Soon after, I met Dawn and Gelo, both of whom are graphic designers at Studio Karou. They have known each other for a while, coming from the same university and major, and have been a part of Studio Karou before its official launch. Between the two, Dawn is the talkative one, while Gelo is more reserved. They make it work: throughout the interview, they’ve been finishing each other’s sentences. 

Now, on collaboration. It turns out, they aren’t exactly partial to it. 

As a creative, Dawn’s work is very personal to her, and finds that external input breaks the flow of her work. She likes being in control. Likewise, Gelo finds himself more comfortable with working alone, especially when it comes to design. The two haven’t collaborated on anything since becoming a part of Studio Karou. 

Why? “Kasi ayaw kong mag collaborate kami kasi baka mag away kami,” says Dawn with a laugh. 

Strangely enough, as much as I value the process of collaboration, I find myself agreeing with them. As expansive as collaboration is, there is comfort in creative solitude.

Fortunately, collaboration isn’t only limited to creativity. And in creativity, collaboration manifests itself in ways often invisible to recognition. Though the pair have never collaborated on a specific project per se, simply being in each other’s lives as creative peers makes a difference. 

Dawn is a creative spirit. Her strengths lie in her capacity to ideate and come up with ideas that bring life to the project. The creative process is free-flowing, and she goes wherever the current takes her. 

Gelo is the opposite. He’s structured and steadfast. Reliable. The type of person you’d go to when you need to get things done. The one who provides the “how” to the “what”. 

Though the two avoid working together to prevent clashes, their dynamic helps each of them individually: their strengths make up for each other’s weaknesses. And that’s how they collaborate. 

Maybe collaboration looks like two (or more!) great minds coming together to create a completely new product that wouldn’t have resulted without the external influence. Maybe collaboration means getting more brains and hands together on a project to ease up the workload. Maybe the concept of collaboration doesn’t have to be boxed up: just how working together brings us further, what if that extra assistance comes in the form of emotional support, technical assistance, or constructive feedback? At the end of the day, a final product is rarely the result of a sole person’s effort. 

What does collaboration look like to you?