The Creative Edge

Back to South Africa

2012-02-02T17:45:00.000-08:00

I have just heard I have been invited back to Africa in October to run creativity workshops at a couple of creativity gatherings in South Africa and one in Namibia - cool!
http://www.sacreativity.co.za/

I would love to go other places in the world so feel free to invite me.

And you might be interested that planning is underway for a creativity forum in New Zealand in April 2013.

More here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Creative-Edge/271547596234802

The Perfect Storm

2012-02-02T16:15:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the 21st Century: The Perfect Storm for Creativity by Gerard Puccio, Ph.D.

"I have been in the field of creativity studies for more than a quarter of a century and have never seen a better time to be in the business of helping others develop their creativity, Creative Problem Solving, and creative leadership skills. Yet with opportunity comes risk. There has never been a more important time for creativity because we are in a state of perpetual change that has brought on crisis for many, and opportunity for those with creative foresight, skill and attitude. Creativity is in demand, because life in the 21st century demands it."
http://www.profnetconnect.com/gerardpuccio/blog/2010/12/19/welcome_to_the_21st_century:_the_perfect_storm_for_creativity

Why do people say no

2012-02-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

From Marci Seagal
http://www.creativityland.ca/2012/why-do-people-say-no-collecting-thoughts/

I’m often brought into companies who want to overcome hurdles to innovation. They want to move forward and at the same time are reluctant to adopt new strategies and metrics, and to influence new behaviours and attitudes to create new futures. What’s that all about?

Cash can't buy creativity

2012-02-01T15:38:00.000-08:00

An open, supportive and stimulating workplace is more important than pay or bonuses in driving the success of fast-growth small-to-medium enterprises, an RMIT University study has shown.

http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=9pjqmck5wn2n1;STATUS=A

Rules for Writers

2012-02-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

Shared by Charles Cave

Writing Tips by Henry Miller, Elmore Leonard, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman and; George Orwell
http://www.openculture.com/2012/01/writing_rules.html

The Yin and the Yang of Corporate Innovation

2012-02-01T11:41:00.000-08:00

In the hunt for innovation, that elusive path to economic growth and corporate prosperity, try a little jazz as an inspirational metaphor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/technology/apple-and-google-as-creative-archetypes.html?_r=2

Offices stifle creativity

2012-02-01T11:36:00.000-08:00

Cramped, claustrophobic working environments stifle employees' creativity and means they have fewer 'lightbulb' moments of inspiration, research shows.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9035811/Claustrophobic-offices-stifle-creativity.html

Simple. Simplex. Simplexity: Interview with Dr. Min Basadur by Dorte Nielsen

2012-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

It’s not every day you get the chance to meet a person of Dr. Min Basadur’s stature, let alone be given the privilege of interviewing him face to face. It’s perhaps testament to his talent that he is difficult to describe accurately with one professional title. He’s an Author, Thinker, Inventor, Consultant, Strategist, Innovator, Speaker, Researcher, Professor, Problem Solver and Founding Director of Basadur Applied Creativity Inc. and The Center for Research in Applied Creativity.

http://creativityresearch.blogspot.co.nz/2012/01/simple-simplex-simplexity-interview.html

Forget Networking. How to Be a Connector

2012-01-29T18:00:00.000-08:00

Shared by Robert Alan Black
We all know people like them, people who seem to know everyone. They're always able to help -- or if they can't, they know someone who can. You meet them for the first time and in 15 minutes, you're talking with them like you're childhood friends. They're successful, smart and funny, with a likable touch of self-deprecation. And they're interested in everything.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222707

Famous Creators on the Fear of Failure

2012-01-29T17:57:00.000-08:00

While intended as advice for design students, these simple yet important insights are relevant to just about anyone with a beating heart and a head full of ideas — a much-needed reminder of what we all rationally know but have such a hard time internalizing emotionally.http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/05/12/fear-of-failure/

Visualising Creativity

2012-01-29T11:31:00.000-08:00

The ability to think creatively, and from that innovate, is a key skill in any business. Whether it’s sales, customer service, operations or management, being able to solve problems and develop new products and services is ultimately the difference between business success and failure.
http://blog.mindjet.com/2012/01/visualizing-creativity

Creativity is not what it used to be

2012-01-29T11:28:00.000-08:00

Dimis Michaelides' thoughts on creativity
http://www.dimis.org/

How the mind creates ideas

2012-01-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

More from Michael Michalko in Psychology Today
"When you are brainstorming for ideas and have a thought, the value of that thought depends upon how you interact with it. We are educated to be critical, judgmental, logical thinkers and to instantly evaluate and judge thoughts based on our past experiences. If there is any ambiguity, the judgment is invariably negative and the thought dissipates back into nothingness. The ordinary mind has no tolerance for ambiguity because it is conditioned to simplify the complexities of life."
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creative-thinkering/201201/how-the-mind-creates-ideas

Creativity Crisis?

