NEW Creative Edge Facebook Page

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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]

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

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

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

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

Your innovation level

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Creative Camping

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

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

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

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!!

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

"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.

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?

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

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

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?

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

The future of business is in the arts

Some years ago Business Week magazine (BW) the leading publication for business said: "The game is changing... It isn't just about math and science anymore (Although those are surely important disciplines) It's about creativity, imagination, and, above all, innovation."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-m-eger/the-future-of-business-is_b_1091774.html

The creative benefits of constraints

One of the many paradoxes of human creativity is that it seems to benefit from constraints. Although we imagine the imagination as requiring total freedom, the reality of the creative process is that it’s often entangled with strict conventions and formal requirements.
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/11/need-to-create-get-a-constraint/

Creativity needs a muse or a drill sergeant?

"Creative" industries such as advertising, software design, and the like are supposed to require a loose, anything-goes culture, in which workers are free to come, go, and dress as they please. Not according to Stan Richards.
http://www.inc.com/magazine/201111/stan-richards-unique-management-style.html

Creative Thinkering

Resurrecting your natural creativity through inspiring techniques and practical examples by Michael Michalko
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creative-thinkering

is creative collaboration all it is cracked up to be?

We’ve all been there. The boardrooms with flip charts at the front of the room and candy on the table. The all-hands emergency meetings to come up with ideas to fix the latest mess. And of course, the off-sites in drab hotel ballrooms that are supposed to somehow spark creativity. But does it?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/efforts-to-push-creative-collaboration-might-actually-clog-the-wheels/2011/10/31/gIQAlMCzqM_story.html

Does education stifle creativity?

The idea that formal education reduces creativity appears to be supported largely by anecdotes rather than scientific evidence, although it is sometimes cited as if it were a well established fact. More here:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/youre-hired/201111/does-education-stifle-creativity

Creativity and Curiosity

Professor Colin Lawson asks, "Do we make stuff up or find stuff out"
http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/11/09/creativity-and-curiosity-do-we-make-stuff-up-or-find-it-out/

Deadlines

Lessons to be learned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jgvx9OfZKJw

Turning fear and doubt into fuel for brilliance

JONATHAN FIELDS is the author of the book “Uncertainty. Turning fear and doubt into fuel for brilliance.” It’s an important book for creative people.
More here: http://www.business2community.com/podcasts/ideasicle-podcast-episode-19-creativity-expert-jonathan-fields-091635

21st Century Enlightenment

Matthew Taylor explores the meaning of 21st century enlightenment, how the idea might help us meet the challenges we face today, and the role that can be played by organisations such as the RSA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo&feature=player_embedded#!

Visual Storytelling

" We now live in a world where information is potentially unlimited. Information is cheap, but meaning is expensive. Where is the meaning? Only human beings can tell you where it is. We’re extracting meaning from our minds and our own lives.” George Dyson
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/10/25/visual-storytelling-gestalten/

The shared experience of absurdity

TED Talks Charlie Todd of Improv Everywhere causes bizarre, hilarious, and unexpected public scenes: Seventy synchronized dancers in storefront windows, "ghostbusters" running through the New York Public Library, and the annual no-pants subway ride.
http://www.ted.com/talks/charlie_todd_the_shared_experience_of_absurdity.html

Rebranding your creative business

More great stuff from Mark McGuiness of Lateral Actionhttp://networkedblogs.com/pYaEt

Community Organiser as Entrepreneur

Another installment of my friend vivian Hutchinson's book How Communities Heal- stories of social innovation and social change. Well worth the read
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6110524433218764527

Mercedes Whole Brain Ads

What might we learn from them?
http://blog.entrepreneurthearts.com/2011/11/09/mercedes-whole-brain-ads-musicpaintpassion/

Business and the Arts

"Business is creative. It’s like painting. You start with a blank canvas. You can paint anything – anything – and there, right there, is your first problem. For every good painting you might turn out, there are a zillion bad paintings just aching to drip off your brush. You pick a colour. The next colour you choose has to work with the first colour. The third colour has to work with the first and the second…


People who bad-mouth businessmen and women in general are missing the point. People in business who succeed have swallowed their fear and have set out to create something special, something to make a difference to people’s lives."


