The Fertile Unknown

10 Creative Emergence Reminders for Volatile Times

 

Many people are going through what feels like accelerating challenging times now. There is much

happening in our world beyond our   control…and…much more that we can control than we think. This post is a reminder of that…that it is not about living in a world where there are no constraints (i.e., social, relational, political, familial, health, financial, etc), but finding and applying your own purposeful creativity WITHIN those constraints.

 

Sometimes it’s the constraints that offer us what will one day become out greatest learnings and potential for growth. The following are a few points that came to me, when working with recent coaching clients, that I thought I would share with you to use as food for thought. They will be part of a larger, more detailed writing in my certification program and coaching guide, but wanted to share a few of them with you now in case they could be helpful now. As always, take what’s useful, and leave the rest.

 

--------------------------

 

10 Quick Creative Emergence Coaching Reminders

 

1. Your inner Creative Source is a life-generating-life part within you that is always for your holistic generativity - your highest aliveness at all levels. It's invitation is to get connected to it, and stay connected to it, because it has no other agenda than your highest aliveness, thriving, and expressionl. At any given movement you can listen to the voice of fear, doubt, worry (which may have validity at times), or the inner creative voice. The Source voice in never judgmental and it’s not tough love - it’s unapologetically life-giving and generative. It may mean slowing down, letting go, and listening in to hear it, though - giving it space, time and attention.

 

2. No matter what circumstance you find yourself in, there is a part of you that knows what is yours to do to navigate it. Asking “What’s mine to do, no more no less?” allows that part to become more internally empowered, with more choices and options; and, not force or coerce a situation or person down a path that is not generative for you or them or all involved. No matter how much influence someone else seems to have over you now, you have the empowerment to discover what’s yours to do within that situation. Do your part…and let the natural, animating life force  (Universe, God, Creativity, Time, Flow, Spirit, Nature, Creative Unconscious, etc - whatever you see it as) do its part. I.e., plant the seed, water the soil, give it sun...then let go and let the animating life force help it bloom.

 

3. At any given time, we’re being invited to go beyond our current construct (set of beliefs about anything - ourselves, our lives, others, how the world works, etc), and up-level into a larger, more inclusive framework that may or may not be familiar. Allowing ourselves to move beyond our current beliefs and constructs (inner map of things) and into what Life is really showing us at any given time frees us to navigate our calling. Get centered, ask, call it forth, dance it forth, draw it forth, pray, meditate - whatever feels right for you - then receive. Just don’t box in how what you get needs to show up…instead, watch for clues, feelings, impulses, signs, synchronicities, dreams, intuitions insights, a-has, and messages in all kind of ways. Ask for clarity…then let go and pay attention, letting your creative unconscious work with you, making the unconscious conscious. Just be present...and open for the unexpected.

 

4. Forgive your resistances, procrastination, back-tracking, divergences, missteps, or other judgements about yourself you feel you may be doing to sabotage. Sometimes there is great wisdom in that “sabotage” that we can’t see at the time. Just like in nature, emergences have right timing, and sometimes there are other foundational things we need to learn on the way, that we don’t know about until they occur. And always, there is a pay off for all choices we have made. (In the work I do with my clients, the most common pay off is staying in the familiarity and comfort zone of the known - “the devil we know”). Be gentle with yourself as you locate the pay off. That gives you options of how else to proceed, or something else that you may need to heal, move though, cultivate, or be with for a while first. The key is not to jump into evaluation. There are times of contraction in every birth, times of resistance, and times of “ two steps forward, one step back.”

 

5. Be conscious. For whatever you DO really need, if you become conscious and aware of it, you won’t just act out of the contractions without consciousness. If you have to make a tough decision, don’t make it out of fear or hope…get conscious of your inner voice, and see where it guides you. Being conscious and aware is our friend in tumultuous times. It gives us choice and possibility.

 

6. This work is not about being fearless…it is about feeling the fears, doubts, questions, wonderings…and doing it anyway. Moving forward anyway, without any guarantees. Inspired guidance will not make you guarantees that fits into a smaller consciousness of yourself….it always invites us into a larger consciousness of ourselves You get that expansion - living into it - during the journey, not before it. The comfort-with-discomfort emerges over time and often through moving through contractions. We get to feel more connected to our inner voice and out path as we walk it, not before...each step of the way.

 

7. Your soul’s true work is never just about you. It is always also about those whom we serve. Whatever you are called to do by your inner Creative Source has embedded in it a greater call - ways that others will benefit by your service. When you go into doubts, it can be helpful to think of them - makes it easier to keep going when focused on those who could benefit from you doing your work.

