I’ve always had a fear of working with people. The most terrifying words a teacher could utter to me were not “pop quiz” – puh-leaze, I’ve got that in the bag – they were “group work.”
Oh how I despised having to compromise my vision for a group of people with little more shared purpose than “let’s not fail.”
Now, as an entrepreneur, I’ve carried this over into my own business. Better to be small & successful than take a chance on working with people to do something bigger, right?
This is changing rapidly. As I’ve honed in on my strengths and my mission, I’ve discovered that the vision I have is much larger than one person can handle. And I’m okay with that. Funny how that’s something that needs to be “discovered,” huh? In order to truly create the art I want to put in into the world, I need to collaborate.
So I’m learning…
Which is why I found this video, Inside the Goat Rodeo Sessions, so intriguing. It’s a brief interview with 4 amazing musicians about an awe-inspiring collaborative project. Watch it below or read on to discover my takeaways.
1. Collaboration is about expanding boundaries.
As individuals, we each have boundaries, self-imposed limitations. The very self-aware among us understand what these boundaries are and do their best to challenge themselves to move beyond the lines. Most of us, however, maintain a bubble that keeps us rehashing the same problems over & over again, finding stumbling blocks at the same places, and generally living without the benefit of what’s on the other side of the fence.
In The Goat Rodeo Sessions video, Stuart Duncan & Yo-Yo Ma discuss how they approach the music differently. And even how the convention of “genre” could have kept them apart as musicians. But:
It works because its just music.
Your business – your creative goal – your life pursuit may not be the same as your collaborator’s. All the better. People who connect intimately over the passion of purpose need not be defined by genre, industry, or methodology. Collaboration forces you outside of these arbitrary boundaries and into your mutual brilliance.
2. Collaboration is about the mystery.
This is about a happy blend of personalities. There was nothing to ensure this was going to work out.
– Yo-Yo Ma
When you’re working by yourself, it can seem like – through sheer act of will – you can make even the worst ideas work. And sometimes you have to. You get tied down to busting through projects that have no business being completed. You tend to learn very little about what went wrong because you’re so fixated on making them go right.
When you’re working in collaboration, you are thrown into mystery. Your partners may or may not do their own work. Their style may or may not mesh with yours – regardless of how well you know them.
But that mystery is where great beauty comes from as you explore each others process & perspective.
An artist is never truly working alone – so why pretend? Embrace the mystery of collaboration.
3.) Collaboration is about people not projects.
We chose this group of people based more on who the individuals were and their voices – and less on what would make the best instrumentation.
– Edgar Meyer
If you don’t have insane chemistry, deep mutual respect, and hearts that are in awe of the people you’re working with, it’s not collaboration. It’s division of labor.
Your collaborators are going to find you at the heights of your strengths and the depths of your weaknesses. They’ll witness your failure alongside your success. They will participate in the birth of new ideas. You want to concentrate on finding the right people to collaborate with, not the right project for collaboration.
As I look towards my personal vision & business goals for 2012, I see much collaboration on the horizon. I see dreams that couldn’t have been dreamt even 6 months ago coming true. And best of all I see the soul-filling beauty of co-creation.
How are you – or could you – embrace the mystery of collaboration in the New Year?
Please leave your response below!
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I LOVE this collaboration! (Half way through the video I’m on iTunes buying the album!) And you do a wonderful job of describing what a true collaboration is, right now I’m involved in a project that is more a division of labor, and this is the last year for this particular endeavor specifically because it is just that. Thanks for reminding me that true collaborations can be things of joy and synergy!
Tara, excellent post during a time of great historical transition. The ability to step into co-creation, co-llaboration is the steadying hand that will guide us through an unsteady world. I love how you demystify it here and call us to embrace it. A conversation that is necessary for sure. Can’t wait to see what your collaborations look like for 2012.
