Principles of Creative Engagement

Last weekend, I had the amazing experience of attending the 2nd Creativity in Business conference held in my former hometown, Washington, DC and organized by the brilliant Michelle James.



The day was filled with so many insights that I am still slowly processing them all. As I was leaving, I noticed the above instructions tacked up to a wall. I snapped a quick image on my phone. Apparently, they were the guidelines for the entire conference that I somehow initially missed.

A few days later when I looked at the image again, I realized that it did sum up, in a few short phrases, my entire experience at the conference. And here's how:

Yes - and
A foundational principle of improv, yes- and implies that you will accept whatever happens and flow with what comes next. When I got to the conference, I was torn about which sessions to attend but the creative energy of the event guided me to choose the perfect ones for me.

Make everyone else look good
For me, this meant enthusiastically participating in each session demonstrating my engagement for the presenter to notice. I believe the more involved the audience is, the more creative energy the presenter receives.

Creativity is messy
In one session, Gregg Fraley led our group through an actual Creative Problem Solving process. One of the things he mentioned in doing so was how we should gravitate to and explore what makes us uncomfortable. It is here that your greatest creative discoveries will occur. Creativity is not a neat process.

Have fun
Above all, the conference was a day for me to play and explore new processes while meeting other like-minds folks. I tried improv, doodling, and storytelling.

What I ultimately learned is that when you combine the creative passion and enthusiasm of a group diverse individuals, you will see and feel magic happen. And that's what I'll reflect on most from the conference, as I continue to ponder the creative transformation that occurred within me.

• How do you create and keep your creative engagement alive?

Why Innovation Needs Diversity

My other passion, besides creativity, is diversity. Yet, when most people think of diversity they often think only of superficial differences like race, gender, etc. To me, diversity is so much more and that's what makes it important for creating real innovation.

In author Debbe Kennedy's book, Putting Our Differences to Work, she expands the standard definition of diversity to include such factors as generational insights, problem solving approaches and think origins. With a broader definition of diversity, we can see how bringing together people from all different groups affects brainstorming and innovation.

Imagine an idea generating session that only included individuals with the same backgrounds, work habits or experiences. The end result would probably be pretty boring, and well more of the same. Scott Page, author of The Difference: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools and Societies, concurs with this view of the power of diversity to push innovation forward.

So why does he think diverse groups of problem-solvers are more successful than similarly minded groups? Because, according to Page, the diverse groups have more perspectives, which fuels idea generation and ultimately, innovation.

• Increase the diversity in your problem-solving sessions and see what happens!
  
  
  

Creativity in Business

Not too long ago, I mentioned the term "creativity in business" to a colleague, who promptly responded, "Isn't that an oxy moron?"

Yes, most people don't think of creativity when they think about business. That's why the Creativity in Business Conference held earlier this month in Washington, DC was so important. We need to debunk this myth that creativity can not exist in the work world, more specifically the business world.

While I couldn't attend the conference, I am happy to share with you some of the blog recaps of the event with the hope that you will see that creativity and business can co-exist and do so successfully!

Ana from the Creatuitive Coaching blog

Jennifer from the Right-Brain Business Plan blog

Mike from the Gamechangers blog

• Has your opinion of creativity and business changed?

 

What Innovation Means to Me

Too often people confuse creativity with innovation. To me, creativity is about coming up with new ideas, while innovation is the application and (hopeful) success of those ideas.

Yet, when I think of innovation I don't necessarily think first about products. Lately, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on this and understandably this is what innovation usually gets associated with.

But there are other ways of looking at innovation. I think more about innovation as creating new concepts - yes those concepts will probably end up as products - but I don't believe innovation starts with products. Earlier this year, trendwatching.com published "Innovation Jubilation" 50+ new business ideas that defy doom and gloom. The article mentions everything from the DIY trend to mapmania as concepts that are transforming business.

Another useful way to look at innovation is personal innovation. This type of innovation involves improving you and your life. Matt Heinz recently posted about this in Five Ways to Create Innovation Throughout Your Life. He writes about using innovation to improve everything from you relationships to your future.

• What could you innovate?