Richard Branson from Mark McGuiness in Lateral Action. Another great blog from Mark. You should sign up to his blog and consider joining his next Creative Entrepreneur Roadmap course.


Blog and information here:
http://networkedblogs.com/pAZM7

Creative Thinking Techniques

Link to a site that has 10 creative thinking tecniques in some detail.
http://www.squidoo.com/creative-techniques#module48231882

The Physical Act of Creativity

New research is pointing to a possible link between bodily movement and creative thinking. Psychological scientist Angela Leung of Singapore Management University (working with colleagues at the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and Cornell, and others) got interested in this possibility because of the many common metaphors linking creativity and physical experience—“thinking outside the box,” for example. A rich body of recent work has suggested that such metaphors may derive from an actual and intimate link between abstract concepts and concrete experience, and that priming physical sensations can activate abstract ideas.
http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/full-frontal-psychology/the-physical-act-of-creativity.html

Creativity and Video Games

Despite what your mother might have told you, a new study suggests that playing video games might not rot your brain.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2395824,00.asp#fbid=4FAwAOg5-Vm

Dr Dirt: Street Artist

Street artist Moose Benjamin Curtis was having some difficulty with the police. The officers had just arrested him for creating designs on a wall in South London. But it was complicated -- as things often are when Moose is involved.


You see, Moose doesn't use spray paint or wallpaper paste -- the usual tools of this trade. Instead, he wields scrub brushes, old socks, cleaning fluid, and, when he's living large, a high-pressure hose. He creates images by cleaning shapes into filthy urban surfaces such as retaining walls, signs, and tunnels.


People have called it "reverse graffiti," "clean graffiti," and "negative space." Moose prefers "grime writing." He has called himself "a professor of dirt."


http://www.grist.org/cities/2011-11-04-dr.-dirt-street-artist-scrubs-images-into-the-urban-landscape

Made by Hand

We meet writer turned knife maker Joel Bukiewicz of Cut Brooklyn. He talks about the human element of craft, and the potential for a skill to mature into an art. Creativity = passions + hardwork.http://vimeo.com/31455885

The persistence of memories

Pioneering programs at MoMA and other museums show that engagement with modern art can improve quality of life for Alzheimer’s patients and their caregivers.
http://www.artnews.com/2011/11/01/the-persistence-of-memories/

Tracking the talent, finding the leaders

Our existing models of leading are not proving so successful that they ought not to be challenged.Organizations need talented people more than talented people need organizations. So -- in these times when top talent is hard to find and staff are less loyal to employers -- successful businesses are focused on building great leaders.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/31/business/talent-training/index.html

Decisions as products?

Creativity is about new ideas and new decisions. In this interview, Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman says organizations should think of decisions like any other product, and apply quality controls.
http://networkedblogs.com/pjk1W

The Art of Doing Remarkable Things

From Mark McGuiness at Lateral Action - an interview with Steven Pressfield.
http://lateralaction.com/steven-pressfield/

The New Einsteins

In January 2009, a mathematician at Cambridge University named Tim Gowers decided to use his blog to run an unusual social experiment. He picked out a difficult mathematical problem and tried to solve it completely in the open, using his blog to post ideas and partial progress. He issued an open invitation for others to contribute their own ideas, hoping that many minds would be more powerful than one. He dubbed the experiment the Polymath Project.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204644504576653573191370088.html

Conflict and creativity

We tend to assume that arguments are bad. We're wrong.
The best ideas often come from arguing. Here are two examples:
http://www.buffalonews.com/life/columns-advice/lisa-earle-mcleod/article593853.ece

Does conviction or creativity drive innovation?

"In business circles, "creativity" has become a buzzword to describe a desired trait among employees. But to innovate, conviction is more important." according to Doreen Lorenzo.
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/10/17/innovation-creativity/

Great ideas, innovation and connectivity

http://www.saraharrow.co.uk/great-ideas-innovation-and-connectivity/

How to create a more intentional life

I had the pleasure of meeting the author of this piece, Whitney Ferre, in South Africa. Whitney is the author of The Artist Within, A Guide to Becoming Creatively Fit and 33 Things to Know About Raising Creative Kids. She helps an international audience get CREATIVELY FIT through her online programs at www.creativelyfit.com.