2012-01-29T11:19:00.000-08:00

Big Think is a site worth exploring. This short clip featuirng Tom Stewart, then editor of the Harvard Business Review, is one exploring aspects of creativity.
http://bigthink.com/ideas/2864

Free Email Courses

2012-01-26T20:14:00.000-08:00

Mindwerx International and the Buzan Centre @ Mindwerx are committed to Tony Buzan's vision of Global Mental Literacy - that is the ability of everyone to understand how their brains work and how to improve the way they think and learn.
10-Day How to Mind Map®
10-Day Teaching Others to Mind Map®
8-Day Introduction to Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats®

http://www.mindwerx.com/free-email-ecourses

Creativity and Mental Illness

2012-01-26T20:12:00.000-08:00

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder have been linked with creativity. The relationship may occur because some of the genes that contribute to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder also contribute to creativity.

http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsArticle.aspx?articleid=334891

Creativity: Dissonant Goals into Radical Harmony

2012-01-26T20:10:00.000-08:00

The idea that visionary geniuses are best-poised for radical innovation is simply misleading. Maybe Jobs or Steve Wozniak were visionary geniuses working in uninterrupted solitary isolation … when they weren’t busy working crazy-long hours with the rest of their über-talented crews in the cultural cradle of high-tech innovation.

More here: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1668889/the-truth-creativity-comes-from-blending-dissonant-goals-into-radical-harmony

12 steps for fostering your creativity

2012-01-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

Marie Patchen in her blog Mynx Writes says "If I could, I would take every single bit of advice in this poster and turn it into one of the 12 Steps For Fostering Your Creativity this weekend. However, rest assured that you don't need to stop at the 12 steps listed here today. Find your own copy of this poster, frame it up, and hang it in your writing space - and don't be afraid to open yourself up to being the creative creature that you are."

http://mynxwrites.blogspot.com/2012/01/12-steps-for-fostering-your-creativity.html

Why creativity

2012-01-26T10:55:00.000-08:00

Why Creativity? looks to the heart of the very question addressed in the title. With insightful and motivational answers from some of today's most creative minds, including Julien Smith, David Meerman Scott, Patrick Algrim, Matthew E May, Gregg Fraley, Mike Brown, and Frank Chimero. You can download the ebook right now, for free from http://aspindle.com/ebooks/why-creativity/

Creative Dissidents: Stop Shortchanging Talented Kids Who Challenge Us

2012-01-25T20:00:00.000-08:00

Mark Phillips is a columnist for the Marin Independent Journal and the The Answer Sheet. He has this to say.
"A few years ago I spent time at Eagle Rock School, a wonderful school in Colorado for so-called "at-risk" kids from all over the country. I noticed that many of the best students were highly creative kids with extraordinary leadership, presentation and communication skills. Exploring further, I discovered that many of these same students had been in and out of two or three high schools prior to coming to Eagle Rock; in some cases voluntarily, in some cases not."

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/creative-dissidents-mark-phillips

POPUPHOOD

2012-01-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

The POPUPHOOD is a new urban initiative and small business incubator revitalizing Oakland, block by block. This is an innovative strategy for breathing new life into the city’s retail sector in downtown’s hip, historic Old Oakland neighborhood.

http://vimeo.com/33187820

The Introversion - Creativity Link

2012-01-24T11:38:00.000-08:00

The ability to reach inside your mind to produce and develop great thoughts is a quality that we all cherish. How can you best develop your own creativity? The answer may lie partly in the makeup of your personality and partly in your ability to marshal certain brain powers

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201201/the-introversion-creativity-link-how-build-your-brains-alpha-power

The Art of the Idea

2012-01-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

Shared by Francois Coetzee

John Hunt is an award-winning playwright, author, and Worldwide Creative Director of TBWA. He has witnessed again and again the power of original thinking to transform both companies and individuals. At the Berlin School President's Lecture, John will be sharing his ideas about what creative leadership means today as he presents his new book, The Art of the Idea. In this book Hunt addresses everyone from the global boardroom to the man on the street, demonstrating how to create space so ideas can breathe. Copies of his book will be available at the event for purchase.