Get Stimulated!

While many of us are creative in our personal lives, it seems much more difficult to be creative at work. In today's economy more than ever, a creative brain is a requirement on the job. In Stimulated: Habits to Spark Your Creative Genius at Work by Andrew Pek and Jeannine McGlade the goal is to get you thinking more creatively.

Weaving together a combination of business case studies and personal stories, Pek and McGlade cover the following key habits necessary to increase your creative genius:

Scouting includes observing the world and your environment.

Cultivating is about creating the environment for ideas to take shape.

Playing allows for experimentation and curiosity.

Venturing is simply permitting ourselves to make the leap into the creative unknown.

Harvesting involves innovation and turning creative sparks and ideas into reality.

• Try one at work today!

Twitter Tips for Creatives

I am a recent convert to Twitter. I resisted the temptation to join, because like most people, I didn't understand the benefits of tweets.

Last month, I finally took the plunge and joined Twitter. Once on the site, I immediately got hooked on finding other creatives to follow and reading their tweets and checking out their links.

I also found this article on Tweetable Art: 10 Twitter Tips for Artists. Some of the suggestions like linking to works in progress and your blog are pretty standard social media marketing, but I really like the idea of starting a collector's club by setting your account to private and offering discounts to those who follow you. Don't miss the comments section where there are even more tips.

• Follow me on Twitter and see what I am doing.

2009 Creativity Events

Last year, I posted about creativity retreats, where you could learn a new craft, art form or delve into your artistic passion.

This year, thanks to the International Forum of Creativity Organizations, you can explore all the facets of creativity from:

1. Problem Solving


2. Innovation in Management


3. World Future
   

• Check out the entire IFCO list for 2009.

How to Think Creatively

(Margan Zajdowicz image)

It's a skill that all of us use, yet a skill all of us could probably improve. Thinking creatively can help us not only create art but guide us through our daily lives. That's why I love this list of 50 Ways to Think Creatively.

Here are my favorites from the list:

1. Be curious - wonder about things
2. Surround yourself with diverse types of people
3. Live in terms of exploration and discovery, not just solutions or right answers
4. Use visual, metaphorical and analogical thinking - not just analytical
5. Embrace, rather than avoid, ambiguity as an essential part of the creative process

Plus some that I plan to explore and experiment with in the new year:

1. Take improv theater classes to feel more comfortable creating in real time
2. Use different types of music in the background while thinking
3. Surround yourself with life-giving and inspiring people, images and objects
4. Meditate - cultivate presence and mindfulness
5. Give your Creative Self space, time and attention

• What are your favorite ways to think creatively?

2008 R&D Awards

R&D Magazine recently released their list of the top 100 innovations for the year.

Did you know that Ohio ranked second, behind California for the most inventions? Of the 10 organizations that were selected from the state, 3 of them are from Northeast Ohio.

• See the entire list here.

Creative Lessons From Innovation Experts

I know I've been posting lots of links to magazine articles, but recently there have been so many good ones to pass along.

Here's the latest. In the June issue of Inc. magazine, innovation experts were asked how organizations can foster the creative spirit in their employees. The results were interesting and included a couple of unique ideas.

Write it Down
"Frog Design, a San Francisco-based consulting firm, publishes Frog Design Mind, a print and online magazine that serves as a quarterly compendium of staff articles on subjects that excite employees.

Bring in Outsiders
Many top innovation firms tap the perspectives of outside experts -- be they physicists, poets, actors, archaeologists, theologians, or astronauts."

• Read Innovation: How the Creative Stay Creative.

How Are Your Creative Thinking Skills?

Don't know? That's why Dr. Robert Epstein has developed an online test that measures your creative ability by assessing four key skill sets used by creative thinkers. Dr. Epstein disregards the idea that creativity is "mysterious" and claims that by developing the right skills, everyone can enhance their creativity.

Based on 25 years of research, Dr. Epstein's generativity theory concludes that capturing, challenging, broadening and surrounding are the skills we can all use to be more creative thinkers. These are skills I have been using for years not realizing they were also making me more creative. What I have learned from them though, is that enhancing your creativity is a mindful process that you must practice every day to see results.

