What does putting on a play have to do with running a business?
More than we think.
When you put on a play, you gather people around an idea. You work with limited resources. You solve problems constantly. You trust each other. You fail, adjust, and try again. In many ways, it’s exactly how you build anything meaningful — including a business.
But something deeper happens when we create together.
We build community.
We build trust.
We begin to see the world — and each other — differently.
There’s love in that process. Care. A willingness to be vulnerable. When we step into a creative space, we allow ourselves to explore questions we don’t yet have answers to. We become more compassionate. More connected.
Creativity is not about ticking a box. It’s not something you complete. It’s a lifelong search — for meaning, for understanding, for your place in the world. The search doesn’t end. That’s the point. The journey itself transforms us.
And yet, so many of us hide our creativity.
We tell ourselves the world is serious. And so we need to be proper serious. Responsible. Grown up. Creativity can feel indulgent — like a luxury rather than a necessity. Sometimes there’s even shame attached to wanting to make something.
But what if creativity isn’t optional?
If creativity ends, innovation ends. If innovation ends, we stop adapting. We stop evolving. We stop solving the very problems that challenge us. Creativity is how we navigate difficulty — individually and together.
In the theatre, the magic isn’t just in the final performance. It’s in the process. It’s in asking hard questions. It’s in seeing yourself reflected back. It’s in experimenting, failing, and discovering new ways forward.
That’s not childish. That’s transformational.
What if we allowed ourselves to be more creative?
What if we sought out community?
What if we tried things — lots of things — until we found what felt like ours?
What if we accepted failure as part of the journey?
We’d be happier.
We’d feel more alive.
We’d build stronger, more compassionate communities.
Creativity isn’t a luxury. It’s how we search. It’s how we connect. It’s how we survive. It's how we thrive.
And the only way to begin… is to do the thing.
Nathan Powell
nathanpowell.co.uk
@NathanPowell141
The Global Creativity Initiative Podcast is a scholarly commitment to sharing creativity and specifically creative process for problem solving (aka life) with all of humanity. Visit our website to learn more about The Global Creativity Initiative. Write to us at gci.creativitypodcast@gmail.com