http://www.creativity-portal.com/articles/whitney-ferre/create-intentional-life.html

It is impossible not to make connections

From Michael Michalko in Training.Michael Michalko is the author of “Creative Thinkering,” “Thinkertoys,” “Cracking Creativity,” and “ThinkPak.” While an army officer, he organized a team of NATO intelligence specialists and international academics to find the best inventive thinking method. He has expanded and taught these techniques to numerous Fortune 500 companies and organizations. Visit him online at http://www.CreativeThinking.net.
http://trainingmag.com/article/it-impossible-not-make-connections

How to kill creative ideas

via Marci Segal via Dilbert. Ain't that the truth!
http://networkedblogs.com/oTxtE

The mystery of the creative mind

To come up with ideas that change the world – to create and innovate – is perhaps one of the most important capacities of the human brain.


But neuroscientists, despite 15 years of brain-imaging studies, are unable to define the circuitry involved in creative thinking.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/tech-news/the-minds-of-creative-geniuses-like-steve-jobs-remain-a-scientific-mystery/article2193811/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheGlobeAndMail-Entertainment+%28The+Globe+and+Mail+-+Arts+News%29

Create something every day!

"Doing something start to finish each day not only helps you get over the fear of starting a project, but also the fear of finishing one," explains Mike Winkelman, an animator and VJ known as Beeple, and creator of Flying Lotus's "Kill Your Coworkers" music video. On May 1, 2007, he decided he was going to complete an art project every day. He hasn't missed a day since -- he calls his projects "everydays."
http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2011/10/creativity-is-hustle-make-something-every-day/246377/#slide3

Interview with Robert Fritz

Robert Fritz has written The Path of Least Resistance, Creating, Corporate Tides, The Path of Least Resistance for Managers, Your Life as Art, The Managerial Moment of Truth and Elements. http://www.wisepond.com/SandraLeeSchubertBlogRadioInterview

From Yawp to Poetry

This shared by Bob Eckert."There needs to be a bit more movement from Yawp to poetry in this world. From Blamestorming to brainstorming. From complaining to solving. From finger pointing to action."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLFQYbjYsso&feature=share

The Accidental Creative

An interview with Todd Henry on Lateral Action
http://networkedblogs.com/oJrYP

Creativity is your birthright.

From Visual Funk
http://www.creativeteambuilding.com.au/creativity-is-your-birthright

Why education without creativity isn't enough!

Science and math won't improve U.S. job prospects. But creativity will.
Last April, when sharing a stage at Facebook with CEO Mark Zuckerberg, President Obama summed up the conventional wisdom on what's needed to shape American minds for the global marketplace. "We've got to do such a better job when it comes to STEM education," he said. "That's how we're going to stay competitive for the future." If we could just tighten standards and lean harder on the STEM disciplines--science, technology, engineering, mathematics--we'd better our rigorous rivals in India and China, and get our economy firing on all cylinders. As with much conventional wisdom, this is conventional in the worst sense of that word.
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/159/indian-engineers-education

The best way to kill creativity

From Scott Adams of Dilbert fame.
I wonder if the best way to kill creativity is to encourage it. This notion will take some explaining.
http://www.dilbert.com/blog/entry/?EntryID=686&print=1

The power of creativity: How game design changes the way we think.

Game designers, who must capture and retain players' attention and interest quickly, need to understand human psychology and culture.http://www.theatlantic.com/life/archive/2011/09/the-power-of-creativity-how-game-design-changes-the-way-we-think/245441/

Nature's toys stimulate creativity in chidren

"It lay in the dirt road that magically transformed itself into a soccer field or in the stones that became baseballs or the old bottle perched on a fence post that was converted into a target. The magic for them lay in the time to play and create, to explore and discover.http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/family-bikes/2011/sep/18/natures-toys-stimulate-creativity-children/

Speed Storming Organisational Creativity

Combining brain storming and speed dating.
A team of interdisciplinary researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, coupled the older popular technique of brainstorming with speed-dating to come up with a new technique of "speed-storming" to foster creative work instead of romantic involvements; however, I am not sure if conjugal pairing might not happen anyway, at least occasionally, as a result of speed-storming.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/psychology-masala/201109/speed-storming-organizational-creativity

