Creativity
A shift in consciousness is needed — but what does that mean?
Wow, what a mess we’re in! If you live in the USA, you may be wondering how we’ll EVER survive the chaos and dysfunction that defines our political arena right now. The dysfunction goes deep. As Einstein said, you can’t solve a problem with the same consciousness that created the problem. And clearly, we need…
Read MoreFighting the Dragons of Our Time — Can We Win?
Today’s true leaders are fighting the dragons of our time — mental health, social justice, climate change, among many others — but as a complexity consultant and teacher, I often ask: can we win? YES, screams the optimist in me. But… really? Because a sober look at any one of these challenges shows the needle…
Read MoreCreative Process Demonstration: The Sun Wins Through
This video demonstrates three of the key principles in creative work: constant metamorphosis, the hunt and the form emerges at the end. The video begins with a pencil sketch and a small oil sketch, then shows the progressive stages on one large canvas. This canvas went through continuous metamorphosis between 2010 and 2018. The pictures seem…
Read MoreHow to Find Wisdom in Failure
If you’re an aspiring leader (at any age — we’re 47 and 48 as of this writing), you’re going to do stupid stuff from time to time. You’ll make mistakes and you’ll go down seemingly deadend paths for years on end. Really. Don’t sweat it. That path is going somewhere great. Truly fantastic, never-ending…
Read MoreWhat is “Social Creativity?”
“I need to be able to read the room and know exactly what they should do next. I need to be able to depart from the plan with 100% confidence and intuit accurately where to go.” That’s a super smart social entrepreneur with ten successful years behind her, telling us about her challenges when facilitating…
Read MoreBeyond Technique — CREATIVITY Will Save the World
I went to at least three different universities and conservatories in different places around the world to study music, and have had continuous music teachers in both violin and classical singing since I was about eight (roughly 40 years ago). At all those music schools, the main focus was on learning the craft and technique…
Read MorePaying Hell for Creativity: Why “Failure” is Actually Good
“When you’re down, when you’ve been kicked down in the street and then kicked a few more times until you’re bleeding and your teeth are out, then you only have up to go. You get reborn again, and expectations aren’t so great because they’ve taken you away. It’s beautiful to be down there. It’s so…
Read MoreChoose Your Inspiration Wisely
Every creative person has to make decisions about their source. When we were young artists, we had to choose our sources. Many artists we loved — but whose sources weren’t our sources. For example, Jeff loved Basquiat and Bacon, but didn’t want to instill his life and work with Bacon’s horror or Basquiat’s frantic…
Read MoreTeaching Creativity to Social Innovators
Getting to Maybe is a “social innovation residency” named after the book of the same title by Frances Westley, Brenda Zimmerman, and Michael Patton. The programs occur in summer at the beautiful Banff Centre, in and among pristine lakes and snowy mountains. Westley invited us to teach participants about creativity, and given the setting, we…
Read MoreBreaking the Cycles of Violence in Oakland
The problem of police violence against young African-Americans is one of the most visible, best known social issues today, thanks in part to Black Lives Matter. We helped the Numi Foundation establish a unique approach to addressing violence in Oakland, California (USA), in the ACTION project. ACTION stands for A Creative Transformation In Our Neighborhoods.…
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