Here’s an excerpt from an article that is close to my heart! True creativity, especially the experience of insight, is a profoundly spiritual experience. I love the experience of grace along the creative path. For me, creative insight is a form of grace, an unexpected sense of openness and a penetrating experience of the world […]
How We Create: Michael Krasny Interviews Author Jonah Lehrer
One of my favorite radio hosts, Michael Krasny, recently interviewed author of Imagine: How Creativity Works, Jonah Lehrer. It is important to note that it was later discovered that Jonah Lehrer fabricated some of the quotes he used in his book. The book was removed from the shelves and Lehrer fired from his job as […]
Are you Interested in Testing your Creativity?
For those of you who are interested in testing your creativity, there are several tests out there to measure your ability for 1) divergent thinking 2) convergent thinking 3) artistic assessments 4) creative self assessments. For an overview of the creativity tests available, you can click here to be directed to a website set up by […]
What does it look like to have a truly creative and innovative economy?
China has had incredible economic growth in recent years. But is growth in industry and manufacturing a sign of creativity and innovation? According to Richard Florida, author of “Why China lags in Innovation and Creativity”, the answer is an emphatic “no.” All you highly productive folks out there take note: there is a big difference […]
Do You Want To Be More Creative? Learn Another Language, Part I
Today I came across an article entitled, “Would you learn a new language if it helped your health?” In it the authors were referring specifically to the correlation between those who are bilingual and the lower/delayed rates of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease they seem to have. All of what they had to say intuitively made […]
What is the relationship between creativity and play?
According to Ruth Churchill Dower, who works alongside professionals working with young children in the United Kingdom, “we can only nurture young children’s creative potential by developing our own.” What is the relationship between creativity and play? In my experience, play is a component of creativity in that when we play, really play, we relax […]
Excerpt from Austin’s new book, Between the Bridge and the Water: Death, Rebirth, and Creative Awakening
Here is an excerpt from my new book, Between the Bridge and the Water: Death, Rebirth, and Creative Awakening. In it I explore the compelling parallels between the outpouring of creativity in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Golden Gate Bridge’s infamous reputation as the world’s number one suicide destination. It is my opinion […]
Austin’s New Book on Creativity, Between the Bridge and the Water: Death, Rebirth, and Creative Awakening, Now Available
I am pleased to announce the release of my new book, Between the Bridge and the Water: Death, Rebirth, and Creative Awakening, available for the Kindle ebook reader. My book explores the compelling parallels between the outpouring of creativity in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Golden Gate Bridge’s infamous reputation as the world’s […]
Creativity In Organizations: Phil Mckinney’s 7 Immutable Laws of Innovation
According to Phil Mckinney, author of Beyond the Obvious, there are seven unchangeable laws to promoting innovation in companies. Those laws include factors that look at different levels of the company, including leadership, culture, and resources, as well as attitudes such as patience, and a process that fits in with the structure of the company, […]
Slivers of Eternity: One Minute Meditations On The Ground of Creativity, #10
In this clip, filmed at my home in North Berkeley, the creative interdependence of the universe creates a spontaneous light show in my bathroom. A windy day, the sunlight from millions of miles away, the movement of the redwood trees that surround my house, and a high east facing window allow the erratic changes of […]