The world needs more creativity

There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would forever be repeating the same patterns - Edward de Bono
Fortunately things must change. With the world facing multiple crises, it is now imperative that leaders and business encourage creativity at every level. Because, creativity is the mother of innovation and both are critical to the future of our planet.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/110918/BusinessTimes/bt07.html

Networking creatively

Networking is a creative business. No, really. For many people, it conjures up images of business-card exchanges, or standing around with a swizzle stick and a cocktail sausage, making small talk.
http://www.creative-choices.co.uk/industry-news-views/article/networking-creatively

How to grow creativity and innovation

In our turbulent times, creativity and innovation increasingly constitute not just a way to promote growth, but a potential precondition for survival for states, companies and organisations.
http://www.leader.co.za/article.aspx?s=6&f=1&a=3158

The dark side of creativity

Creativity is vital. It can generate new products, invigorate old ones, launch or enhance a brand and introduce efficiencies that increase the bottom line. But where does creativity come from, and how can it be harnessed?
http://www.leader.co.za/article.aspx?s=6&f=1&a=2045

Long term business solutions start with creative leadership

Creativity is the basis for disruptive innovation and continuous reinvention required in the volatile, uncertain and complex business environment, and starts with “creative thinking” leadership.
http://www.leader.co.za/article.aspx?s=6&f=1&a=2394

How to avoid stupid 'best practices'

Stephen Shapiro on avoiding 'best pratices'.
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/video/avoid-best-practices-stupid-14660596

Influencers - how do they stand out?

This short-film shared by Francois Coetzee is really cool. It’s a creative outlook on how people become influencers and how they turn things into something influential. Filmed through the eyes of New York’s most creative, we’ve gathered that there’s no real secret to becoming influential.
http://www.finerminds.com/consciousness-awareness/influencers-what-makes-them-standout/

Create your own business formula

Any plan for a creative or digital business must be based on the values and objectives of the entrepreneurs concerned and at its heart must be a realistic 'business formula'.
This article from David Parrish shows you how to combine your own unique values and objectives to create a business formula that works
http://www.davidparrish.com/page.asp?pgid=170&pgsid=23

Ways to be more creative - NOW!

Do Something Creative Now. Something that might become a habit, like smoking, only positive. Many people have the ‘more creative’ impulse and then let it float away on the raft of inaction.
Greg Fraley shares: http://www.greggfraley.com/blog/?p=2165

Original Thinkers

Original Thinkers: What qualities? Dr. Mark Batey, Manchester Business School
shared by Marci Segal http://networkedblogs.com/nBeK1

Qualities of Creative Individuals

Marci Segal shares the work of Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi. How do you fare?
http://networkedblogs.com/nBZut

Want to become a better writer?

When George Plimpton asked Ernest Hemingway what the best training for an aspiring writer would be in a 1954 interview, Hem replied, "Let’s say that he should go out and hang himself because he finds that writing well is impossibly difficult. Then he should be cut down without mercy and forced by his own self to write as well as he can for the rest of his life. At least he will have the story of the hanging to commence with."
More : http://the99percent.com/tips/7082/25-Insights-on-Becoming-a-Better-Writer

How great leaders inspire action

Simon Sinek has a simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership all starting with a golden circle and the question "Why?" His examples include Apple, Martin Luther King, and the Wright brothers.
http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html

Sir Paul Callaghan on 'sci-tech' and entrepreneurial genius.

From Idealog: Sir Paul said the only way to reverse the brain drain, create a prosperous society and make New Zealand a place where talent wants to live is by turning our small size into an advantage, and investing in niche, hi-tech, high-value industries.


“That requires entrepreneurial genius and understanding of how to meld the technology, skill and engineering to that market opportunity that you have seen – that's the genius that is needed.”


http://idealog.co.nz/blog/2011/09/never-fear-knowledge-paul-callaghan-need-entrepren?utm_source=IdealogDailyBacon&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=20110923

Ernesto Sirolli on Entrepreneurtship

Paul Bishop interviews Ernesto Sirollihttp://www.vimeo.com/29240175
Sirolli's web site is worth a look at:
http://www.sirolli.com/About/DrErnestoSirolli/tabid/110/Default.aspx

Ways your memory plays tricks on you

From Matt Moore at Cracked.comScience has found that your memory is basically a pathological liar, just making it up as it goes along. For instance ...
5 Mind Blowing Ways Your Memory Plays Tricks On You | Cracked.com http://www.cracked.com/article_18704_5-mind-blowing-ways-your-memory-plays-tricks-you.html#ixzz1Ytxb6EfV

The WAYSEER Manifesto

Shared bu Vivian Hutchinson
ATTENTION: All you rule-breakers, you misfits & troublemakers, all you free-spirits & pioneers... Everything the establishment has told you is wrong with you - is actually what's right with you...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPR3GlpQQJA

When your boss says 'Be creative" . . . . .

