How possible is it to approach a creative project with passion, without ego also coming along for the ride?

We all know the phrase, “clash of egos,” when it comes to creative projects. It is clear that creativity free of ego has benefits: speeding up output, letting new ideas flow, and having a generally better time during the process. More energy is spent on creating, and less on bickering. Certainly, it’s easier said than done. But I see it is possible to collaborate without ego, and foster an egoless creative field.

The Elephant & The Rider

The elephant and the rider is the key analogy to understanding ego. It goes like this: A little man rides on the back of an elephant. He makes a mistake when he thinks he’s in control of the elephant. The elephant lets him ride on its back. Why would an elephant allow such a thing? Well, the little rider guy is smart, and knows things the elephant doesn’t. The little rider is caring, providing food and care to the elephant. But if, for one second, the rider thinks he’s in charge and tries to make the elephant do something it doesn’t want to do, he’ll find out quick who has been in command the whole time.

We are all elephants with little riders on our backs – everyone is, but for creatives, it is especially important to know that. The riders we carry are our egos. My ego’s primary job is to convince me that am it, and that it is in charge.  That is a tempting notion; to believe that means that I believe I am in charge – not just of myself, but of everything.

Now, control behavior is anathema to creativity. An ego in charge of a creative project will find creativity remains elusive. Either it will never emerge, or it will diminish as fast as it rises. This is because creativity, and everything that comes with it (innovative ideas, fun, joy, efficiency), springs from an attentive and joyful surrender to a source deeper than what an ego can conjure. Egos are not creative.

Why do creative projects often have so much built-in conflict?

I think of it as an ongoing global power struggle between our riders and our elephants. The elephant conjures the lyrics, composes the notes, paints the canvas, and wonders openly, letting new ideas arise. The rider (ego) wants the prize, holds on to ideas, and provides direction. Both elephant and rider are necessary for creativity: there is a time for ideas to flow out, and a time for that to stop, so a project can come to completion. Drama, stifled creativity, and outright conflict come about when the ego steps out of order, and forgets the role of the elephant.

This is like the conductor thinking he is the orchestra, or the driver thinking he is the car. It is an easy mistake, and on some level, the illusion is necessary, to drive a symphony, or a car, to its destination. But the more that illusion can be shaken away, the more the conductor, the driver, and the rider get to experience the sweet spot of true partnership with creative flow. This is what goes on when an artist “loses himself” in his work. The experience is even greater when others are also in the room.

There are two key moves to bring about a creative field that is free of ego

The first is self-separation. When I remember the actual size of my ego, and its limits on the creative process, it becomes easy for me to respectfully dismiss all its ideas of posturing, fighting, and grandeur. Self-separation starts with seeing my identity as a part of me, rather than all of me. It is the part of me that calls itself “me.” So it may help to call it a “little me.”

The second move is to let go of attachment. What the ego does best is hold on. Creativity is about maintaining a flow, and letting go. When I hold on, creativity stops. If I want it “my way,” I put a clamp on the flow of new ideas. When I diminish the importance of my agenda and foster the flow of what is arising in a collaborative project, I can hold on to the ideas that are greater than “mine” or “theirs.” I can let an idea die if that is what wants to occur. When I let go of thinking that something is “mine,” I can see more clearly what ideas are the most wonderful.

Elephants want to play with other elephants

Those two moves, starting with “me,” are infectious to others, and foster the collaborative creative field. It starts with me making the shift in myself, as is so true with so many things.

Egoless creativity is creativity. When ego is necessary, it will be there… It doesn’t miss an opportunity to muscle its way in on everything. Great things can come about when we are strong enough to keep ego out of the room – at least for as long as we can.