• Take the Epstein Creativity Competencies Inventory for Individuals (or ECCI-i) plus try the manager's verson of the ECCI-i to see how well you inspire creativity in others.

Your Ultimate Playbook for Success: Unlock Your Creative Genius

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am a huge fan of the Big Idea on CNBC. Last night just reaffirmed why I think it's such a great show. The topic was creativity - as you all know something I am quite passionate about.

The show highlighted how to tap into your own creativity plus how creativity is the currency of the future and featured some prominent creativity experts like Robert Epstein and Richard Florida.

One segment even featured the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize encouraging teams to design more fuel efficient cars for a cross country road adventure. The collaborative power of crowds and teams is a new area of creativity that is being explored and something I am extremely interested in too.

• For all the details, check out the Ultimate Playbook for Success.

Are Creative Workers Healthier?

Yes. According to a recently released study, workers whose jobs involve solving complex problems and who have opportunities for continued learning report better overall health.

The study's lead author, sociology professor John Mirowsky, said:

"The most important finding is that creative activity helps people stay healthy. Creative activity is non-routine, enjoyable and provides opportunity for learning and for solving problems. People who do that kind of work, whether paid or not, feel healthier and have fewer physical problems."

• Read more here.

Group Genius

Do you believe becoming a creative genius is an isolated and individual process? Most people would agree with you but not Keith Sawyer. In Group Genius: the Creative Power of Collaboration he dispels this myth by using improv and jazz as successful examples of group creativity. In both processes, a small spark is created when group members interact with one another by building on previous sparks.

Sawyer goes into more depth about these sparks, even explaining that they occur in all stages of the collaborative creative process:

1. Preparation
2. Time off
3. The spark
4. Selection
5. Elaboration

What makes this different from most theories of group creativity is that you don't have to participate in a traditional brainstorming session to get results. In fact, the most fascinating part of the book is when Sawyer debunks the myths of Morse, Edison and Darwin as individual geniuses. Instead, he explains how they developed their ideas during years of exploration, outside influences, and previous inventions.

This theory appeals to what I've always believed about creativity and that is that you can't create in a bubble. You need to embrace random experiences and diverse opinions and blend them with your personal style.

• Who has shaped your creative spark?

How Companies Can Encourage Innovation

The debate over creativity in the workplace continues in this article. Workers complain that they don't have opportunities to express themselves, companies pay lip service to creativity, and consultants believe it is what a company needs to survive.

• Which category do you fall into?

Jack's Notebook

A friend, who attended a workshop led by Gregg Fraley, lent me a copy of Jack's Notebook. I admit I was a little skeptical about the concept: a business novel about creative problem solving (CPS). After reading countless books on creativity, most of them boring or redundant, I was ready for something new.

Jack's Notebook was just the book I'd been looking for. A cross between Way of the Peaceful Warrior and The Da Vinci Code, it tells the story of Jack, an aimless young man, who meets Manny, a mentor, who teaches him creative problem solving (CPS) which he uses to change the direction of his life.

Fraley outlines the steps of CPS in the introduction:

1. Identify the challenge

2. Facts and feelings exploration

3. Problem framing and reframing

4. Idea generation

5. Solution development

6. Action planning

Then, he goes on to incorporate them into Jack's decision making, which ultimately leads to him starting his own business - among other thrilling adventures.

• What can you achieve using creative problem solving (CPS)?

Dose of CREATIVITY Live

I am thrilled to announce my participation in the Second Annual Back to School Family Rally.

My workshop How a Dose of Creativity Can Reduce Stress, Boost Self-Esteem, and Increase Success will be held from 12:30 pm - 1:15 pm. This interactive parent seminar will dispel the myths of creativity, highlight the benefits and provide tools to encourage your child's imagination.

For instance, did you know that participating in the arts, even badly is a whole body activity that promotes a mind, body and spirit connection? Making art and engaging in creative activities involves the whole self, both logical and emotional. Tension is released when you get into the flow of your creative passion. Plus our self-esteem is boosted after we successfully finish a creative project. All of this helps us to succeed in life and work.

