Step into any creative space—a studio, a boardroom, a kitchen, a workshop—and you’ll sense it: the charge in the air when minds meet, ideas spark, and something entirely new begins to take shape. Collaboration is more than teamwork. It’s alchemy—the ancient art of transformation, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary, lead into gold.
Yet, we’re hard-wired to avoid sharing our ideas and effort in fear of someone “stealing our ideas”, or getting used without getting credit. This is natural, but it hinders the wonderful magic, or alchemy, from happening.
With Original Minds® – the creative business collective, my goal is to change this.
In alchemy, the crucible is where base materials are combined and transformed by fire. In collaboration, the crucible is the shared space—physical or virtual—where people bring their raw ideas, unique perspectives, and diverse skills. Here, the act of coming together is not just about addition; it’s about transmutation. Each participant offers something essential, and through the heat of dialogue, challenge, and support, those elements combine into something none could have created alone.
I used to run innovation workshops for big companies. I probably facilitated a few hundred of them. One of the most important challenges to overcome was, and is, to get people to share their half-baked ideas. It takes vulnerability, and a safe space. But when people share their ideas, they trigger new ideas on others, sometimes through unintentional associations. Every piece of information is an inspiration to go in a new direction.
When people work together, they pool their knowledge, challenge each other’s assumptions, and build on each other’s insights. What begins as a single thought evolves, shaped by each collaborator’s input, until it emerges as something richer, more nuanced, and more powerful than any individual contribution could have been.
It’s A Spiral, Not A Line
Unlike the straight line of solo work, collaboration is a spiral—a process of iteration, feedback, and refinement. Each round of input brings the project closer to its final form, while also deepening trust and understanding among the team. This spiral approach fosters a culture where risk is embraced and creativity flourishes.
Trust, Risk, and the Golden Soul
Alchemy was never just about gold—it was about enlightenment, about transforming the alchemist as much as the material. In creative collaboration, trust is the philosopher’s stone. It allows people to take risks, share imperfect ideas, and support each other’s growth. The result is not just a better product, but a stronger, wiser, and more resilient team.
The Ripple Effect
When collaboration becomes alchemy, its effects ripple outward. Businesses grow more innovative and adaptable. Communities become more connected and creative. Solutions to complex challenges emerge, not from a single mind, but from the shared wisdom of many.
Embracing the Alchemy
Collaboration is not a process to be managed, but a mystery to be embraced. It asks us to bring our whole selves, to listen deeply, to risk failure, and to trust in the magic that happens when we create together. In a world hungry for transformation, collaboration is our modern-day alchemy—turning ideas into gold, and people into something greater than they were before.
Inspired by the timeless lessons of artists, innovators, and alchemists—past and present—who remind us that the real magic happens when we create together.
Creative collaboration lies at the heart of progress.
This is also the core principle behind Original Minds®.
Our goal is to create a global collective and community built around creative collaboration. I truly believe this is the way forward, the way to build a better future for businesses and for our societies. And as a byproduct, we get the best thing we all crave, human connection and belonging.
Want to be part of it?
Email: hello[at]originalminds.co
Tobias