Part 1 of 6: Start here and follow the links on the side

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGpDIV-PIrY

It takes Two in the Innovation Tango

2012-01-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

Greg Fraley has his say about the effectiveness of brainstorming.
http://www.greggfraley.com/blog/?p=2658

Effective Brainstorming Works

2012-01-24T11:27:00.000-08:00

A recent New York Times article by Susan Cain challenged the effectiveness of brainstorming. Here is the link to Susan Robertson's rebuttal.

http://ideastogo.tumblr.com/post/16173123532/groupthinkrebuttal

Beyond Brainstorming

2012-01-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

Creativity is an idea-shaping process. Ideas themselves are a source of other ideas—and a useful strategy to remember something is to associate it with other ideas. One method of catalyzing the processes of creativity and memory is Tony Buzan's Mind Mapping technique.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/psychology-masala/201201/beyond-brainstorming

Miniature Pot Hole Gardens

2012-01-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

British artist/gardener Steve Wheen has been installing these gardens around East London for the past year and a half.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/keenan/20-miniature-pothole-gardens

That bad time made me more creative

2012-01-24T11:16:00.000-08:00

Many people face challenges in their lives they not only overcome, but are able to use for enhancing their creative work.

Mixed-media and glass artist Ginny Ruffner recovered from a near fatal car accident and a coma for five weeks and was confined to a hospital for five months.
Her story here: http://talentdevelop.com/5454/ginny-ruffner-that-bad-time-made-me-more-creative/

To make creativity sustainable, don’t wait.

2012-01-24T11:12:00.000-08:00

Shared by Robert Alan Black

Mere ideas aren’t worth anything.

When professional creatives are paid it’s because they either have worthwhile knowledge and experience that they can actively educate others about, or because they create work that sells.

In both cases, the only way to make creativity sustainable is to do something with your ideas.

http://www.creativesomething.net/post/16408033437

Introversion and creativity

2012-01-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

The ability to reach inside your mind to produce and develop great thoughts is a quality that we all cherish. How can you best develop your own creativity? The answer may lie partly in the makeup of your personality and partly in your ability to marshal certain brain powers.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201201/the-introversion-creativity-link-how-build-your-brains-alpha-power

How to Squeeze Creativity From Your Employees

2012-01-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

The makers of an Oscar-nominated short film app weigh in on managing uber-creative employees, running a studio like a start-up, and why CEOs should take more business trips.

http://www.inc.com/eric-markowitz/how-to-squeeze-creativity-from-your-employees.html

Brian Wilson and Creativity

2012-01-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

via Tara Grey Coste and the American Creativity Association

Lives are messy. Maybe that's why we try to put them in little boxes with neatly printed labels. Albert Einstein becomes "brilliant physicist." Ezra Pound is "crazy poet." Actors, musicians, authors, scientists -- all boiled down to a handful of words.

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/13/living/brian-wilson-creativity/index.html

Technologies impact on creativity

2012-01-18T11:23:00.000-08:00

Has the Internet spoiled creativity? Enhanced it? Or is creativity just changing with the rest of the world?
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/research/2012/creativity-under-pressure-in-the-new-media-landscape/

via Tara Grey Coste and the American Creativity Association

Creative Reinvention in 50s and Beyond

2012-01-12T11:14:00.000-08:00

Reinvention, encore careers, Don't Retire, Rewire, "Now I can wear purple" -- Boomers in the third age who want to change their lives are now in the spotlight. Many of us want to exercise our minds, bodies and creativity in new ways. But, what does it do for us to challenge ourselves to do new things? Is it just more fun?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karma-kitaj/creativity_b_1180007.html

Take a Line For a Walk: A Creativity Journal

2012-01-12T11:11:00.000-08:00

This isn’t your typical sketchbook. Robin Landa, Professor of Design at Kean University in New Jersey, collaborated with some of the nation’s top creative experts to bring readers a brainstorm session in the form of a journal. Contributors include Rick Valicenti of 3st, Pentagram’s Michael Bierut, and design critic Jessica Helfand, among other well-known artists and designers. “Consider this journal your creativity coach or personal exploratory zone sans pressure,” Landa writes in the introduction. Seattle’s Modern Dog Co. designed the book.

http://www.designersreviewofbooks.com/2012/01/take-a-line-for-a-walk-a-creativity-journal/

The Art of Junk: 7 Creative Approaches to Trash Reuse

2012-01-12T11:08:00.001-08:00

The concept of "recycling" usually refers to the breaking down of used items into raw materials and then using those materials to make new items. In contrast, the concept of "reuse" includes both using an item again for its original function, as well as for "new-life reuse" where it is used for a brand new function.

http://www.cultcase.com/2008/04/art-of-junk-7-creative-approaches-to.html

The Future Belongs to the Curious

2012-01-11T22:37:00.000-08:00

"We are all lifelong learners, from day one to twenty-thousand-and-one, and that’s why we keep exploring, wondering and discovering, yearning and learning, reaching with more than just our hands… The future belongs to the curious.”
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/01/11/the-future-belongs-to-the-curious-skillshare/

Is your clutter killing your creativity?

2012-01-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

From Goeff Goins

"Clutter is not my friend; it is my enemy.

Clutter is procrastination. It is the Resistance — a subtle form of stalling and self-sabotage. And it keeps me (and you) from creating stuff that matters.

