STRONG AND WEAK TIES

We typically think of creative clusters being industry specific or gathering around a central value system. This often results in homogeneity that limits discovery. We get stuck easily. We need exposure to things that are similar AND completely different — new people with broad backgrounds, working in other industries, looking at the world through alternative lenses. These are the people who can teach us what we didn't know we needed to know.

Strong ties are familiar and efficient, but it's the weak ties outside our typical networks that challenge our assumptions. While it isn't always comfortable to step outside our tribe and immerse in different cultures, we need an environment where diversity can flourish and catalyze our thinking. It will keep us at our edge.