Creativity is not only an essential part of the creation of a great product but also of solving problems around generating momentum within your team. In this episode, Joe and Sean speak with renowned artist Sebastian ErraZuriz about his experiences with creativity and its applications in technology.
Sebastian Errazuriz
Sebastian Errazuriz is a Chilean born, New York based Artist, Designer, and Activist who has received international acclaim for his original and provocative works on a variety of disciplines, blurring the boundaries between contemporary art, tech, design, and craft. His exclusive masterpieces are avidly acquired by art collectors and museums. His work is always surprising and compelling, inviting the viewer to look again at realities that were often hidden in plain sight.
In 2017, Errazuriz founded his second studio, Cross Lab, in the South Bronx. Cross Lab is a young creative studio that mixes art, technology, design, and communications to produce innovative solutions for contemporary issues. Cross Lab explores alternative ideas and investigates the impact of emerging technologies to help organizations, institutions, and brands confront current and future challenges.
Sebastian Errazuriz became, at the age of 28, the second living South American artist to have work auctioned at Sotheby’s Important Twentieth Century Design. In 2015, Errazuriz was invited by Times Square Arts to present his public art installation a pause in the city that never sleeps on 50 giant screens in Times Square.
The coverage of his creations has been a successive string of viral responses. His collection 12 Shoes for 12 Lovers generated 35 Million hits on Google and his wave cabinet has over 10 Million online views.
Definition of creativity
Sebastian’s definition of creativity is the ability to come up with original combinations based on the same set of known ingredients. A clear example Sebastian offered is having a group of ingredients including pasta, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Out of these, you could make Spaghetti Bolognese, lasagna, or any number of dishes.
To be creative, you should have as many ingredients to work with as possible to allow for you to discover a wide variety of patterns to find new, original combinations. Funny enough, these unique patterns are typically the most obvious ones.
Unfortunately, the key to finding the original patterns spurred on by creativity can often be hindered by the fear of taking risks. The process of coming up with intuitive, alogical associations that may not fully make sense at first, requires a leap of trust. In order to make big advancements in creativity, we need to take risks, innovate, and breakthrough what’s expected.
Sebastian suggests that often the best way to begin solving a problem, is not to begin by looking at the problem itself, as most people would do. Instead, you should begin by examining the people who have already encountered the problem. Because of this, you’ve already started to view the problem from a different point of view. This is similar to how solving problems with software does not necessarily begin by inspecting the problem, but by conducting in-depth research about the people who use a product.
Creativity in technology
Despite these similarities, creativity is typically associated solely with a stereotypical image of an artist that creates a separation between creativity and science/technology. Creativity has long been seen as a quality you either do or don’t have. However, in reality, creativity can be trained, and is a discipline that is completely necessary and at reach for anyone. It is your obligation to train your mind to be creative.
Sebastian has always been driven by the need to find a way to connect with others. To invite people to see what they’ve been missing, even though it’s always been in front of them and they simply never noticed it. Unfortunately, there comes a point where no matter how creative we try to be, we feel like we can no longer make contact.
In Sebastian’s mind, arriving at the combination of creative art and technology has been driven by necessity. Because the creative is frustrated that they have no avenue for connecting and communicating with others and making a difference, suddenly they’re forced to utilize technology as a tool to leverage for exponential reach. Sebastian’s plan is to disrupt the art world with technology.
To learn more about how to effectively inject creativity into your life, business, and technology, check out the Product Momentum Podcast – Episode 5: Creativity.
References:
Kyle Guercio (2018, June 15). ITX Product Momentum Podcast – Episode 1: Personas.
