Graham Wallas wrote of a four-stage creative process in Art of Thought (1926).
- Preparation:get ready, collect your data, define the challenge, look for ideas;
- Incubation: let it rest, do something else, sleep on it, go for a walk, take a shower
- Illumination; the light-bulb goes off, breakthrough, eureka
- Verification: test the inspiration/illumination in the real world, see how it works, discover what needs improving
Among the many creative thinking strategies, you might not have yet had experience actualizing compassion as a strategy.
If you are stuck for new thinking, you can incubate by imagining what influences a good vs. a bad day for:
- a professional sheep shearer in Ireland
- a vineyard caretaker in Spain
- a fashion designer in Milan
- a seamstress in China
- a student in India
- a taxi driver in London
- a graphic designer in NY
- a monk in Greece
- a maid in a hotel in Dubai
- a woman about to give birth
- the middle child in a family of 12
- a person in the hospital
- a thief
- someone who got all their worldly possessions stolen
- someone’s first day on the job
- someone’s last day on the job who’s retiring
And then go back to work. You’ll be amazed at your new points of view. There’s a chance you might also experience a few heartfelt moments.
Compassion has many benefits. Thinking differently about your own situation is only one; being even momentarily connected to others is a second. Acting on your insights is a third.
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We need to be in the right emotional state in order to be creative — brain functioning affects creativity and how we feel affects brain functioning. But unfortunately, that’s easier said than done in today’s workplace.
Here are pointers to stop the swirl of cynicism and negativity – ones that focus on you taking better care of yourself.
- Break your most destructive, focus-killing habits, like spending a large portion of your day (or weekend) on email or giving in to persistent distractions.
- Force yourself to take time to think and reflect. Mindfulness — reflective meditative practices — is extremely helpful when it comes to managing stress and cognitive functioning. As scholar Dan Goleman has told us for years, “Mindfulness…the ability to notice what is going on as it arises and to pause before we respond is a crucial emotional skill. Mindful meditation has been discovered to foster the ability to inhibit those very quick emotional impulses.” Take a mindfulness based stress reduction course or just read up and try some breathing exercises.
- Stop fretting about your deficiencies and failures. This may be most difficult for achievement oriented business people, but how can anyone possibly be creative without failing — a lot?
- Focus on what makes you happy at work. The positive emotions generated when you feel connected to your personal and organizational purpose — what really matters about what you do — will help you to stay grounded and creative, even when things are tough.
Read full, Genetic Literacy Project original post: ‘Mad genius’ no more: the genetic link between creativity and psychosis is pretty weak
]]>Vi auguro tutti i momenti di gioia ispirata come porte per emergere nuove potenzialità aperto durante mondiale creatività e dell’innovazione settimana 15-21 aprile 2015.
Je vous souhaite tous les moments de joie inspirée que des portes pour l’émergence de nouveaux potentiels ouvert pendant mondiale créativité et Semaine de l’innovation Avril 15-21 2015.
Deseando que todos los momentos de alegría inspirada como puertas para salir nuevos potenciales abiertos durante Mundial de la Creatividad y la Innovación Semana 15 a 21 ab 2015.
Ik wens u alle momenten van geïnspireerde vreugde als deuren voor de opkomende nieuwe mogelijkheden geopend tijdens de Eerste Wereldoorlog de creativiteit en innovatie Week 15-21 april, 2015.
Ich wünsche Ihnen alle Momente der Freude, als inspirierten Türen für neue neue Potenziale im Zweiten Welt Kreativität und Innovation Woche April 15-21, 2015 geöffnet.
विश्व रचनात्मकता और नवीनता सप्ताह 15-21 अप्रैल, 2015 के दौरान खुले नई क्षमता उभरते के लिए दरवाजे के रूप में आप प्रेरित आनन्द के सभी क्षणों बधाई।
Semoga Anda semua momen sukacita terinspirasi sebagai pintu untuk muncul potensi baru buka selama Dunia Kreativitas dan Inovasi Minggu April 15-21, 2015.