 

8. With every healthy YES, there is a series of healthy NOs. What you say NO to is as important as what you say yes to in any emergence process. With every yes to something new, adjustments usually need to be made - some of which can be tough. There usually needs to be boundaries set somewhere. Healthy, life-giving boundaries are a friend in an emergence process. Every emergence has its own set of flow-and-boundaries integration to accompany it.

 

9. You are infinitely amazingly creative and unique already! You have a path no one else in the world ever has or ever will. You have a unique integration of gifts, experiences, ideas, hopes, dreams, visions, hardships, hurts, strengths, challenges, skills, learnings, and wisdom that no one else ever has or ever will. We all need you to use all of those things to create your unique offering to the world. No else else ever can. It is your great gift and the world’s great privilege to receive your offering.

 

10. I love this quote by Angeles Arrien in the forward to Gabrielle Roth's Maps to Ecstasy: The Healing Power of Movement.: “In many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions. When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence? Where we have stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories, or finding comfort in silence is where we have experienced the loss of soul. Dancing, singing, storytelling, and silence are the four universal healing salves.” No matter what you go through or what you need to do for your soulful work/business, using dance, movement, art, creativity, storytelling, crafts, writing, and silence (emergence space) will help you get more clarity, feel more alive and connected, and better able to be resilient in challenging times. Creativity in any expression generates more creativity.

 

Cheers to your creative uniqueness, and you unique offering to the world! You so got this!

 

Michelle James©2018

Creative Emergence Coaching, Facilitating & Training

The Energized Facilitator: Getting the Most out of Creative Process Facilitation

image from fitnessandwellnessnews.com

As a facilitator of creative process, your energy has an impact of those in the room. It’s an often overlooked part of facilitating creativity, yet it's the most immediate, primal, and direct way of connecting in ways words and actions alone can not (like when someone walks in a room and you get a feel about them before they even say anything). Most people feel energy immediately and instinctively, before the analytical brain gets on board to think about it. Your energetic state can help draw out or hinder the creativity of others, as well as your own.

While most facilitators of creative process already have Energizer activities for participants, not all take time to prepare their own energetic field before the workshop. The energy you enter a space with, and cultivate as the day goes on, adds to or takes from participant experience. Actors, improvisers, athletes all warm-up before they preform. They don’t just show up and start performing. Similarly, warming yourself up with pre-workshop “energizer rituals” helps you not only get present, but also energized and enlivened. If you find ways of energizing yourself before entering the room - “prep rituals” you do alone before the workshop starts - that begins to create an energized container for participants as they enter. Because energy is something felt, and not thought, it is immediate, and has an impact on the nervous system of participants, non-verbally - not just their minds.

There's no limit to the ways you can generate energy for yourself before a workshop or meeting. Over the past 14 years facilitating Creative Facilitation workshops, I’ve heard countless ways facilitators get energized. I play around with different ones myself to keep it fresh in me, and to stay on my own creative edges, mostly improvising as I go with the goal of trying something new. The times I did not warm up, I noticed a difference in the group’s creative energy, cohesiveness, and output, and how I was holding their energy. I learned the hard way how important it is for me to do my own energy prep work. Some people naturally have a full-on energizing presence any time of day, and in almost any circumstance…and others of us can cultivate it consciously.

You can try it playing around with Brain Gym (Google it), dancing wildly, moving non-habitually, brain teasers, tongue twisters, acting things out, meditation and other centering practices, yoga, marshal arts, and other body-centered practices, solo improv games, etc. If you do something more meditative, try also adding in something that expands and heightens your energy, so you can hold an expanded energetic space for a group - a big part of generating risk taking and creative novelty form a group. And, if you try something that pushes your own envelop - breaking your pattern with something you normally do not do - which also engages your own creative edges, the brain research repeatably shows that enhances presence, creativity, and adaptability.

If you already have awesome activities and content to share, and they are interactive and highly participatory, you can take it to a new level if you take some time to generate your own energy before showing up. Preparing yourself energetically is like starching out like a rubber band when you are by yourself, so when you get with a group, you are energetically flexible enough to expand out to whatever emerges in the group. Research had also shown that most people in groups will either consciously or subconsciously not feel psychologically safe to out-energize a facilitator, and that can impact what and how they create. A facilitator who shows up as flexible, energized, and ready for anything makes it safer for participants to engage more enthusiastically and energetically in interactive activities, and explore their own creativity in a group and each other’s creativity as a group.