6 things you can do from Marci Segal
http://networkedblogs.com/nfJTW

Creative Recycling

Great for the environment in several ways - great video clip!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOl4vwhwkW8&feature=share

Transcending fear in the creative process

5 timeless insightshttp://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2011/09/12/fear-creativity/

Is there a template for creativity?

Mark McGuiness of Lateral Action asks the question.
http://networkedblogs.com/mV1Be

When creativity kills.

Phil Cook offers the following:
Be creative. Be wild. But make sure your creativity is serving a bigger cause. Otherwise, your greatest work will ultimately fail.
http://philcooke.com/when-creativity-kills/

Train your brain to be an idea generating machine

Cheryl Craigie asks if you suffer from 'dry well syndrome' and then offers ways to keep those ideas flowimg.
http://writetodone.com/2011/09/09/make-your-brain-creativ/

Help Wanted

For the last few years I have been facilitating very successful creativity workshops here in New Zealand and at the ACRE Conferences in South Africa. www.sacreativity.com

Here are some participant comments:

"Outstanding - one of the best sessions I have been to at any creativity conf; Excellent, practical, life-changing."

“The Retreat gave me a chance to refocus on what creativity is and more paths to get there. The 'team' shared - but did not invade private spaces. We all had different focuses and interests yet the same goals.”   

“Space to reflect, connect, play in the ‘I can’t ‘ or haven’t before. Move out of comfortable known places into creative, dynamic diamonds.”                                              

“I now know my creative impulse is valid thanks to conversations, humour, support from all at the retreat, particularly Wayne as guide / facilitator. Self belief gives creativity one heck of a boost.”  

“A weekend of insight and the bonus of some fun.”

“Really good creative and interactive sessions in a safe environment. New relationships, heightened perception and lots of laughs made it a great retreat.”     

“Stretching. Encouraging. Great food. Great company.”                                            

“The days of the retreat gave me the time to unlock my personal box to look outside the square into the endless possibilities of creative expression. It was a fizzing, bubbling time of creative action prompted by Wayne's enabling guidance.”

“A life changing experience... The retreat showed me how to kick start my creativity! The retreat gave a wonderful opportunity for expanding horizons, breaking down barriers and pushing the creative comfort zone in a supportive environment.”

“For me, this is what I’ve taken from the retreat - lovely friendships., inspiration, joy, freedom, energy, a new way of looking at life, a fresh sense of fun and mischief.”

“From a percussion point of view... The exploration has begun! Coffee tins, bits of pipe, broom sticks, cooking utensils, 1/2 a glass of water etc have all become percussion instruments... Everyday items go from mundane to exciting when you ask yourself "I wonder what that sounds like if I give it a bash?"

“Your facilitation; It was ‘just right’ for me. I enjoyed the quotes, background theory, your insight and personal passion that set the scene and kept pulling us back to the purpose through out the weekend. I enjoyed the varied activities that made you think – e.g. draw using only 7 lines… and found the ‘visualisation’ exercises you talked us through very useful for me.  I liked the balance with freedom to choose and no requirements to perform or share if you didn’t want to (we’re perverse beings. – when you don’t have to you usually do!)”

"In the random beauty of the beach I discovered that even seeming chaos has elements of structure that I found engaging. I had FUN but also time for reflection and time to be creative and time to be still. One word that sums up my experience would be 'energising'."

“I found the retreat fun and relaxing and I feel that myself imposed pressure to be creative has gone. I am continuing to feel calm, relaxed and more efficient in all aspects of my life. I have a real feeling of well-being that I haven’t had for a while”

“Had a walk on the beach yesterday where I would usually avoid the stretch of pebbles. I walked straight over them and enjoyed the "music" they made, making up songs as I went.”

