Last time we explored the relationship between learning another language and its effects on one’s health, especially in its ability to prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s. Today I am going to share my own personal experience with learning another language and its effects on my creativity. In 1999, halfway through my graduate school studies in architecture, […]
How do “digital toys” spark creativity and imagination in children?
I must admit, when I first watched my daughter perform the signature side-swipe to unlock my wife’s iPhone, I had a strange feeling that she was somehow unlocking Pandora’s box. Undoubtedly, the current world is becoming more and more digitized and informationally-driven, making it important for children to learn the emerging technologies (and leave us […]
How do different colors affect creativity?
According to a recent study, the color green appears to enhance inventiveness. In this informative article, Kate Bratskeir of the Huffington post explores the effects of green and other colors on our ability to create, among other things: The study, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, asked 69 men and women to take […]
When it comes to innovation and creativity, how does the momentum of a country affect its ability to compete in the global marketplace?
I found the following article on the innovative potential of Tunisia both interesting and somewhat disheartening. In it, the author, economics researcher, Montasser Ghachem, analyzes Tunisia for its ability to innovate, saying, “Our culture still suffers from flaws that substantially impede our progress and squander valuable human resources.” Taking the view that creativity is our […]
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 […]
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, […]
One Artist Brings Healing Power of Creativity to “Broken Places”
Lily Yeh is an artist who brings the healing power of creativity to places torn by drugs, violence, even genocide. Forced to flee China with her family when she was a child, Yeh has advocated the healing power of creativity throughout the world, including Syria and Rwanda. I love this story both for the diversity […]