Merge

The Ultimate Driving Machine. Precision. Performance. Luxury. Beautiful. Quality. Innovation. So many great adjectives come to mind to describe a BMW.

Recently, I visited the BMW plant to see how this high-performance machine is built. Although it should not have been surprising, I was amazed at the processes and systems that are in place to consistently build such a car. On one hand, the experience was "sexy" because the plant is something out of a sci-fi movie with the technology and robots that are in place. On the other hand, it was unromantic to see such a beautiful car built in a methodical and predictable manner.

My take away was my outlook on the creative process. Creative professionals tend to buck systems, procedures and structure overall. But arguably, a BMW is the product of spectacular creativity--from the exterior design to the minute design of a cup holder to the innovation of their transmission to how to build the machine itself.

The creative process isn't always as sexy as the end product. It can require structure. It can require planning. It may require processes and systems--especially if you're creating creative solutions over and and over again.

BMW has it down--in an economy that's killing the automobile industry, they're producing a superior product and still making money. The precise Germans are delivering some of the most beautiful, creative and innovative products out there--and a good portion of what they do is not the sexy creative process one may think it is--rather, a good dose of it is extremely methodical.

Here's the out-of-the-box thought: Creativity may require you to get back in the box and to develop a process to both produce creative ideas and then a system to execute them.