I've been watching the first part of Peter Jackson's 3 x 3 hours Beatles documentary 'Get Back' last week and I think it's wonderful. It's not just the crisp video and audio which almost make you forget this material is 52 years old. It's also Peter's innate storytelling capacity. By selecting 10% of the available footage, mixing in bare audio and showing relevant media from that day and age, he is making you a spectator of the conception of the Beatles' final album in a way I did not know was possible.
Since the phenomenon 'creativity' is one of my big interests, I also watched the documentary with a keen eye on those aspects of the group working together. So far, two creativity lessons stood out.
I feel the first lesson was best worded by Albert Einstein, who once said 'Creativity is the residue of wasted time'. With no apparent daily schedule other than turning up at the agreed upon time of day (an agreement which Lennon seems to take lightly), the band ostensibly just has fun most of the time, playing classics and covers, fooling around with funny adaptations to well-known themes. Playfully exploring the musical universe without an eye on the clock clearly worked here.
That said, the apparent deadline in their schedule also has a pivotal function, as they realise that in just a few weeks time, they should have an album ready. While having a deadline can cause stress in many business situations, it seems that in creative endeavours, it can work miracles.
Being able to balance these two perspectives on 'time', switching from one to the other, makes it a tool to wield in the creative process.