Embracing Friction To Fuel Your Creative Process

Every Friday in The Cohort, we have a ritual where one of the members shares an insight or idea for reflection.

The idea this week: friction is essential for good work.

The genesis: one of the Ezra Klein podcasts from the past few weeks which I listened to at the gym in Provincetown. I cannot remember which one actually had the phrase, but he spoke about the need for friction in the political system as a way to create meaningful policy. 

The second hit: during a public art workshop I took at the Art Students League, my instructor said "I like collaboration because I can battle-test and see if I really want to fight for my ideas."

The impact for me: I often think of good collaboration as being seamless, frictionless even but, I was struck by the way this limits who I work with and how far I push an idea. 

Instead, friction could be what pushes us to even better ideas: friction in the form of limitations (time, space, money) or friction in the form of ideological limitations (oppositions, diverse opinions, feedback). 

Just this week in my public art workshop, the friction of only having two days to ideate, create and execute a public piece forced me to throw out good ideas for simpler and simpler ones. But, eventually, I landed on something that I love, believe in and am happy to share. Not only that, but I think it has legs in ways the other ideas didn't. 

Key Takeaways

• Consider seeking out friction as a way to improve your work.

• Consider how collaboration can help you to create friction and further test your ideas.

• Listen to more Ezra Klein. ;)