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

is there a psychological bias against creativity?

You come up with a great new idea at work, or at home. Or a political leader actually tries something “new and different” when faced with a previously intractable problem. But then, rather than grateful acceptance, or even a fair hearing, the idea is squashed, ridiculed, or otherwise ignored. Sound familiar?http://www.forbes.com/sites/toddessig/2011/09/06/managing-the-psychological-bias-against-creativity/

Colourful Potholes

Juliana Santacruz Herrera began this beautification project in Paris, selectively decorating cracked and broken parts of the pavement with stretched yarn in a rainbow of colors.
http://dornob.com/colorful-yarn-turns-potholes-from-pock-into-beauty-marks/

Patchwork Orange

The art of fixing buildings with LEGO blocks.
http://dornob.com/patchwork-orange-art-of-fixing-buildings-with-lego-blocks/

The Power of Words

Hmmmmmmm!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU&feature=youtu.be

Steve Jobs and the Eureka Myth

We've all heard the old saying about the balance between inspiration and perspiration. As well-known as this saying is, we often tend to forget it when we come upon things that really look effortless. Take Apple.More here:
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/08/steve_jobs_and_the_myth_of_eur.html#.TmbXw5EZDEU.facebook

How small wins unleash creativity.

Shared via Francois Coetzee.In their new book, The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work , authors Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer discuss how even seemingly small steps forward on a project can make huge differences in employees' emotional and intellectual well-being.
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6685.html?wknews=09072011

What we learn from doodles.

Sunni Brown from the CNN Ideas Series: Doodles are an ancient human art form
She says doodling is a way to visualize ideas and learn more quickly
Studies show those who doodle retain more of the information they are taught
Brown thinks drawing should be recognized with reading, writing and speaking.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/09/01/opinion/brown-creativity-doodles/

Mark Twain on Creativity

A quote from a letter from Mark Twain to Helen Keller."The kernal, the soul — let us go further and say the substance, the bulk, the actual and valuable material of all human utterances’— is plagiarism."
More here:
http://ordinary-gentlemen.com/alexknapp/2011/09/01/mark-twain-on-creativity/

John Seeley Brown: On Creativity

Link to video shared by Tara Grey Coste
http://thecuriousbrain.com/?p=24259

Happiness: Good for creativity; bad for focus

Happy people are open to all sorts of ideas, some of which can be distracting.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=happiness-good-for-creati

Creativity Questionnaire

I recently re-read the Art Therapy Sourcebook by Cathy Malchiodi. I use bits from it in my creativity retreats and workshops.The following questions I find most useful. I incorporate them into some art activity and visualisation process.

1. How do you define creativity?
2. Do you consider yourself a creative person? If you do, what characteristics make you creative? If you do not, why not? Who in your life do your consider creative? What characteristics make this person creative?
3. Can you recall an instance in which you were particularly creative? Describe this instance.
4. Are there cycles to your creativity? Are there times when  you are more creative than others?
5. is there something in particular that inspires your creativity? Are you more creative when you are happy, or does some other emotion drive your creativity? Do you feel more creative working alone or in a group?
6. How do you feel when you are not creative?
7. is there a creative activity that you want to pursue that you have been postponing? What is it? What is stopping you from doing it? is there a creative project that you stated but never finished? Why / why not?

How would you answer these questions?

Creative Spaces

An inspiring environment can greatly aid the creative process. Does it follow then, that those whose maintain ’round-the-clock creative jobs will benefit from inspirational surroundings?
Have a look here: http://mashable.com/2011/08/29/digital-agency-offices/

Creativity not well received

A link to a link the Cornell study that suggests that creativity is not as well received as we think it should be. Using creativity to solve problems is usually encouraged and championed as companies' secret to success. But researchers have questioned whether people actually welcome creative tastes with open arms.
http://news.discovery.com/human/creativity-110831.html

The pain behind creativity

Madhukas Sabnavis on the stories behind the stories we often see and enjoy. He suggests we need to appreciate the effort that goes into their craftsmanship.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/madhukar-sabnavispain-behind-creativity/447769/

From garbage to gorgeous

Lamps from garbage
http://weburbanist.com/2010/12/01/bright-ideas-41-bold-beautiful-bizarre-recycled-lamps/

The case against critical thinking

How to change our universities.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_8n0gLmL9M&feature=share

People are biased against creative ideas

The next time your great idea at work elicits silence or eye rolls, you might just pity those co-workers. Fresh research indicates they don't even know what a creative idea looks like and that creativity, hailed as a positive change agent, actually makes people squirm.According to this study people want but reject creative ideas.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Aug11/ILRCreativityBias.html

Best use of military hardware I know

Shared via Reverse Garbage
http://dornob.com/mine-craft-old-naval-explosives-turned-into-new-furniture/

Re-cycle Workshop

Magnificent Revolution set up the Re-Cycle Workshop in 2009 to transform second-hand bicycles, appliances and other found objects for their exhibition The Pedal Powered Home
http://www.magnificentrevolution.org/projects-2/recycled-bike-works/

The Creativity of Anger

The dark side of creativity may well have its place.More here:
www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/08/the-creativity-of-anger/

Is Conscientiousness Compatible with Creativity?

From Tara Grey Coste via Psychology Today
When it comes to achievement, conscientiousness is a great thing. All else being equal, the person who has tenacity, persistence, stamina, and grit will be more successful then the person who is lazy and unmotivated. Over 25 years of research supports this commonsense view: Conscientiousness is the most consistent and best predictor of both job and academic performance.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/beautiful-minds/201108/is-conscientiousness-compatible-creativity

What's an idea?

An idea is our imagination’s way of responding to a gap. A gap might be created by a question that doesn’t have an answer or a problem that doesn’t have a solution. We bridge the gap by forming a new association or connection. That’s an idea
From Gerard J. Puccio, Ph.D. Gerard is the author of “Creative Leadership” and director of the International Center for Studies in Creativity in Buffalo, New York. He also chairs the world’s very oldest program in Creative Studies.
http://brightnow.eu/articles/show/whats-an-idea

Break through your creative blocks

More wisdom from Mark McGuiness at Lateral Action.
Includes links to 20 other ways of dealing with creative blocks.
http://networkedblogs.com/mqCjn