• Find out more on Saturday, August 11!

Are You Using Your Whole Brain?

I attended a library sponsored book discussion on Dan Pink’s latest book A Whole New Mind thinking it would motivate me to read the book. Well, I certainly didn’t need the motivation. Pink’s book reads in a breezy style and is full of thought provoking ideas.

The book is based on 3 questions that organizations and individuals need to ask themselves in the new economy:

1. Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
2. Can a computer do it faster?
3. Is what I’m offering in demand in an age of abundance?

These questions lead into his main arguments based on Asia, Automation, and Abundance, claiming that in order to flourish in an age of abundance, we must enhance our creative thinking skills that can’t be outsourced overseas or done by a computer.

The skills are as follows:

"Not just for function but also DESIGN. It’s no longer sufficient to create a product, a service, an experience, or a lifestyle that’s merely functional. Today it’s economically crucial and personally rewarding to create something that is also beautiful, whimsical, or emotionally engaging.

Not just for argument but also STORY. When our lives are brimming with information and data, it’s not enough to marshal an effective argument. Someone somewhere will inevitably track down a counterpoint to rebut your point. The essence of persuasion, communication, and self-understanding has become the ability to fashion a compelling narrative.

Not just focus but also SYMPHONY. Much of the Industrial and Informational ages required focus and specialization. But as white-collar work gets routed to Asia and reduced to software, there’s a new premium on the opposite aptitude: putting the pieces together, or what I call Symphony. What’s in greatest demand today isn’t analysis but synthesis – seeing the big picture, crossing boundaries, and being able to combine disparate pieces into an arresting new whole.

Not just logic but also EMPATHY. The capacity for logical thought is one of the things that makes us human. But in a world of ubiquitous information and advanced analytic tools, logic alone won’t do. What will distinguish those who thrive will be their ability to understand what makes their fellow woman or man tick, to forge relationships, and to care for others.

Not just seriousness but also PLAY. Ample evidence points to the enormous health and professional benefits of laughter, lightheartedness, games, and humor. There is a time to be serious, of course. But too much sobriety can be bad for your career and worse your well-being. In the Conceptual Age, in work and in life, we all need to play .

Not just accumulation but also MEANING. We live in a world of breathtaking material plenty. That has freed hundreds of millions of people from day-to-day struggles and liberated us to pursue more significant desires: purpose, transcendence, and spiritual fulfillment."

• Which one of these can you add to your work?

Do Plants Boost Creativity?

According to research conducted at Texas A&M University, adding potted plants and flowers to your office can significantly enhance problem-solving and creative thinking skills. The study revealed that being surrounded by plants caused men to produce more ideas, while women developed more creative and innovative solutions. Read it here.

• Bring a plant to work and see if you become more creative.

Unleash Your Inner Maverick

Earlier this fall, I had the opportunity to hear Polly LaBarre speak about her new book Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win. Polly is a native Cleveland girl made good in NYC. She spent many years on the staff of Fast Company, so she knows a thing or two about creativity and the workplace.

The book is written in the same eloquent and concise way that Polly speaks. It features about 2 dozen or so companies and how they are revolutionizing the world of work through their innovative practices.

Some of my favorite examples from the book include Cleveland-based NineSigma, who is revolutionizing the global network of innovation allowing creative solutions to be found easier. They do this by maintaining a network of the top talent in science and technology that they can tap into when a company comes to them looking to solve a problem or develop new research.

Dan Weiden, cofounder of Weiden+Kennedy, an advertising agency best known for coining Nike's "Just Do It" slogan, is another creative maverick. His company's headquarters in Portland are housed in a former cold storage facility and infused with plenty of outside energy. Weiden even invited the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art to move in to provide new insights and inspiration for W+K's staff.

Finally, We've all heard of Pixar, the animation giant, but have you heard about Pixar University? This is where Pixar employees are encouraged to take up to 4 hours a week worth of classes that range from creative writing to belly dancing. It allows employees to explore new ideas and learn to work better with colleagues. Now that's a creative place to work and somewhere my lifelong learning addiction could be fed.

• Are you working for a maverick organization?