The mess is not inevitable. It is not cute or idiosyncratic. It is a foe — and it is killing our art."

http://goinswriter.com/clutter/

Bringing your whole brain to work

2012-01-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

Michelle James of The Center for Creative Emergence, shares her expertise on the brain and its effects on human behavior … specifically as it pertains to creativity. We talk about stories, improv, somatics, natural resistance, risk-friendly work cultures, generational creaitvity, discovery sessions, and more in this 30-minute interview.

http://wemeanbiz.tv/2012/01/04/creativity-in-business-bringing-your-whole-brain-to-work-michelle-james/

Finding creative inspiration

2012-01-09T18:16:00.000-08:00

Guy Garvey, Isaac Julien, Martha Wainwright and other artists give their top tips for unleashing your inner genius.

https://apps.facebook.com/theguardian/culture/2012/jan/02/top-artists-creative-inspiration

Creativity Has Become the Elephant In the Board Room

2012-01-09T18:14:00.000-08:00

From Jim Prior in the Huffington Post
In 2012, politicians, economists and expert commentators will undoubtedly continue to speak out on how creativity and innovation are essential if we are to overcome the current economic malaise. Yet, for every creative company that commits to doing thrilling things, there are many more dull businesses throttling new ideas.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jim-prior/creativity-has-become-the_b_1180607.html

How the Unconscious Mind Boosts Creative Output

2012-01-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

New research finds we’re better able to identify genuinely creative ideas when they’ve emerged from the unconscious mind.
http://www.miller-mccune.com/culture/how-the-unconscious-mind-boosts-creative-output-38841/

Effective use of creativity and innovation

2012-01-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

Learn six important rules on how organizations can use creativity and innovation to boost performance. Nancy Napier, professor of strategy and executive director of the Centre for Creativity and Innovation in the College of Business and Economics, shares insight gained from her research into that question in this week’s Beyond the Blue faculty podcast “Effective Use of Creativity and Innovation.”

http://cobe.boisestate.edu/cci/2012/01/04/beyond-the-blue-podcast-effective-use-of-creativity-and-innovation-with-nancy-napier/

Are we getting dumber?

2012-01-09T17:55:00.000-08:00

"We are mentally lazy. Our education has conditioned our brains to circumvent deliberative and creative thinking wherever possible through rote memorization and robotic learning of formulas and principles. We have not been taught how to think for ourselves, we have been taught what to think based on what past thinkers thought. We are taught to think reproductively, not productively. We have been trained to seek out the neural path of least resistance, searching out responses that have worked in the past, rather than approach a problem on its own terms. This kind of thinking is dehumanizing and naturalizes intellectual laziness which promotes an impulse toward doing whatever is easiest or doing nothing at all."

From Michael Michalko http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creative-thinkering/201201/the-idiocracy-theory

Dr Suess for Adults

2012-01-09T17:48:00.000-08:00

Based on Dr. Seuss's final book before his death, this is a story about life's ups and downs, told by the people of Burning Man 2011.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahv_1IS7SiE&feature=share&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fl.php%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.youtube.com%252Fwatch%253Fv%253Dahv_1IS7SiE%2526feature%253Dshare%26h%3DcAQGEUccpAQG0M-s-i_5hFXpyouUkQ2-ViRHMUEuQoo2PfA&has_verified=1

Creativity - what is it and how do you express it?

2012-01-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

Perspectives from a bunch of creative people.

http://www.business2community.com/strategy/ponderings-creativity-what-is-it-and-how-do-you-express-it-071836

7 ways meditation increases creativity

2012-01-09T17:39:00.000-08:00

Our creative intelligence is not accessed by effort in the conventional sense that you learned at school or work. We cannot try or strive or strain for it, any more than we can strive to have fingers or feet. It’s more about dissolving the internal barriers that come between us and our innate creative potential, so we can align with it and allow it to flow more freely.

Meditation is a doorway between our inner and outer worlds. Between “reality” (the seemingly solid world that we can see, hear, smell, taste and touch) and an elusive “something else” we sense beneath, between and beyond what those five senses can grasp.

Meditation offers enormous benefits for everyone, and a set of particular benefits for those who are engaged in a creative activity like writing.

http://janefriedman.com/2012/01/02/meditation-increases-creativity/?mid=574

Four Types of Creativity

2012-01-09T17:35:00.000-08:00

Creativity can be either emotionally or cognitively based, and it can also be spontaneous or deliberate. That gives you the four quadrants.
http://www.whatmakesthemclick.net/2011/02/03/100-things-you-should-know-about-people-57-there-are-4-types-of-creativity/#.TwsgmsnQ2jo.facebook

NEW Creative Edge Facebook Page

2011-12-22T18:40:00.000-08:00

You can check it out here - you might even LIKE it!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Creative-Edge/271547596234802
This will keep you updated with the planning for the creativity forum to be held in Taranaki / New Zealand in 2013. Check how you might be involved in it!

