Creative Permission Granting is the idea that we all occupy positions of inherent power to impact others self-perception. By encouraging, celebrating and reminding others that they are more capable than they might believe, we help them see their inner-dwelling creative potential. It impacts others' self-perception through a process of challenging the cultural or inner dialogue that they might have about whether or not they are, in fact, creative. It involves incrementally shifting long-standing beliefs they might have about who they are, what they can do, or what they have permission to explore professionally or personally.
Creative Permission Granting is equal parts empowerment and acknowledgment of the unavoidable challenge of practice while pursuing a creative path.
Matt Wordell:
My introduction to a form of this concept came through my work with Eric Gilbert at Treefort. In the early days of Treefort, opportunities to explore new ideas were endless and Eric did a fantastic job of encouraging people to experiment, take on challenges, and lean on the team when support was needed. When I began developing a formal structure for the Treefort photography team in 2014, Eric simply empowered me to take it on, learn from failure, iterate, and improve. It was a steep learning curve and I had very little experience with programmatic development at the time. However, it was immediately obvious from the outset that one of the core tenets of the program required passing down the idea that people can take up space, try things, and make it their own. In the space of photography, this looked like focusing on the development of community by trying to reduce competition through a process of highly integrated team support and reciprocal empowerment. Working together with Aaron on the Treefort program is where I think the concept formally emerged.
Aaron Rodriguez:
My introduction to this concept came in many forms early on - I think when someone openly believes in you, despite your own wavering self perceptions, you get a small taste of this concept. Being encouraged by folks who saw something in me, indebted me over the years with a sense of responsibility to share that encouragement with others.
Matt mentioned Treefort--and as a young photographer, in the early Treefort days, the encouragement I received while crawling through the trenches of self doubt, mixed with the excitement built in to exploring and pushing creative boundaries, shaped my perception of capabilities and value in a very positive way and imprinted onto me a sense of obligation to return the favor.
It was only much later on, during our work with the Garden City Placemaking Fund, that I noticed a hack in the psychology of self-perception. Folks that had the desire to make impactful art were burdened by a sense of violating some sort of unspoken rule that demands that one must have some level of imagined authority in order to make moves on their dreams and sense of potential. By acknowledging their potential, validating their ideas, and reminding them that they are surrounded by folks who are there to support, encourage, and guide them; suddenly the mental barriers that once prevented them from pursuing their creative ideas dissolved, and in the place of those barriers, a sense of excitement and authority to take action blossomed
Seeing the real and direct impact on the improved quality of self-perception, real life creative output, and reciprocality in the community by folks we've "granted creative permission", reminds me of the opportunities In my life that came as a direct result of others granting me the permission I needed to believe in the value of my ideas, and creative pursuits.
