Creativity in groups does not happen because you tell people to be creative. It happens when the conditions are right – when experimentation feels genuinely possible, when play is taken seriously, and when the energy in the room is working with the process rather than against it.
What ‘creativity’ means here
Creativity is not about generating lots of ideas. It is not about being wacky, spontaneous, or uninhibited. Creativity in groups is a shift in the quality of engagement – when participants stop trying to get it right and start genuinely exploring; when play becomes serious without becoming heavy; when the work surprises the people making it. It involves receptiveness, empathy, and the willingness to be changed by what emerges.
What you’ll develop
- Create environments where experimentation feels safe enough to be genuine – not just permitted but invited
- Read and work with the energy in the room rather than imposing your own
- Structure play so it serves the work – serious play, not just messing about
- Use space, materials, and affordance to open up what is possible
- Recognise the difference between productive creative tension and unproductive chaos – and navigate between them
Who this day is for
This workshop is for practitioners who want to get better at creating the conditions for genuine creative work in groups – whether you are developing this skill for the first time or looking to deepen a practice you already have. You might be a drama practitioner who wants devising processes to produce work that genuinely surprises; a facilitator interested in how play and structured freedom can serve serious purposes; or an arts educator looking to understand why some sessions come alive and others stay dutiful.
This day is one of four workshops that together form The Living Breathing Workshop series — a programme exploring the core capacities of facilitation practice through practical, embodied work. Each day stands alone; together they build an integrated understanding of what it means to lead group work with skill and purpose.
About the programme