The Fertile Unknown

2008 Creativity Conferences

The International Forum for Creativity Organizations - "a global networking hub providing opportunities for continual learning about creativity practice worldwide" - puts out the most comprehensive list I've seen of worldwide creativity conferences. The following is their list for this year. For more details on - and links to - each of these events, go to www.ifoco.org.

* CREATE '08, Jan. 3-8
* Invention on Demand Weekend, Feb. 1-3
* American Creativity Association, Feb. 25-29
* TED2008, Feb. 27-Mar. 1
* [email protected], Feb. 27-Mar. 1
* Alden B. Dow Creativity Conference, Mar. 6-8
* Florida Creativity Weekend V, Mar. 7-9
* Perspectives on Creativity, Mar. 29
* CREA Conference, Apr. 16-20
* Creativity and Innovation Day, Apr. 21
* Conferencia Iberoamericana de Creatividad e Innovación, Apr. 21-23
* Atlanta Creativity Exchange, May 15-18
* Front End of Innovation, May 19-21
* Project Renaissance "Double Festival" Conference, May 23-28
* Creativity and Innovation Management Community Meeting, May 28-30
* ISPIM Conference: Open Innovation, Jun. 15-18
* Humor Project's International Humor Program, Jun. 20-22
* Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI), Jun. 22-27
* International Creativity Conference: UK Creativity Jamboree, Jul. 3-4
* Design Research Society; Undisciplined!, Jul. 16-19
* Art of Management & Organization, Spt. 9-12
* Mindcamp Toronto, Spt. 11-14
* Idea Festival, Spt. 25-27
* ACRE Conference, Oct. 7-10
* International Congress of Creativity and Innovation, Oct. 17-19
* International Conference on Creativity Education, Oct. 20-24
* Sustainable Innovation 08, Oct. 27-28

If you are in the DC area, you can join us at the Capitol Creativity Network, for any of our creativity programs the second Wednesday of each month.

Brain Scientist's Whole Brain Journey

The highest levels of creativity happen when using an integration of both sides of the brain - both the non-linear "flow" of the right, and linear "structure" of the left.

Harvard neuroanatomist, Jill Bolte Taylor, suffered a stroke n 1996. She then used her own brain as her "lab" over the next several years.  In an 18-minute video of her speech at the last TED conference, she recounts the details of her stroke and the insights she cultivated as a result . She explores the differences between the left and right sides of the brain, and how by losing use of the left (sequential processing) side, she fully experienced the right (parallel processing) side - and the euphoria, transcendence, and consciousness that came with that. After 8 years, she regained full use fo both sides, and now it as choice which side to use when and how.

It is worth watching through to the end.  See the video here:
When-a-brain-scientist-suffers-a-stroke video