Published on 09/07/24

By Steve Goodall

I absolutely LOVE Grayson Perry. For those who have never heard of him, he is a contemporary artist (famous for his eclectic yet fabulous ceramics), writer and broadcaster. He has also made some fantastic, levelling documentaries on the subjects of class, Brexit and other divisive topics. The real reason he holds a special place in my heart, however, is his ability to exist in a very snobby, snooty art world whilst bringing constant humour, joy and never taking himself (or others) too seriously.

He was being interviewed the other day on one of my favourite podcasts about creativity and Grayson uttered these important words:

"Creativity is mistakes. You copy something and you get it a bit wrong. Then, gradually it becomes your own." This quote REALLY pricked my ears!

Those who know me know that I obsess about where the art/creativity exists in Dog Training. It is a thought that both excites me and, on occasions, alludes me. I’m a big fan of adding as much creativity as possible to training and not just because of the well documented benefits in fluency/skillset for our dogs BUT, because it’s fun.

If we’ve asked ourselves all the usual questions about why we are doing what we are doing and made sure that our dogs are happy, healthy and LOVE the learning then that gives both ends of the lead permission to have fun.

It also gives us permission to make mistakes and even misunderstandings. The mistakes and misunderstandings are where the excitement happens, where the real creativity is born. Watching our students work through their homework assignments fills me with joy every week. There is always, without fail a moment where I see how a mistake or misunderstanding has led to creativity, to growth and ultimately to fun. Isn’t it funny how failure, something we all dread, is what ultimately leads to success

So do it… Have that fun, try that idea, make that mistake, give yourself (and your dog) the time and space to fail over and over again, be creative and watch your relationship with your dog flourish and your skillset explode.

Creativity and Mistakes

I Stepped in Sh!t

Having a real impact is all that matters