Why Creative People Are Eccentric

2011-12-22T11:41:00.000-08:00

It isn’t just average Joes who perceive highly creative individuals as eccentric. These individuals often see themselves as different and unable to fit in. The latest findings in brain imaging, creativity research and molecular biology suggest that these perceptions are not just based on a few anecdotal accounts of “weird” scientists and artists. In fact, creativity and eccentricity often go hand in hand, and researchers now believe that both traits may be a result of how the brain filters incoming information. Even in the business world, there is a growing appreciation of the link between creative thinking and unconventional behavior, with increased acceptance of the latter.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-unleashed-mind

15 scientific facts about creativity

2011-12-22T11:34:00.000-08:00

Although creativity keeps human society flourishing, science honestly offers few answers to how the intricate, infinitely complex concept actually works. No matter how much research pours into measuring and grasping the essential phenomenon, it seems as if more questions pop up than receive tangible answers. Theories and findings sometimes conflict with one another as well, meaning every "fact" presented here might very well end up discarded in due time. But that’s par for the course when exploring what seems almost entirely inexplicable.
http://www.onlineuniversities.com/15-scientific-facts-about-creativity

Test your memory

2011-12-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, the actor Alan Alda visited a group of memory researchers at the University of California, Irvine, for a TV show he was making. During a picnic lunch, one of the scientists offered Alda a hard-boiled egg. He turned it down, explaining that as a child he had made himself sick eating too many eggs. In fact, this had never happened, yet Alda believed it was real.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creative-thinkering/201112/test-your-memory-see-if-what-you-remember-is-true-or-false

12 things you were not taught about creative thinking at school

2011-12-22T11:18:00.000-08:00

Shared by Robert Alan Black

http://www.creativitypost.com/create/twelve_things_you_were_not_taught_in_school_about_creative_thinking

Do we value creativity in education?

2011-12-16T16:03:00.000-08:00

Shared by Tara Grey Coste

One study found that when teachers were asked to describe their favorite students, the personality traits cited correlated negatively with personality traits associated with creative students, such as being impulsive, emotional, individualistic, and having a preference to be alone when creating something new. Instead, teachers liked traits that ran counter to creativity, such as conformity, sincerity, reliability and unquestioned acceptance of authority.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/chunkamui/2011/12/15/do-we-value-creativity-part-1-in-schools-mostly-not-2/

You can't invest your life spirit in a compromise

2011-12-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

This from Robert Fritz. I really like his writings.

https://www.wisepond.com/blogs/2011/12/14/you-cant-invest-your-life-spirit-compromise?utm_source=sublist&utm_medium=emailmarketing&utm_content=bloglink1&utm_campaign=lifecompromiseblog

Conqering creativity crushers

2011-12-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

The creative process is very vulnerable to a variety of kinks. Four women who live and breathe creativity every day share the obstacles that can impede imagination and how to overcome them.
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/12/14/how-to-conquer-4-creativity-crushers/

Time Management for Creative People

2011-12-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

Mark McGuiness being interviewed about time management for creative people.

Topics covered in the video include:
■ Why time management matters to creative people (even if they don’t like to admit it!)
■ How to manage a portfolio creative career, juggling multiple creative projects at at time
■ Why I use a post-it note for my daily to-do list
■ How to avoid constantly checking email on your phone (without relying on willpower)
■ How to prioritize between creative ideas, deadlines and things that pay the bills
■ Where time management shades into big picture career decisions

http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/2011/12/13/video-time-management/

How nonsense sharpens the intellect

2011-12-14T12:54:00.000-08:00

The philosopher Soren Kierkegaard wrote that anomalies produce a profound “sensation of the absurd,” and he wasn’t the only one who took them seriously.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/health/06mind.html?src=tp

Can you imagine the impossible?

2011-12-14T12:50:00.000-08:00

An article by Michael Michalko shared via Francois Coetzee

"When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge." ......Albert Einstein

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creative-thinkering/201112/can-you-imagine-the-impossible

Pursue your passions

2011-12-14T12:44:00.000-08:00

Watch Sir. Ken Robinson share with us real-life stories on pursuing your own passions, changing directions and why you can't plan life "like a production line."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcnLU_zmfVQ

Creativity and Addiction

2011-12-14T12:40:00.000-08:00

Shared via Francois Coetzee
Why do so many creative people seem to have addiction problems?
http://www.quora.com/Creative-People-and-Artists/Why-do-so-many-creative-people-seem-to-have-addiction-problems#ans860828

Creative Recycling

2011-12-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

via one of my favourite sites - Reverse Garbage
http://www.jetsongreen.com/2011/12/pallet-house-prototype-smu-ibeam-design.html

At the Creative Edge

2011-12-11T12:17:00.000-08:00

This article about the proposed creativity gathering in Taranaki March 2013. Thanks to Antony Rhodes of Venture Taranaki
http://www.taranaki.info/business/news/detail.php/id/504

Painting by Micheal Smither

Taranaki has long been a hub of creativity, imagination and innovation, so what better place to host an international creativity gathering in March 2013?