If you try something new that works well for you, or if you want to chat about some ideas for your next facilitation, please drop me a line. :-) 

©Michelle James 2018

Arts-based Engagement for More Creative Ideas and Solutions

Love this quote. It's one of the reasons I use arts/movement based appraiches in my work - it helps us bypass the habitual-linear-sequential, left-brain dominant conscious thinking to access more our ourselves, and our creativity, insight, and intuition. By going into the non-linear part of our consciousness first, we mine the fertile playing field of our 'right-brain' imagination to get novelty and the unpredictable, then after we spend some time there exploring and unearthing, we bring it back to the 'left-brain' to make sense out of it, organize it, structure it, and create actionable steps from it. And we can discover new and forgotten parts of ourselves and bring them to life.

We're socialized to start figuring out something first from left-brain thinking. Arts-based engagement brings an added dimension of creativity to it. By first diverging with in the "right brain" then converging with the 'left brain" (in quotes because it's not exactly that binary) we discover new options and choices for our work and lives that we previously couldn't have imagined. The creative process of taking something abstract and making it concrete generates novel ideas, solutions, and directions. #creativeemergence #miningtheinnerrichness

5 Lessons on Being a Creative Leader

I'm honored to be mentioned in the following article, written by Halelly Azulay. Halelly interviewed me for her Talent Grow podcast show a few months back, then she attended my recent Creative Facilitator workshop in DC. She wrote the following blog post based on those experiences and interviews with two other colleagues. The direct link to the article is is http://www.talentgrow.com/blog/being-a-creative-leader

-----------------------------------------------------

 

 

5 Lessons on Being a Creative Leader from Three TalentGrow Show Podcast Guests

by Halelly Azulay

This past weekend I attended a professional development workshop centered around being a more creative facilitator, led by my friend and colleague and creativity-in-business expert, Michelle James of the Center for Creative Emergence. It was a great opportunity to gain new ideas, insights, and techniques I can use. But even more than that – it reminded me of some of the important lessons I’ve learned from my podcast guests (including Michelle) about why and how leaders should focus on bringing more creativity to their own ‘game’ as well as encourage and nurture it in their teams. Here’s a review those lessons for your reading convenience!

What is a creative leader, anyway?

According to Michelle James, “a creative leader is a leader who chooses to use more of his or her own creative potential on an on-going basis, choosing to always learn and evolve personally as well as professionally. One who is dedicated more to exploring possibilities than being right, and more to discovery than maintaining the status quo. Creative leaders facilitate meaning, creativity and contribution of those he or she serves – employee, colleague, team member, customer, participant, etc.”

Why is it important to be a creative leader and what gets in our way?

One IBM study of CEOs said that these leaders thought that – “more than rigor, management discipline, integrity or even vision -- successfully navigating an increasing complex world will require creativity.”

In episode 6, my guest Gregg Fraley of KILN described a common challenge he sees: “leaders are often paying lip service to the value of creativity… That’s the good news. The bad news is that when they actually see it and experience it, it makes them uncomfortable. Because creativity often feels like a loss of control, particularly to classically trained and classically behaving kind of top-down leadership style people.” He described how, unfortunately, many leaders often say they want more creativity but when they see it emerging they squash it.

Michelle James also sees resistance. In episode 7, she explained that “when you tell people to be creative, you’re going to bump up against all of the stories and all of the reasons [within them] that they weren’t creative. That’s true if you’re a leader and that’s true for your staff and employees. Something called natural resistance can emerge… as soon as you want something new to emerge, people might start resisting because they might not feel safe.

So what can we do to become a creative leader and encourage creativity in our teams?

According to these three podcast guests, here are five ways that you can become a creative leader:

1. Tolerate ambiguity.

According to Gregg, “the first thing is to tolerate ambiguity” and to nurture and encourage creative types. He suggests leaders develop a stand-back kind of attitude that helps them let their team members do their work and express their creativity.

2. Cultivate a creative environment for employees.

Michelle says that “the way to do that is by pushing your own creative edges, by breaking your own patterns, by consciously and intentionally saying, “How can I expand as a creative individual?” And it doesn’t mean you have to be full on, expressing your creativity all the time. You just don’t want to get to where you’re limiting or inhibiting your employee’s creativity.”

Michelle continues: “So for example, a lot of times people that want their staff to be more creative, but their staff’s creativity, because the nature of creativity is so unique and expansive and different, might look differently. And it’s messy. And it doesn’t come out all nice and neat. And it looks differently than what the leader first anticipated.”

