Sense Supper Clubs are a live experiment. We are seeking to better understand the collaborative creative process.
We are looking to surface the contemporary needs of creatives all over the world. Doing this will help us to foster an ecosystem of events and happenings that will inspire, educate, entertain and connect the talents in The Sense Network to one another and with brand innovators.
What we’ve learned from The Sense Supper Club in Barcelona:
Food ingredients are a great projective metaphor for helping people to open up and talk about their role in the creative process. For the record, I am an onion.
I am an onion. Onions are versatile. They form the base for both exuberant and humble dishes. They have many layers, you can peel away, slice, chop, stuff or pickle; and working with them can sometimes make you cry.
Imbuing a sense of intrigue and mystery around the event was a great way to attract curiously minded creatives. Informal invitations were valued as they cut through the glut of social media and inbox clutter. When creative strangers come together in a ‘safe’ space, that has been lovingly curated, mutual respect builds quickly. The flow of fresh energy become palpable to all in attendance.
How did the Sense Supper Club guests benefit from the supper:
Live activities: Doing. Exploring. Making mistakes. All these things, however random or exploratory, are the fun and enjoyable stuff that create bonds. You share. You’re vulnerable. You learn. This is what creative journeys are made of. You can see from the image – the result was definitely one from the toe jam football league.
“Collaboration practices need to allow for more experimentation, creative errors and play.”
Where worlds collide. Outcomes are always greater through collaboration and everybody reflected that business culture rarely values this. But you must have discipline and providing you can weather the awkward moments in the process by overcoming the desire to just get on with the task yourself – everyone wins.
“Open, flow, familiarity, even a little discomfort are creative needs for successful collaborations.”
Lessons for The Sense Supper Club in London?
An explorative approach was good for Barcelona. We dirtied the page, made a few mistakes, came out relatively unscathed. The big takeaway was that we need a more focused activity for the guests to get their teeth into. We need a need, a specific creative challenge for London.
So… onto the next instalment…