New Plymouth-based creativity expert Wayne Morris of Future Edge is seeking interest in holding a creative gathering in Taranaki modelled on similar international events, and designed to bring some of the leading figures in creativity to the region.

“Creativity is everywhere in Taranaki. Our farming, engineering and creative industries are some of the most innovative in the world. Our arts communities are as vibrant as any in New Zealand. The Taranaki environment has lots to offer, and it’s the perfect place to host the first of this type of event in New Zealand,” says Wayne.

Titled "At the Creative Edge," the proposed event will be held on the three days leading into WOMAD 2013, ensuring the best of Taranaki can be showcased to international visitors. It will be marketed both nationally and internationally, and seek to become a regular addition to Taranaki’s events calendar.

“It’s about making sure creativity and the creative process is recognised, celebrated and enhanced. Without exercise creativity wanes, and the value of creativity to our businesses, teachers, thinkers and doers is in danger of being lost,” Wayne says.

“This event is important to make sure creativity is celebrated and enhanced as a resource for personal, business and community progress.”

At this stage the event is in the concept phase, and Wayne is looking to gather a team of experts and enthusiasts to work through both the viability and the logistics of such an event.

“The idea is there, the international model is there and the audience is there. Now all that’s needed is people to help me make it happen - big thinkers, detail thinkers, designers, money people, networkers - creativity doesn’t discriminate.”

If you’re keen to help make this happen right here in Taranaki then contact Wayne to register your interest or availability on 06 753 5914 or email wayne@future-edge.co.nz

Creative Edge Pod Cast

2011-12-10T13:04:00.000-08:00

My first ever pod cast thanks to Jeff Porter of Regional Business Talk Radio.
http://rbtradio.com/edo/2011/12/0003-creativity-taranaki/

How to cope with creativity [or a boring workplace]

2011-12-10T12:43:00.000-08:00

Creativity and fun in the corporate world.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/glassheel/2011/12/09/how-to-cope-with-your-creativity-or-a-boring-workplace/

Creativity for Life

2011-12-10T12:38:00.000-08:00

A great site - check it out!
http://www.scoop.it/t/creativity-for-life/

12 things you weren't taught in school about creative thinking

2011-12-10T12:36:00.000-08:00

http://www.scoop.it/t/creativity-for-life/p/794438706/twelve-things-you-were-not-taught-in-school-about-creative-thinking-the-creativity-post

How to lead a creative life

2011-12-10T12:32:00.000-08:00

This from Fast Company
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/161/how-to-live-a-creative-life

Your innovation level

2011-12-10T12:29:00.000-08:00

What innovation level are you playing at? Find out by reading the article "What's your innovation level?" that was published last Thursday in Dr Detlef Reis's column 'Creativity Un-Ltd.' in the Bangkok Post.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/economics/269784/what-s-your-innovation-mastery-level

The AHA Moment

2011-12-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

Creative breakthroughs are essential to innovation, but how do they happen? What are the ingredients for those moments to arise?
In this clip Daniel Goleman explains 3 steps to a breakthrough including the conditions for an "Aha!" moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fZmTY8d9Jy4

Christmas Creativity

2011-12-08T14:13:00.000-08:00

Its close to Christmas. I have had a good year and I'm feeling generous. I have 5 copies of my book The Creative Edge Workshop on a disc along with some other great creative material. I am going to give these 5 copies to the first 5 people who want them - posted anywhere in the world. The catch - you have to be someone who visits my blog on regular occasions. This offer closes at Christmas so if you want a copy you need to let me have a postal address. You can either put it in the comments box or email me wayne@future-edge.co.nz

At the Creative Edge

2011-12-08T12:03:00.000-08:00

International Creativity Gathering Taranaki New Zealand March 2013
AT THE CREATIVE EDGE
Why creativity?
The creative process is the most successful process for accomplishment in history. In today's world creativity is fundamentally important for our personal, social, economic and cultural well-being. The most important developments in civilisation have come about through the creative process. Without creativity their would be no progress.
Why Taranaki New Zealand?
Creativity happens at the EDGE. New Zealand sits on the EDGE of the world. Taranaki is on the EDGE of New Zealand. It is a creative place - we are known for our engineering and farming innovations, our creative industries and the vibrancy of our arts communities.Our natural environment is stunning.
When?
We are looking at the three days in march that lead in to one of Taranaki's major creative attractions - WOMAD - the World of Music. Arts and Dance. You will be getting six days exposed to imagination, creativity and innovation.
Interested?
We are seeking expressions of interest - in coming, in running a workshop, in sponsoring / partnering with us to make this a huge success.
We are open to your suggestions, hints, tips, advice, support - let us know via comments here or wayne@future-edge.co.nz

The educational value of creative disobedience

2011-12-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

Shared by Greg Fraley - an excellent article!!