“And so in that moment, as a creative leader, you have a choice – is what I’m going to say going to foster and enhance the creativity coming into this meeting or from this person or into our team, or is it going to inhibit it?”

Michelle shares an example: Let’s say someone throws out an idea, and immediately you ‘know’ that idea won’t work. Rather than cutting it down, suggests Michelle, draw more out of it. Ask the person questions such as “How would that look?” and “What do you mean?”

She puts it in the context of the improv theater principle of “Yes, and”, which means validating and building on the idea. Often, Michelle explains, “the first idea that comes out usually isn’t the best idea that becomes workable. Sometimes it’s five iterations out. Often times people feel inhibited to present that to their boss or their leader, because they’re afraid – because it isn’t polished. So as a leader you’re thinking, “How can I support it becoming polished,” versus, “Wow, it doesn’t look familiar to me. I know this won’t work. I know it’s a bad idea,” and immediately cutting down. Because then you’re cutting off all the potential.”

3. Become more adaptive and agile by practicing in low-stakes environments (like improv theater class).

Michelle suggests that we naturally feel more comfortable with the unknown and navigating uncertainty if we try a new idea in low-stakes environments than in very high-stakes environments where you have a lot on the line. “A creative leader is an adaptive and responsive leader, one that can meet the needs of the situation as they emerge. And that’s why I think improv theater is such a great practice.” She explains that by practicing improv, being goofy and having fun with nothing really at stake, you become more adaptable and you bring that increased adaptability back into the workplace. Then, when situations arise that are unfamiliar and uncomfortable, “you don’t just go to autopilot or habit. You actually have more options in front of you. You don’t freak out. You handle the uncertainty.”

4. Ensure safety but don’t shun discomfort – they’re not the same thing.

One important note from Michelle is the distinction between comfort and safety. “Many people get confused between comfort and safety. Discomfort is natural in the creative process for all of us. It’s the discomfort of learning something new. You’re not going to be masterful, just like the baby walking across the floor. They fall and they might get a little bruised. They’re learning something new, but they keep going and keep doing it, because it’s a natural part of the creative process. Discomfort is okay.”

Often, however, people try to avoid discomfort, but also don’t make it safe for people to unleash their creativity. “But safety is essential.” It’s possible to be uncomfortable and still be safe, but it’s not okay to allow people to feel unsafe. “Safety is often created by establishing rules of engagement that people feel safe in. [For example, you might say,] For the next 30 minutes, we’re going to go into divergent thinking, no judgment. You can say anything. You can explore anything. You can do anything. That’s one way of making it safe.”

“Another way of making it safe, for example, [is to use the] improv principle “make everyone else look good”. [You can tell your team:] I’m committed to making you all look good. I can’t promise it’ll be comfortable because you’re going to learn something new, but I can promise you it’ll be safe. That tells them that [you’re] going to be on their side. As a creative leader, if they think you’re for them, and they think you’re on their side, that will help bring out more of their creativity.”

5. Build your creativity muscle by habituating a learning practice into your daily (or weekly) routine.

In episode 7, Whole Brain Thinking expert Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, of Herrmann International, provides a great suggestion for how to build the habit of practicing and cultivating your creativity: “I believe that leaders today absolutely must carve out time in their schedules every single week, devoted to their own learning development. And I think we’ve gotten very sort of blasé, especially many leaders are kind of focused on others needing to develop. … but if you’re not feeling a little bit uncomfortable in your learning process, then I would challenge you to say, “Is that really learning?””

Ann explains that you have to stretch your thinking on an on-going basis, not once a year for a few days of isolated learning. Ideally, Ann suggests that stretching outside your comfort zone become a daily habit. (But if daily seems overwhelming, start monthly. Maybe weekly.) “Block time in your schedule to actually be doing something that is different and makes you a little bit uncomfortable. Most leaders that I know that are very successful in today’s world are doing that on a regular basis. They’re putting themselves into situations that require them to learn.”

Ann acknowledges that many people feel like they don’t have the time. She suggests you start with something small, even just 20 minutes a day, although she prefers that you aim to have an hour a day. Your brain needs enough time to wind down, to unhook from whatever you’ve got going on. She says that often it helps to do it first thing in the morning, before email and before beginning your daily tasks. That allows you to begin with a “fresh awakened brain.”

And if you’re a night person, no worries: schedule your time when it’s best for you.

Can’t do a daily habit? Then make it weekly. Who doesn’t have an hour a week? “You’re probably burning that on email,” says Ann.

