Habits and Creativity

Shared by Shona Glentworth
A habit is something that we do endlessly and without thinking. Imagine if all of us had to think consciously to orient our intentions when we do something in our day to day.

“Your habits are incredibly powerful.” When you are in an environment that supports a habit, you end up carrying out that habit without thinking. If you are interested in habit change, then, you need to become aware of your environment to help stop yourself from behaving mindlessly.”


http://www.josebaldaia.com/intuinovare/?p=4426&lang=en

Talent, Passion and the Creativity Maze

"We live in a world mad for talent. From Hollywood and sports to executive search firms and HR departments around the globe, everyone seeks that special mix of natural abilities and attitudes that will make performance pop. A few months ago, Douglas Conant wrote a terrific blog post on how to find talented candidates for a job. When evaluating a potential hire, Conant looks for a strong mix of three qualities — competence, character, and skill as a team player. He gives great advice on how to find such a person. But he's missing a crucial ingredient."

http://blogs.hbr.org/hbsfaculty/2012/02/talent-passion-and-the-creativ.html#.T0xAJRYLEec.twitter

What is a school for?

The economy has changed, probably forever.

School hasn't.

School was invented to create a constant stream of compliant factory workers to the growing businesses of the 1900s. It continues to do an excellent job at achieving this goal, but it's not a goal we need to achieve any longer.

In this 30,000 word manifesto, I imagine a different set of goals and start (I hope) a discussion about how we can reach them. One thing is certain: if we keep doing what we've been doing, we're going to keep getting what we've been getting.

Our kids are too important to sacrifice to the status quo.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/stop_stealing_dreams/2012/02/stop-stealing-dreams-the-entire-manifesto-on-the-web.html

You can download it in various formats

Creativity and the Aging Brain

"The aging brain resembles the creative brain in several ways. For instance, the aging brain is more distractible and somewhat more disinhibited than the younger brain (so is the creative brain). Aging brains score better on tests of crystallized IQ (and creative brains use crystallized knowledge to make novel and original associations). These changes in the aging brain may make it ideally suited to accomplish work in a number of creative domains. So instead of promoting retirement at age 65, perhaps we as a society should be promoting transition at age 65: transition into a creative field where our growing resource of individuals with aging brains can preserve their wisdom in culturally-valued works of art, music, or writing."


http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-art/200903/creativity-and-the-aging-brain

My intertest in this is purely academic and nothing to do withj me getting old you understand!!

Entrepreneurs Need Creative Thinking After the Idea

Shared by Shona Glentworth     http://www.implement.co.nz

Most aspiring entrepreneurs believe their initial idea and inspiration requires the most important creative thinking. Experienced entrepreneurs will tell you that the initial idea is the easy part, and it’s the later implementation, and the competitive business marketing that are the real creative challenges.


http://www.forbes.com/sites/martinzwilling/2012/02/25/entrepreneurs-need-creative-thinking-after-the-idea/

Creative Edge Facebook Page

Hello to all who visit this Creative Edge blog.

I am just letting you know that many more links are to be found on my Creative Edge facebook page. All you have to do is go here and click on like and you will get all the updates.

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

True Innovation

Shared by Shona Glentwoth http://www.implement.co.nz

“INNOVATION is what America has always been about,” President Obama remarked in his recent State of the Union address. It’s hard to disagree, isn’t it? We live in a world dominated by innovative American companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google and Facebook. And even in the face of a recession, Silicon Valley’s relentless entrepreneurs have continued to churn out start-up companies with outsize, world-changing ambitions.
But we idealize America’s present culture of innovation too much."


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/opinion/sunday/innovation-and-the-bell-labs-miracle.html?_r=2

Before I die

Candy Chang is an artist who explores making cities more comfortable and contemplative places. This is her site. Enjoy her projects here.
http://candychang.com/before-i-die-in-nola/

Groupthink

More about the pro's and con's of brainstroming.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_lehrer?currentPage=all

Back to South Africa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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