Semoga anda semua detik-detik kegembiraan diilhamkan sebagai pintu untuk muncul potensi baru dibuka semasa Dunia Kreativiti dan Inovasi Minggu April 15-21, 2015.
متمنيا لكم كل لحظات الفرح من وحي كما الأبواب أمام إمكانيات جديدة مفتوحة خلال العالمي الإبداع والابتكار أسبوع 15-21 أبريل 2015 الناشئة.
Jixtiequ inti kollha mumenti ta ‘ferħ ispirati bħala bibien għall-potenzjal ġodda miftuħa matul Dinjija Kreattività u l-Innovazzjoni Week April 15-21, 2015 emerġenti.
Desejo a vocês todos os momentos de alegria inspirado como portas para o surgimento de novos potenciais abertas durante Mundo Criatividade e Inovação Semana 15-21 abril de 2015.
Želim vam vse trenutke navdahnjenega veselja kot vrata za nastajajoče nove potenciale odprta v času svetovne ustvarjalnosti in inovativnosti tedna 15-21 april, 2015.
These google translations are for the languages represented by people who sent in their creative action for World Creativity and Innovation Week April 15-21 (see wciw.org/wciw-2015). Kindly share language corrections and feel free to add your wciw celebration too!
]]>Why can’t we demand better of ourselves and of our communities to create a place where all life is respected?
Source: www.huffingtonpost.ca
Looking forward to participating in #hopedecoded on March 27 @banffcentre
Let’s inspire hope during World Creativity and Innovation Week April 15-21. wciw.org
See on Scoop.it – Creativity and Learning Insights
]]>Professor Linda Hill knows about leadership and innovation. She is chair of the Leadership Initiative at Harvard Business School, has visited and studied innovative companies, from Toy Story creators Pixar to Google, and written several books on the subject.
Conventional wisdom suggests the leader in a creative environment has to be a visionary, such as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs or the firm’s design head Jonathan Ive.
However Professor Hill disagrees and sees the boss’ role as the ‘social architect’, creating an atmosphere where experts and ‘creatives’ can thrive.
Marci Segal, MS, Creativity and Change Leadership, Freeing Leaders’ thinking so they can create new futures.
]]>Innovation is critical to both the success and the survival of organizations, and imagination is the spark that fuels it, Sir Ken argues.
Source: www.marketingprofs.com
The link leads to his 90-minute presentation to marketing professors on the nature of innovation in organizations.
In his presentation, Sir Ken Robinson reveals pivotal think points. These support the coaching and development creativityland offers leaders to crack open new thinking to create and sustain new futures.
- Make innovation a habit. “Innovation has to become a habit…. Innovation needs to be systematic, deliberate; it is what defines you as an organization.”
- Help the company evolve. “Companies are living organisms; if they don’t evolve, they simply don’t make it. Innovation isn’t optional.”
- Apply tools for new thinking. “Tools stretch our minds in new directions. They allow us to do things, but also tools extend our minds.”
- Create a new future. “Technology is one of the two big drives of change. All the innovations and changes we’re seeing now are baby steps on the road to what we will see.” “The second driver of innovation is the sheer number of people on the planet.” [7.25 billion of us! Whatever we do, we share the planet with so many others. MS]
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Manage imagination. “Creativity is the applied wing of imagination. Innovation is the drive to find new ideas and new ways of doing things, to launch both new products and better processes. “But you can’t go straight to it,” he said, because the foundation for innovation consists of two things: Imagination and creativity. Imagination gives you the freedom to consider alternative views. Creativity is about applying imagination to existing systems—to challenge what we take for granted. It’s the process of figuring out if your imagined, original ideas have value.”
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Apply creativity to the organizational context. “Creativity is the applied wing of imagination and innovation comes from the application of that creativity in an organizational context.”
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Evoke creativity at the workplace. “A myth is that you’re either creative or you’re not. I disagree.”
[Watch this short video as a case in point. MS]
Marci Segal, MS Creativity and Change Leadership. Freeing Leaders’ thinking so they may create new futures.