When I compose music, I notice a pattern. Early on, I crave encouragement. A spontaneous word from my wife, for instance—”That melody is beautiful”—can be the difference between me abandoning an idea or continuing to develop it. But later in my compositional process, I crave professional feedback to make the music as strong as possible. Only after running my ideas by some fellow musicians do I feel ready to release my music to the world.
I’ve come to realize that creativity requires two opposite mindsets kept in constant conversation: one that nurtures ideas, and one that refines ideas. The challenge is knowing when to listen to each.
When to Nurture and When to Refine
This shift—from nurturing an idea to refining it—is not unique to music. The companies that create world-changing products understand a fundamental truth: balancing innovation with excellence requires different kinds of thinking at different times. The best ideas do not emerge fully formed and polished. They begin more like tender plants, vulnerable to the elements of criticism and doubt. To bring them to fruition, companies must strike a balance between nurturing creativity and imposing rigorous refinement.
Innovation and Excellence
For example, Apple, under Steve Jobs, was known for its relentless pursuit of excellence. Jobs was infamous for his brutally honest, often scathing critiques of new ideas. He had an unwavering commitment to perfection, pushing his teams to refine and improve every product to the highest standard. However, even within Apple, there was an understanding that ideas needed room to breathe before being subjected to such scrutiny.
Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Chief Design Officer, played a crucial role in this process. Unlike Jobs, Ive recognized that new ideas were delicate in their early stages. He worked to shield his design team from Jobs’s immediate criticism, encouraging them time to explore and develop concepts before exposing them to rigorous evaluation. This nurturing incubation period was essential for fostering groundbreaking innovations like the iPhone and MacBook. Once an idea had matured, it was then subjected to the relentless standards of Jobs’s perfectionism, ensuring that only the best products made it to market.
The Neuroscience of Creativity
This same dynamic exists within the brain. In a neuroscientific study, jazz musicians were placed inside MRI scanners while they performed on a keyboard. Researchers observed that during improvisation, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for self-monitoring and critical judgment—became less active. This temporary suppression allowed musicians to tap into uninhibited creativity and spontaneity. However, when they switched from improvisation to structured performance, this self-monitoring region reactivated, enabling precision and refinement.
The lesson is clear: just as companies must encourage new ideas before refining them, individuals must learn to shift between different modes of thinking. When brainstorming or creating, we must consciously silence our inner critic to allow new ideas to flow. But once an idea has taken shape, we must then re-engage our critical faculties to refine and perfect it.
Balancing the Two Minds
I see this same balance in my own creative process. When I compose, I have to deliberately protect and encourage an idea in its early stages. But later in the process, I have to welcome rigorous feedback to make my music as strong as possible.
The challenge, then, for all of us—whether in art, business, or everyday problem-solving—is learning to shift between these two minds. The key question we must ask ourselves is: What time is it? Is it time to nurture and encourage an idea, letting it grow without judgment? Or is it time to sharpen and refine it, holding it to the highest standard?
By mastering this balance, we can unlock our potential to create with freedom and refine with purpose.