Why Collaboration Sparks Creativity (and What I Learned Crawling Across the Floor)

I didn’t expect to meet my husband while crawling on my hands and knees.

Back in the early ’90s, Larry was a commercial photographer, and I hired him to shoot my art for a brochure.

At the time, I was living in Bismarck, North Dakota, creating watercolor paper-collage landscapes inspired by the wide prairies.

He studied my textured strips and asked, “How big can you paint these?”

“My paper is 22 x 30,” I said.

“Could you paint eight feet?”

Eight feet? My eyebrows must have shot sky-high.

But he wasn’t joking. He explained how my textures could become photographic backdrops. Then he wondered if the technique was simple enough to teach other photographers.

That’s when the collaboration began.

Together, we dreamed up the idea of making a how-to VHS video (remember those days?) to show photographers how to paint their own backdrops. No inventory. No warehouses. Just a scrappy, made-to-order solution that combined his filming equipment with my know-how.

Brilliant. But there was a catch.

To film the video, I had to paint a full 8 x 8 foot background. Not once—six times. Six different techniques.

So there I was, crawling inch by inch across 64 square feet of paper, knees aching, back groaning, wearing the same peach turtleneck so it looked like one “easy day’s work.” (Spoiler: it wasn’t easy.)

And yet, something wonderful happened. While Larry filmed, we talked. I grumbled about rainy art fairs, deadlines, or the endless crawling, and he listened. Really listened.

The video never made us rich—we overpriced it.

Proof of our first creative collaboration — the DIY VHS video that started it all, filmed in 1991

But the collaboration sparked something bigger: a lifelong partnership.

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The Lesson in Creativity

Here’s what I learned crawling across those paper rolls: creativity thrives in collaboration.

Larry saw possibilities in my art I hadn’t considered. I brought techniques he couldn’t replicate on his own. Together, we created something neither of us could have imagined alone.

That’s the beauty of collaboration:

• It pushes us to think beyond our limits.

• It combines strengths to solve problems in fresh ways.

• It opens the door to unexpected results—sometimes even life-changing ones.

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Creativity isn’t just about being inventive by yourself. It’s about listening, sharing, and being open to where the mix of ideas might lead.

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Your Turn

Who in your life sparks new ideas for you? Maybe it’s a colleague, a friend, or even someone outside your usual circle. The next time a wild idea comes your way, lean in. Collaboration just might be the key to your next creative leap.

✨ For more ways to keep your creativity flowing, you might enjoy these older posts:

• 8 Easy “On-The-Go” Tips to Make Your Creativity Soar

• 5 Creativity Exercises to Increase Your Imagination