you think might not be. You can certainly be constructive, kind, and respectful about the latter, but you’re being paid to be who you are in full.
And that’s not your ego talking, that’s your experience talking. That’s understanding the real goal here, which is to come up with the most creative, most usable ideas you possibly can for the customer. It’s ironic, I realize, but it’s utterly selfless to be all of who you are here.
Now, with that pep talk, I want you to go into that new job with vigor, with trust in yourself and your experience, and with trust and respect for your teammates.
You’ll be amazed at the superpowers of the team when there’s no kryptonite.
Side note #2: to become an Ideasicle X freelancer you must be invited by an agency customer. We figure if an agency feels you’re worthy, then we do too. The fast track to entry is to invite your current agency clients to become Ideasicle X subscribers and invite you in. More on that here. The platform will be public very soon, so start lobbying now.
Will Burns is founder and CEO of Ideasicle X. Follow him on Twitter @WillOBurns.