Communication as Creativity

For artists in any field, a universal problem is explaining your art to others. Oftentimes, we feel things so deeply, and it can be frustrating when others aren’t immediately in-step with your perspective. In scenarios like this, I have found that a particular reframing device comes in handy: viewing the communication as actually part of the creativity. So, think of it like this: We’ve all been in situations where we were talking to someone, and they basically made us nothing more than a prop. They’re talking about something, performing conversation, but in truth, they were just speaking for themselves. Your presence or understanding doesn’t really matter. As artists, we should aim to avoid subjecting others to this experience. The aim of any piece of art is expression. That expression extends backward to the collaborative process. Being able to provide perspective to your collaborators (be they other artists, managers, financiers, etc) is a foundational tenet of personal development. Communication, or rather, communicating, is the creativity. It’s one of the more important things I’ve learnt at Nsibidi.

• Written by Tobe Otuogbodor