I thrive on collaborations with other creative folks.

Art directors, designers, other photographers, painters, writers -- I just love the flow of ideas that comes from putting creative minds together and the process of shaping them into something more.

It makes me feel truly alive.

So when I came across this video recently I was elated. It's a collaboration between filmmaker, graphic designer, artist, and director Mike Mills; writer, director, artist, and poser Miranda July; and musicians Blonde Redhead. And it's brilliant.

One of the things that pushes Mills, July, and even the members of Blonde Redhead to come together to make a video like this is their diverse means of self-expression. They draw, film, direct, perform, write, and create -- constantly.

That relentless pursuit of the muse -- no matter which road they chose to chase after it on -- only makes them more worldly, more able to choose the form of expression that best suits the idea.

This recent article on David Byrne's show at Radio City Music Hall by Vanity Fair's Michael Hogan speaks to this diversity.

Blown away by the performance Byrne puts on during his Everything That Happens Will Happen Today tour, Hogan writes:

So here’s my theory on why Byrne is so youthful, and why his concert felt as contemporary and relevant as any Bowery Ballroom set by the latest blogosphere buzz band: the guy keeps up. He doesn’t sit around all day reminiscing with his fellow dessicated rock stars. He reads, he thinks, he sees art and film and music. And his creative portfolio is radically diversified. He paints, draws, blogs, directs, runs a record label, composes for film, composes for dance, designs funky bike racks, and god knows what else.

There's a common sliver of creative DNA running through Byrne, Mills, July, and every other artist that is still relevant, still working, still exciting and excited, still creating beyond their best known medium.

Each brings a variety of methods and experiences to the table, making the collaboration, the art, and the experience more diverse. Sometimes the results are amazing and sometimes far from it. The upshot is: come what may.

Not only is it a great way to make a living, it's a great way to live.