stop, collaborate, and listen

this is how it usually goes: i ask a friend, “have you ever seen project runway?” then, they stare at me incredulously before launching into a diatribe characterizing heidi klum’s tour de force as formulaic, cliche and cheap. i answer, “yeah.” (Pause) “isn’t it great?”

some of the best episodes are those that begin with the incomparable tim gunn announcing to this season’s crop of fashion impresarios that the next challenge will be a team one, resulting in the contestants’ exasperated sighs and exaggerated rolling of the eyes.

next, as the choosing of teams transpires, we listen to each of the contestants’ variations on the common fear that their unique artistic vision will be devastated if they find themselves paired with whomever has been branded this season’s fashion catastrophe.

you see, artists don’t often like working together.

this fact, i have discovered, surprises most people. they imagine that artists spend the vast majority of their time in the company of other artists, in hazy corners of out-of-the-way coffee shops enjoying high-minded conversation about art and culture while plucking away at faded guitars and composing poetry.

the truth is that most artists fit into one of two categories, neither of which is remotely reminiscent of a bohemian utopia. Most artists find themselves either consumed by their own vision or consumed by making a living.

the artist who is consumed by his or her own vision finds themselves isolated from other artists because the introduction of other ideas might pollute or stunt the development of that vision.

the artist who is consumed by making a living finds themselves isolated from other artists because his or her days are full of projects, deadlines and the business of the day.

but as human beings made in the image of God we are designed to operate within community. our creative God made each of us with unique gifts that are most radiant when used for co-operative creativity, but to see collaboration we must stop the cycle of arrogance and/or avarice long enough to hear God’s call to community.

stop, collaborate and listen. maybe vanilla ice was really on to something.

how do we, as artists, make room for collaboration? how do we release our vision for God’s vision of cooperation?

and even more, how do we make sure that our primary creative partner is the creator of all?

have you ever seen collaboration like this? have you ever been a part of it? what did it look like? what could it look like?