“The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done – men who are creative, inventive and discoverers” –Jean Piaget

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2011/07/07/the-educational-value-of-creative-disobedience/
plus a link to my own article on creativity and education
http://future-edge.co.nz/Files/Creativity%20in%20Education.pdf

The only way to thrive is to innovate. It's that simple.

2011-12-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

Alex Tabarrok, professor at economics at George Mason University, says that only one thing will provide an edge: innovation. In response, Tabarrok has come up with a plan to launch a new “Innovation Renaissance,” powered by such diverse elements as patent reform and an educational overhaul.
http://blog.ted.com/2011/12/01/ted-book-maps-a-new-age-of-creativity-and-invention-launching-the-innovation-renaissance/

The Creativity of Scientists

2011-12-04T18:10:00.000-08:00

People sometimes argue about which scientific discovery or advance ranks as the greatest, as the most significant in the history of humankind. Popular answers include electricity, computers, immunizations, and antibiotics. Yet I would argue it's none of these, but rather the scientific method of inquiry itself.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201111/the-creativity-scientists

Five Manifesto's for a Creative Life

2011-12-04T18:04:00.000-08:00

A 'must-read' from Brain Pickings
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/04/08/five-manifestos-for-life/

Are Creative People More Apt to Deceive?

2011-12-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

A new research study suggests creative people are more likely to cheat than less creative people because their talent allows them to rationalize the action.http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/11/29/are-creative-people-more-apt-to-deceive/31985.html

Creative Flow

2011-12-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

Flow -- the mental state of being completely present and fully immersed in a task -- is a strong contributor to creativity. When in flow, the creator and the universe become one, outside distractions recede from consciousness and one's mind is fully open and attuned to the act of creating.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-barry-kaufman/consciousness-and-flow_b_1108113.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#undefined

Creative leaders for chaotic times

2011-12-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

Shared by Tara Grey Coste and the American Creativity Association

In his new book, "Great by Choice," co-author Jim Collins finds that the best-performing companies are led by executives who exhibit fanatic discipline, productive paranoia and empirical creativity.
http://www.industryweek.com/articles/with_creative_and_paranoid_leaders_great_companies_thrive_in_chaotic_times_26078.aspx

From procrastination to done

2011-12-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

Shared by Annalie Killian13 rules for realising your creative vision.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1665527/infographic-of-the-day-13-rules-for-realizing-your-creative-vision?partner=homepage_newsletter

How Miami became a creative hotpsot

2011-11-30T16:39:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago Miami was known mostly for its beaches and nightlife. Today it is a cultural destination with burgeoning ambitions. The city’s museums are expanding and its private spaces for art are increasingly active.http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/How+Miami+became+an+artistic+hotspot/25134
What lessons might we learn for our communities?

Some easy ways to teach creativity

2011-11-30T16:32:00.000-08:00

You're never too old to make your mind agile, flexible, self-aware, and able to see patterns and connections that more rigid minds miss.
Here are some ways you might do that.
http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/11/the-kaleidoscope-mind-some-easy-ways-to-teach-creativity/248790/

Creative Dreaming

2011-11-30T16:29:00.000-08:00

via Tara Grey Coste znd the American Creativity Association

For thousands of years, our ancestors believed dreams contain powerful messages. In very recent history, dreams have been dismissed as nonsensical bits of irrelevant information. The current scientific research is that dreams contain valuable information for problem solving and creativity.
http://republicanherald.com/news/slice-of-life-be-creative-with-your-dreaming-1.1235989

Creativity bursting forth

2011-11-30T16:26:00.000-08:00

Shared by Tara Grey Coste and the American Creativity Association

Many of us abandon our creative impulses as soon as we shed childhood's exuberance. We become boxed in by adult constraints, rarely allowing ourselves open time for artistic play and exploration. Doing art for its own sake, the way a young child becomes immersed in the spontaneous glory of line and color, is gone. Whole afternoons making up songs on guitar become a thing of the past. Reclaiming this part of ourselves later on is one of the surprising pleasures of growing older.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-gets-better/201111/creativity-bursting-forth

They can't commoditize creativity

2011-11-29T15:00:00.000-08:00

Britain and America need to reinvent their economies. That has been common ground since Lehman. As the nations who gained (and then lost) so much on the back of the supercharged financial centres of Wall Street and the City, the US and the UK have been forced to do a great deal of self-examination in recent years.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nick-jefferson/smile-they-cant-commoditi_b_1108576.html

