Last time we came up with a working definition of creativity as 1) connecting with the world and 2) affecting it in a meaningful way. We also looked at the various ways in which we engage the world through 1) our senses 2) our thoughts (including thoughts about how we perceive ourselves) and 3) our […]
Understanding Creativity Across Art, Science, and Religion Part I
It is common for people to pigeonhole creativity into a specific type of activity such as art, invention, or innovation. It is also common for people to say that there are creative “types” out there, those that seem to be inherently more creative than others. But from my own perspective, all of human activities share […]
Timelapse Cinematography Unveils the Dynamic Creativity Inherent to the Universe
Yosemite Range of Light from Shawn Reeder on Vimeo. Here is a clip from cinematographer, Shawn Reeder, featuring one of my all time favorite places in the world, Yosemite Valley, with other shots from the Eastern Sierras, Mono Lake, and Joshua Tree. One of the most important aspects of understanding creativity is seeing the dynamic, ongoing changes happening all […]
Co-Designing and Creativity: Developers and Users Team Up to Create Better Products
When it comes to creativity and innovation, inferior products are those that fail to meet the aesthetic and functional needs of the user. On the other hand, superior products have a deep understanding of the user’s need built right into the product. In this article Catalina Naranjo-Bock explores how research teams are interacting and inviting their […]
How Can Education Be Redesigned to Both Teach and Test Creativity and Entrepreneurship?
In the article below, Jennifer Medbery makes the argument that standardized testing isn’t all that bad, as long as those tests are evaluating a student’s ability to contribute to future challenges. And for all of you who like to cram a bunch of information into your head and regurgitate it on a test, rote memorization […]
Do You Want to Improve Your Business? Allow Daydreaming to Spark Your Creativity
Business and daydreaming don’t seem like the most congruent pair out there; business at its heart is about profitable productivity whereas daydreaming for most amounts to little more than wasting time. But in the long run, allowing the mind to wander boosts creativity and creative insight, lending itself to the long term success of a […]
Creativity and the Golden Rule
The Golden Rule, which states “do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” is a powerful statement and a good guideline for how to treat others in the world. But when it comes to creativity, its message is subtly limiting, for it asks us to focus on how we would like to […]
An Innovative and Much Needed Pairing: Business, Creativity, and Mindfulness Come Together at the Wisdom 2.0 Conference
Next month, on May 11th and 12th, spiritual teachers, health and wellness professionals, and business leaders from around the world will be gathering in San Francisco for Wisdom 2.0 conference, engaging in a creative dialogue about how the benefits of wisdom traditions can be incorporated into new and innovative business practices. Here’s a look at […]
The Remarkably Creative Mind of Malcolm Gladwell
One of the most creative and innovative people of late to triumph on the world stage is Malcolm Gladwell, author of three wonderfully entertaining and educational books: Blink, The Tipping Point, and Outliers. I have learned a lot about creativity from reading Gladwell’s books. Not only that, his way of writing, his way of […]
Creativity and Relationship: The Dynamic Creative Journey of John Lennon & Paul McCartney
One of the core components of creativity is interdependence, a felt sense of connection with the places we inhabit, the activities we engage in, and in this case, our relationships with others. Here is an excerpt from an interview on NPR’s To the Best of Our Knowledge of Joshua Wolf Shenk on Lennon and McCartney […]