Letting Go of Control: Lessons from Co-Collaboration

“Have you ever created something that wasn't just yours?”

When I started this project, I imagined it to be easy going, working with a friend, being creative together, what possible issues could occur? And while that’s absolutely been the case, what I didn’t expect was how much I’d need to shift my own way of working for this project to be successful. I’ve always thrived when I can work on my own time. When inspiration strikes moments before falling to sleep, I follow it. I’ve been used to working fast, late into the night, with total control over my direction and pace, but co-collaboration asks for something different of me, it invites you to slow down, to wait, let go of full ownership.

Working with my chromesthete collaborator has been a fun, challenging, and a rewarding lesson in trust and timing. There have been moments where we had to pause because life got busy. Sometimes ideas I was excited to explore had to be shelved until we were both ready to visit them together, it meant adjusting timelines, reshaping expectations, and learning to hold space for another person’s schedule not just my own.

It’s not always comfortable, especially when I’m itching to push ahead but it’s reminded me that collaboration isn’t about compromise; it’s about a connection between those involved, especially in the context of the work exploring the personal realities of a neurological condition.

So yes, I’ve had to let go of a little control. I’ve had to shift timelines, revisit plans at a later date, and rethink what productivity looks like. But in doing so, I’ve gained something I didn’t know I needed: a deeper, more human way of creating.