“A great eye-opener weekend on being ourselves and part of the team. Fun, informative and creative.”

“Thanks Wayne for a great weekend - positive and inspiring. Also highly educational regarding learning and behavioural characteristics. We are all    behaving in an 'above the line' manner at all times now.”

"Wayne did a great job of creating a supportive space for the creative process and then did a great job of not getting in the way of it! I had great fun playing with my creativity and the creativity of others. Everyone should do this!"

“Thanks Wayne for a great weekend - positive and inspiring. Also highly educational regarding learning and behavioural characteristics. We are all be having in an 'above the line' manner at all times now.”

“A fun and fascinating weekend conducted by Wayne which inspired me to put some creativity back into my life.”

“I think it was a combination of your hands-off approach combined with creative advice or ideas offered when requested, the stimulation of interacting with specific individuals in the group, and the creative atmosphere generated by the group as a whole that caused the magic to happen. The bubbling, buzzing feeling of being part of a group of people all listening to their creative sides at once has to be experienced to be believed!”

“Wow - creativity where I thought there was none and lots of fun. Thanks.”

 I am keen to run them in other parts of the world but am unsure how to make that happen - so if you are reading this and have some suggestions please let me know.

Thanks

Quest to Learn

Katie Salen is the executive director of the Institute of Play and one of the founders of the Quest to Learn schools in New York and Chicago. In this video, she talks about the role that games and game design can play in learning about systemshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqO0vruMZnw&feature=youtu.be

and some links to articles here:
http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/7395724-418/chicagoquest-promotes-game-playing-at-school.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/magazine/19video-t.html?pagewanted=1

Ocean Parts

If you have a coastline you have rubbish. See what can be done with it and some wire. A project for teachers and their classes perhaps - especially the masks?
http://design-milk.com/ocean-parts-by-koby-sibony/#more-80741

Creativity and Well-being

via Tara Grey CosteAccording to experts, being involved in creative activity can have a positive effect on health. This is increasingly being recognised with many new projects now using art to deliver health messages and to promote wellbeing.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/lifestyle/a/-/health/10218005/exercise-creativity-for-wellbeing/

Urban and Rural Entreprenuership

via Tara Grey CosteThe entrepreneurial dynamics of urban and rural areas are different, and this paper explores ’individual creativity’ and social network factors in both places. The probabilities of becoming an entrepreneur and of surviving are analyzed. The results are based on longitudinal data combined with a questionnaire, utilizing responses from 1,108 entrepreneurs and 420 non-entrepreneurs. Creativity is only found to be relevant for start-up in urban areas, but it does not influence survival in any of the two areas. The social network matters, in particular in rural areas. By combining the person and the environment, common entrepreneurship beliefs can be questioned and entrepreneurship theory benefited.
http://poliecon.com/2011/09/08/entrepreneurship-within-urban-and-rural-areas-individual-creativity-and-social-network/

Creativity in Play

Sir Ken Robinson on the state of creativity.
http://www.linkedin.com/news?viewArticle=&articleID=761486286&gid=2757420&type=member&item=69976940&articleURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eblogtalkradio%2Ecom%2Fcreativityinplay%2F2011%2F09%2F09%2Fsir-ken-robinson-on-the-state-of-creativity%3Fie8c%3D0&urlhash=aDIb&goback=%2Egde_2757420_member_69976940

The key skill for the 21st century is creativity.

Dr Mark Batey on the importance of creativity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw5klCFy1t8&feature=youtu.be

Be a little more creative about creativity

Creativity and creative thinking are studied across many disciplines from psychology to cognitive science, art, education, philosophy, technology, theology, sociology, linguistics, business studies, and economics. As a result, there are a multitude of definitions and it all depends how you use it.
http://www.innovationexcellence.com/blog/2011/09/07/lets-be-a-little-more-creative-about-creativity/

Do constraints force us to be more crearive?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-barry-kaufman/does-creativity-require-c_b_948460.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

Are children less imaginative and creative than they used to be?

It may sound like the complaint of a jaded adult, but the youth today are less creative and imaginative as they used to be, scientists have found.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Creativity-humour-on-decline-among-children/articleshow/9843997.cms?intenttarget=no