Sustainable creativity
Sustainable creativity is a workshop I have given several times over the last three months to a wide range of groups and organizations. The idea is to show people a system to generate ideas and in doing so allow them to sustain their creativity for the rest of their lives. Well, that’s part of the workshop. The other part happens after I stop talking, when the participants use the space that has been created to share the inventive ways they sustain their creativity. People have shared everything from setting up a standing monthly meeting with a group of like-minded people to writing jokes for a stand-up comedy class. The workshop enables people to get into the right mindset to talk about their ideas.
It sounds simple—talking about ideas—but let me illustrate the issue with a metaphor.
Let’s say that instead of talking about ideas, you like playing tennis.
You ask your neighbor who also likes playing tennis to a game. You both like the idea of a game but realize you don’t live near a tennis court, so you both decide to just start playing tennis in the street, with all the cars and pedestrians and with no court makings.How do you think that game is going to turn out?
Distracted, chaotic, not fun at all.
This is frequently what it’s like when you try to talk about ideas with someone without making space for it. You can have the conversation, but too often everyday life gets in the way. And, with no guidelines and constraints (like a tennis court) to guide the conversation, you get distracted, neither of you is clear on where the conversation is going, and no one knows when it might end.
With this workshop I am making a space for ideas, a metaphorical tennis court to be used to discuss ideas and creativity onto which I can invite people to play.
I made this video version of a portion of this workshop to share one part of the tennis court. Perhaps if you watch it with a friend or colleague it can give you a productive space to play, think, and talk about the ideas which you find fascinating. Without ideas it is hard to change culture and if culture does not change we only repeat our mistakes. Please take a moment to watch the video and step onto the court of ideas.
If your organization—or one you know of—could use some help creating a new space for talking about ideas, let me know, and we’ll find a time to book a workshop and set up the court.
