In times of crisis, creativity seems to flourish. Constraints force people to think differently, systems are temporarily flexible, and innovation emerges from necessity.  We saw this across the world during the COVID-19 pandemic when we were forced to rethink everything from global supply chains down to our daily routine.

But once the immediate crisis passes, the conditions that enabled creativity disappear, and we return to business as usual. Some innovations that can thrive in the old ways of working live on, while others that require some shifts tend to fizzle out. There are a few problems with this ‘crisis creativity’ approach:

1. We aren’t experts when the time comes

Practicing creativity only during times of crisis is a little bit like saying you’ll go to the gym or for a run when on holiday, when it’s not otherwise a part of your life. You can envision it, but when the time comes, you find you’re in a completely new place, you don’t know where the gyms are, you’ve got to make time for it when other, more compelling things demand your attention. Even if you do manage to show up at a gym, you’re not entirely sure what to do because this is not something you’re familiar with doing.

Creativity, like any muscle, needs to be practiced regularly so when we have to use it, we are equipped with the tools, mindsets, and approaches to apply it to a specific, high pressure situation. 

2. We aren’t getting the best of the creative approach

By keeping creativity locked in crisis mode, we limit its potential impact. Solutions that are built in crisis mode inherently take a short term view and are built to fulfil a very specific, time-bound need. Flexible work arrangements, mutual aid networks, initiatives around digital inclusion and homelessness are a few things worldwide that were set up during the pandemic but saw a backslide right after. Many of these solutions were innovative and tackled challenges that existed even beyond the crisis, but because they were set up in an emergency, they weren’t designed for long-term sustainability in funding, delivery, or governance.

However, by creating the conditions for creativity outside of crisis mode, we are able to think about these ideas sustainably, to test for unintended consequences, and to build sustainability and resilience into them. 

3. We rob ourselves of an important tool in our toolkit

The world is incredibly complex, and local authorities operate in an environment of deep complexity. Very few, if any, of a council’s 800+ services operate in complete isolation. The challenges residents face are often intersectional, calling on many different services. Supporting residents effectively means understanding their needs, navigating through interconnected processes, complying with regulatory framework, and of course, figuring out how AI can help.

This complexity demands a creativity that goes beyond crisis mode—one that can connect the dots across various systems, anticipate needs, and align solutions with long term goals.

Breaking out of crisis mode creativity

Below, I share a mix of some of LOTI’s own approaches and some practices from my experience in past roles:

• Normalise sharing ‘works in progress’: Create safe, regular spaces where teams can share rough, unpolished concepts without the pressure of having a fully formed solution, helping creativity become part of everyday problem-solving. This post talks about ‘design critiques’, a method designers use to share works in progress – but is very adaptable to any specialty.
• Create ‘permission to try’ tokens: Give teams a small, low-stakes experimentation budget (financial or time-based) that they can use without sign-off, encouraging quick, creative trials.
• Borrow creativity from outside your team: Swap a few people across departments or services for a workshop or design sprint. This helps bring fresh perspectives from colleagues who aren’t close to the problem.
• Provide pilots with pathways: Nothing kills the creative spirit like successful pilots that don’t go anywhere. When testing creative ideas, define the ‘what next’ from the beginning by linking pilots to clear success criteria and identifying the team responsible for scaling if they work.
• Make failure stories a part of learning: Normalise creativity by regularly sharing examples of things that didn’t work, alongside what was learned, to reduce the stigma of failed experiments. Importantly, document these learnings and share them with newcomers on projects, teams and departments.
• Prototype before you PowerPoint: Before writing a lengthy proposal for a new idea, test it through a small, scrappy prototype (e.g., a quick sketch, mock-up, or conversation with users) to explore its potential creatively and practically.
• Redesign one recurring meeting or long standing process: Pick a regular meeting and experiment with changing the format (whether through rotating facilitation, new question prompts, or different creative techniques) to build creative habits into existing routines. Try this resource for inspiration!

How has your team incorporated creative practice into your day to day? Write to us at contact@loti.london if you have ideas or questions.