Thinking creatively and making something from nothing is, to me, one of the coolest things that God allows in humanity. To think that he cares about our creativity is mind-boggling. My job at the church is to create music as a part of the Creative Worship Team. The key word there is “team.” Naturally, I like to work alone because I enjoy time to myself, and I feel like I can get more work done without being interrupted by others. But I have come to realize that when I work on a project within a team, the final product is always better.
Teams bring people from different backgrounds and skill sets together, and they force you to see the project from different vantage points.
When I work on a project alone, I only see it through my own eyes, but when I bring in another person to hear their thoughts, I open up the floor to see an angle that I may not have seen before.
I would like to give you three things that I’ve learned about creativity through working within a team:
1. My opinion is not always the best opinion.
That is pride and insecurity. This will not only hinder your creativity but also hurt the team.
Build trust with those around you and listen to their ideas.
2. You are not your work.
You can never be attached to anything that you do. Your identity cannot be in your craft—your identity has to be found in Christ. Though I may spend countless hours working on an idea, it can be dropped and forgotten in an instant.
I always have to remember that this is a team game, and I’m here to serve the vision, not the other way around.
3. Celebrate the win…then move on.
Sometimes, I find it can be hard to take a moment to celebrate successes. Yet other times, I feel like I spend too much time riding the wave of that success. Celebration is important, but if you focus too much on the win, you will never grow.
True success is committing to always learning and getting better.
A team will push you to places you could never reach on your own.