To Zoom, or not to Zoom

The creative process is being crushed by an avalanche of Zoom conference calls and remote working. That’s the view of global brand expert Martin Lindstrom, who says the new culture of video conferencing and remote working is sapping the energy of creatives: Moreover, the structure of video conferencing hinders critical discussion and encourages safe contributions such as “I agree with X, Y and Z", Lindstrom argues. The challenge that the Zoom culture poses to creativity, then, becomes a creative challenge for ideators. Some tried-and-tested ideas include online sharing of ideas for arts & crafts activities, games to play on Zoom, or Zoom singing groups. Yet constant effort to come up with the right idea when trying to solve a problem via Zoom can be counterproductive. That is, sometimes ideas and creative sparks emerge from quiet moments - in the gaps between thoughts. Or, as a Zen master may suggest, cherish the time when you're not thinking about anything: Zen, rather than Zoom, for ideas?