This is a wonderful reminder to reach out and give collaboration another try. As you mention at the top of the post, our earliest adventures in collaboration were usually assigned projects in school which often turn into an endurance projects. Not a good way to learn the benefits and spirit of collaboration. The Goat Rodeo video beautifully illustrates the joy of process. Living in the Nashville area, where this album was recorded, I’ve enjoyed many live events of musical collaboration. To the audience, they always seem fun, joyful and relaxed though mistakes are made, wrong chords hit, lyrics forgotten — no worries the musicians jump in and help each other out. It’s beautiful.
While not every business collaboration will be so melodic, there are certainly harmonies to discover when we open ourselves up to the creative spirit. I like your emphasis on people and not skills because who knows what skills will emerge when you mix the right people together — alchemy, great harmonies, magic.
I have been totally in love with Edgar Meyer since he played for tips on the Aspen Mall. He is one of the great musicians of our time…not to mention Yo Yo Ma. Good grief!
Goat Rodeo Sessions reminds me to break out of studio self-imposed solitary confinement and trust others to act as positive mirrors. Well, maybe not always positive, but mirrors, none the less. Thank you!
I applaud this. So many creative types get actively attached to their vision and are unwilling to expand their boundaries, let go of control, or surrender to ‘the universe’.
No man is an island
Everything created as a team effort between more than one person, is automatically greater than the sum of it’s parts.
Thanks for the clarification and the reminder Tara. You rock!
What a fantastic takeaway from that video. I’m always fascinated with the process (or lack thereof) that people use to create massive and meaningful work together.
I can’t think of a more brilliant partner in crime, than Tara and I’m amped to be setting up our own “Goat Rodeo.”
I almost bought this at Sbux the other day. I am on it now! Collaboration is my word for the new year even before the current one is done.
Two years of fumbling about on my own and I see my limitations. My vision is larger than my ability and now more than ever we need to connect and work together making beautiful (metaphoric) music with whatever out unique talents are together.
This I think is key.
“You want to concentrate on finding the right people to collaborate with, not the right project for collaboration.”
Looking for people not work. That was what Dr. Susan Bernstein said in your interview with her and I have been thinking about it since.
Ha! Until grad school I had the same fear – the words “group work” made me want to shrivel up and die.
But now collaboration and connection feel like life-blood to me. Tara, I’m psyched about you and Adam King’s reclaiming wealth experiment and I expect to learn some collaboration tips just by watching you guys.
I think that seeing/reading/hearing about collaboration is necessary to fuel it (does that make sense? I’m saying that I think many of need a picture of collaboration to work from — we’re not taught – our culture doesn’t give story to it – so we often don’t even consider it). In that vein: The Michener Museum in Bucks County showcases some awesome collaboration – it’s always a delight to me to walk around the place and see that world-class artists created together years ago (and know that artists/writers/thinkers can do the same thing now) – also cool that the museum is housed in what used to be a prison (and one in which I occasionally worked – but that’s another story).
“Our culture doesn’t give story to [collaboration].” – A fantastic awareness, and one I’ll play a role in changing. Thanks for this, Karen!
now i’m getting a little creeped out. are you reading my mind or something?
THIS may go perfectly with my new big idea.
Huuuge light bulbs going on for me as I relate it to my work with clients. In craniosacral therapy we follow the lead of the body – we are, in fact, in collaboration with the body *and* our client. And when we forget that we get into trouble. Also thinking about how our internal landscape – our cells, our organs, our fluids, muscles, bones, nerves, etc., etc. – are collaborating with each other. Have been aware of the interconnectedness of it all for a long time but I’ve never connected the term “collaboration” with it. Fascinating!
I loooove this look at collaboration, thanks Tara!
I wrote a sort of companion piece to this a while ago:
http://spiritsentient.com/8-tips-on-successfully-approaching-other-artists
Most artists I know become isolationist, and don’t really *know* how to collaborate.
And I’m also thrilled you and Adam King are talking about Reclaiming Wealth.
I am hugely about this (my vision in life is a continually deeper blend of spiritual + material freedom — ie: wealth).
Keep rockin’