It isn’t easy being a creative learning designer in the current climate. A host of misunderstandings, preconceptions and prejudices abound.

So the final part of this kit is a collection of responses to some of the common misunderstandings that learning designers encounter in their day to day working lives.

1. “You can be as creative as you like, but just give me an update every hour, will you...”

It’s not unusual to find managers and clients who still believe that good management is about close control and supervision. The problem is that micro-management increases pressure, creates anxiety and kills creativity. Creativity needs space and time; it isn’t predictable. And for parts of the creative process (not all of them) you may well need to be just a little out of control. As long as your goals and timescales are clear, it should be up to you to determine how you work, and what you do.

2. “I need to be absolutely clear about what you’re doing”

This is a close relative of Sin Number 1. There is increasing evidence from psychologists that clarity of expression at critical points in the creative process effectively kills new ideas. So, although there must come a time at which your ideas are expressed clearly and effectively, it must be accepted that there are (clear!) benefits in obscurity and vagueness.

3. “There you are – we’ve got an idea. Let’s use that one!”

There’s nothing more dangerous than a person with only one good idea.

Often, first ideas are merely stepping stones to better ones. Indeed, creative processes usually rely on quantity of ideas that gradually influence each other and coalesce into an acceptable solution. So a key creative skill is to be able to delay the evaluation of ideas, sustain uncertainty, and keep the ideas coming in.

4. “But I saw you just sitting there, doing nothing”

Parts of the creative process need time. Indeed, there’s an increasing amount of research showing that an investment in thinking, ruminating and playing with ideas at the start of a process directly correlates with more creative solutions. So activity doesn’t equate to creative effectiveness. This is particularly the case when you’re trying to get under the skin of the learning problem, really understand what learners need, and when you’re developing a learning strategy.

5. “We can’t afford a creative solution on this one”

No! Creativity is free. Failure is expensive. Indeed, working creatively within tight constraints is one of the most fruitful and enjoyable creative challenges a learning designer can have.

There’s a common misunderstanding in the e-learning industry that creativity equates to media richness, when in fact there’s no connection at all. And sadly, the occasional excesses of so-called creatives in various fields have provided ammunition to those who prefer safe, ineffective solutions. But remember the definition of creativity: it’s to do with novelty and usefulness. Useless new ideas aren’t creative.

6. “Can you just make sure you’re realistic about this...”

This is usually a coded way of telling you not to do anything different; not to take any risks. However, it’s the designer’s job to investigate what “realistic” means and assess the scope for creativity within the constraints set. So you have to be absolutely clear about end goals, timecales and resources, then it should be up to you to work creatively to produce a realistic solution.

And of course, when you do do something unusual and creative, make sure you explain why it’s realistic to do so.

7. “Come back to me when you’ve dreamed something up”

There is a widespread misunderstanding that creativity is essentially a remote, individual phenomenon; that the creative spark can arise through individual contemplation. Sometimes it can, but on the whole, creativity is a social phenomenon. It requires teamwork, sharing of thoughts and ideas and diversity of opinions and viewpoints. And ironically, it’s not unusual for the person who’s told you to go away and dream something up who’s got the most to contribute to the creative team.

 << Part 3: When do you need creativity?