Creative Kiwis

2011-11-29T14:52:00.000-08:00

Re:START have used shipping containers to create a temporary retail center on the site of the shopping mall destroyed in the Christchurch earthquake.
http://www.springwise.com/retail/temporary-shipping-container-mall-stimulate-economic-recovery-christchurch/

Creativity in pairs

2011-11-29T14:48:00.000-08:00

What makes creative relationships work? How do two people—who may be perfectly capable and talented on their own—explode into innovation, discovery, and brilliance when working together?
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/creative_pairs/2010/09/two_is_the_magic_number.html

Paul Smith talks business

2011-11-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a fascinating interview with fashion design guru Paul Smith, who talks about many aspects of growing a business in the creative industries. Shared by David Parrish
http://blog.davidparrish.com/tshirts_and_suits/2011/11/paul-smith-interview.html

Live without regret

2011-11-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

What are you doing about your forgotten dreams?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTFji8nDZPQ
Shared by Francois Coetzee

Creative Camping

2011-11-28T13:38:00.000-08:00

For those of us who are about to enter summer - and have families!
http://dornob.com/tent-tenements-modular-system-connects-multi-unit-tents/

Hard work plus talent equals creativity

2011-11-28T13:33:00.000-08:00

This from Keith Sawyer
The lesson is to choose an endeavor where you start out with some natural talent, and then to move forward and invest the necessary hours.
http://keithsawyer.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/hard-work-plus-talent-equals-creativity/

6 tips to running a creative business

2011-11-28T13:30:00.000-08:00

Some useful tips from a young entrepreneur.
http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/resources/2011/11/22/thursday-bram-on-selling-and-creating

Rethinking Business Schools

2011-11-24T17:37:00.000-08:00

I believe that the domains of art and creativity have something to offer American business schools and the larger economy which they serve. This from Tom Tresser.http://blog.artsusa.org/2011/11/15/time-for-new-thinking-being-in-our-business-schools/

HEADS UP!! START SAVING!!

2011-11-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

The planning has begun for a creativity gathering in New Zealand In March 2013.

It will be the three days leading up to a wonderful 3 day festival of music, arts and dance - WOMAD - www.womad.co.nz - that people might like to stay on for.

Six days of creativity in my home town http://www.newplymouthnz.com/VisitingNewPlymouth/ - not to be missed.

This is my first time organising such a gathering so advice, expressions of support and interest, access to networks, spreading the word, guidance and millions of dollars would be much appreciated.

You can email me on wayne@future-edge.co.nz

Thanks

Creativity Money Love

2011-11-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

"What does the education and skills system need to look like in order for people to lead fulfilled creative lives, and in order for the creative and cultural industries in the UK to thrive?" This is the question at the heart of the book Creativity Money Love: Learning for the 21st century, which was launched by Creative and Cultural Skills and youth arts organisation A New Direction.

You can download it here:
http://creative-blueprint.co.uk/downloads/CCS_CLM_PDF.pdf

The Creative and Cultural Skills site is also well worth a look. You can download the book from there as well.
http://www.ccskills.org.uk/

How 3D printing might revolutionise art.

2011-11-23T11:29:00.000-08:00

Gavin Artz shows the main avenues for digital, networked culture have the capacity to change real world processes. He also explains the growing complexities of the interactions between arts, community and business processes.

"For the first time since the industrial revolution arts, culture and creativity will be drivers of the economy and industrial processes." Gavin Artz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE3MRHzuYQs&feature=youtu.be

A creativity bias?

2011-11-19T11:59:00.000-08:00

CEOs, teachers, and leaders claim they want creative ideas to solve problems. But creative ideas are rejected all the time. A new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that people have a hidden bias against creativity. We claim to like creativity, but when we’re feeling uncertain and anxious—just the way you might feel when you’re trying to come up with a creative solution to a problem—we cannot recognize the creative ideas we so desire.
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/is-there-a-hidden-bias-against-creativity.html

Hiring for Creativity

2011-11-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

Every company wants innovation in one form or another, and innovation comes from creativity. But where does creativity come from? Finding the right kind of inspired individual to bring into your office is sometimes as much a talent as the artistic qualities you're looking for in the first place.
http://www.inc.com/guides/201107/expert-tips-on-hiring-for-creativity.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialmedia&utm_campaign=button

Teaching Creativity

2011-11-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

From Brian Cohen in the Huffington Post.

"Genius is the error in the system." -- Paul Klee

When a student asks me, an art teacher, how to do something, I often don't answer. It's not that I'm especially possessive of my acquired knowledge; to the contrary, I don't think knowledge belongs to anyone; it should be shared, or better yet, discovered.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-d-cohen/arts-education_b_1084498.html

Are you having fun yet?

2011-11-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

The wrong kind of organizational culture can kill innovation.More from Gregg Fraley. http://www.greggfraley.com/blog/?p=2437