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Turning mistakes into monsters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mistakes are often seen as failures, but for Sylvain Bureau, they are the raw material of creativity. \u201cAs a professor, you have to love mistakes,\u201d Bureau says. \u201cYour students make them, and that\u2019s how they learn. We, as researchers, are constantly dealing with mistakes. It\u2019s part of the process.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bureau\u2019s Art Thinking method is designed to help individuals embrace this discomfort and use it to their advantage, creating “the improbable”<\/strong>\u2014ideas that challenge conventions and spark new ways of thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drawing from examples in the art world, Bureau points out that many famous works of art were initially perceived as flawed. “Take \u00c9douard Manet\u2019s D\u00e9jeuner sur l\u2019herbe<\/em>, for example. At the time, it was full of mistakes in terms of perspective and scale, yet it became iconic because it broke the rules,” Bureau explains. Through Art Thinking, participants are encouraged to deviate from conventional norms, allowing errors to become moments of reflection and creativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the core of Bureau\u2019s method is what he calls “the Monster workshop.” This exercise helps people confront the unknown and the feeling of discomfort that comes with it. “When you create something new, you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing,” he says. “And if you start knowing exactly what you\u2019re doing, it\u2019s no longer creative.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bureau\u2019s focus is on creating an environment, or “heterotopia,” where mistakes can be made safely, but not without challenge. “You need a space where people can practice making mistakes, but it\u2019s not about being relaxed\u2014it\u2019s about pushing boundaries and creating something disruptive.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This approach ties into a broader psychological concept known as \u201cself-monitoring,\u201d where, by anticipating mistakes, people often avoid risk altogether. Bureau\u2019s answer to this is to create environments where risk-taking is not just tolerated, but encouraged, and where mistakes can become opportunities for learning. “We don\u2019t need you to be creative,” he says. “We need you to engage in a creative process where mistakes are part of the journey.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find moments where you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing, where things feel complicated, but you keep pushing. That\u2019s where creativity happens.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Art Thinking is not just an abstract concept; it has real-world applications in business. Bureau highlights how some of the most innovative products, such as the iPhone, were created through a process similar to Art Thinking. “The iPhone wasn\u2019t born out of a need. It created a new demand,” he explains. “Disruptive products often don\u2019t respond to existing consumer expectations\u2014they challenge them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through his Improbable seminars<\/em>, Bureau has worked with companies across various sectors, from luxury to banking, helping them harness the power of creativity to foster innovation<\/strong>. “Art Thinking can help businesses move away from a focus on short-term metrics and towards a more transformational approach. It\u2019s about creating something new, not just improving on what already exists.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked what advice he has for students, entrepreneurs, and future leaders, Bureau emphasises the importance of stepping out of comfort zones. “Learn to be bad<\/strong>,” he says. “Find moments where you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing, where things feel complicated, but you keep pushing. That\u2019s where creativity happens.” He encourages aspiring innovators to seek out spaces where they can experiment and challenge existing norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Bureau also warns that embracing creativity means facing criticism. “If no one dislikes what you\u2019re doing, it\u2019s a sign that maybe you\u2019re not innovating enough,” he says. According to Bureau, resistance and discomfort are often the best indicators that you\u2019re onto something truly new and transformative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the latest episode of We All Make Mistakes, Professor Ben Voyer talks with Sylvain Bureau, ESCP Business School professor and creator of the Art Thinking method. His groundbreaking work hinges on art, science, and business to help people create “the improbable” and rethink how they engage with mistakes. For Bureau, mistakes are not just inevitable\u2014they are essential to innovation and creativity. “Mistakes are monstrous,” he says, “but they are also a crucial part of the creative process.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11312,"template":"","tags":[62,16],"podcast-category":[68,198],"class_list":["post-11310","tc-podcast","type-tc-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-innovation","tag-strategy","podcast-category-the-choice-podcasts","podcast-category-we-all-make-mistakes","description-off"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLearning to love the unknown<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Art Thinking in business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Embrace your monsters <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For more on Sylvain Bureau\u2019s thoughts on creativity, mistakes, and the art of the improbable, listen to the full episode of We All Make Mistakes.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"