Sum-up

So in order to be a more creative leader, and foster more creativity in your team, do the following:

1.       Tolerate ambiguity

2.       Cultivate a creative environment

3.       Become more adaptive and agile by practicing in low-stakes environments

4.       Ensure safety but don’t shun discomfort

5.       Build your creativity muscle by scheduling time for learning and practice into your routine

Written by Halelly Azulay 2016 on Talentgrow.com

----------------------------------------------------------------

For more information on my next Creative, Original Facilitator Workshop and other Applied Creativity-related events subscribe to The Center for Creative Emergence newsletter.

 

For more of my thoughts on Creative Leadership, see my Creativity-Centered Work Paradigm post on this blog. 

 

How to Bring Creaitvity to Business - My interivew on the TalentGrow Show

I was recently interviewed on the
TalentGrow Show by Halelly Azulay.
Click here to listen: 

http://www.talentgrow.com/podcast/episode23

In the show we discuss:

• How to build bridges between business and creativity
• The role of discomfort and safety in generating a more creative workplace
• Ways to borrow principles from the world of improv theater to bring more creativity to business
• What it means to be a creative leader
• Where resistance comes from and how to overcome it
• Why using creativity gets you more business bottom line results more easily and joyfully
• The key to applied creativity
• Ways you can create your own job description, think in new ways, go beyond the status quo and existing structures and create something new
• The most important foundational element that can help cultivate creativity 
• The importance of protecting your creative ideas from initial criticism that could otherwise destroy them
• Why is it okay to let go of comfort, but never of safety, when working on infusing more creativity in your work and your team
• A great improv principles that can support greater creativity, innovation, and risk-taking in your team
• Thinking of both of the immediate challenge you’re trying to creatively solve and the long-term relationship and culture you’re trying to foster when coaching employees to creativity
• How to use transparency to get your employees to support your own growth and creativity
• One idea to put to work right away that will help you shift your thinking about creativity
• An ebook I'm giving away to listeners to support your development
  
  

Listen Here

Whole Brain Thinking and Applied Improvisation for Innovation, Ideation and Creative Problem Solving

I was recently interviewd by Michael Smith, President of  TeraTech, on the Conscious Software Development Telesummit on Whole Brain Thinking and  Applied  Improvisation for Innovation, Ideation, and Creative Problem Solving. Below are excerpts from the transcript of the interview. For the complete interview, along with some techniques to apply, sign up for the Conscious Software Development Telesummit for FREE at http://conscioussoftwaredevelopment.com

`````````````````````````````````
Michael:  What  do you mean by "whole-brain thinking" and why is that important?  

Michelle: Whole-brain thinking, or the way I would describe it, is using more of our innate capacities. We were born to both think in linear/logical ways as well as holistic/intuitive/metaphorical ways. Integrating whole-brain thinking is just bringing more of our natural thinking into the workplace, for our intuitive thinking, metaphorical thinking, our capacity to see both the big picture and the details, our capacity to both think from synthesis and integration as well as sequentially, imagining and observing, being able to envision beyond what is, plus in addition to more of the left-brain/linear, proving and verifying, expanding and reducing.

It's using complimentary types of thinking - thinking both in terms of possibilities and strategies and in terms of context and interdependencies…using the visual mind and the verbal mind, not just left-brain/linear-dominant thinking only. By integrating multiple ways of thinking, and using more of our whole-brain capacities even in ways we haven't been socialized or trained or educated in the workplace to do, and by bringing more of arts-based and other different types of thinking into the workplace, it's easier to create new ideas, and create new ideas much more quickly. It accelerates the learning and creativity path that we might be on and expands the mental playing field so we have more options and choices.

Michael: A lot of organizations are pretty left-brain orientated, so how do you integrate this into a company culture?

Michelle: In some ways there's some cultural specificity around it, and in other ways it's more general. I'll speak to the more general ways. For example, resistance. Understanding that once you try to integrate new ways of thinking into any group, individual group, team, or culture, you're going to naturally have some resistance. I call it "natural resistance" because it's the same kind of resistance that you find in nature.

In nature, all systems are designed to maintain the status quo until the new birth starts to emerge. For example, the chick coming out of the egg doesn't feel the resistance of the shell until it's ready to be born. Similarly, you find that as soon as people start to integrate more whole-brain thinking, different kinds of thinking, or different types of practice in the organization, you might initially find some resistance, because there's always those trying to more maintain the status quo while others try to bring in the new thinking.

One framework I like to use is divergence and convergence. Divergent thinking is going big and wide, building on things, engaging possibilities, visualizing, seeking out what's unusual. We hear about it often in brain-storming…suspending judgment as you're expanding the playing field - expanding what's possible - but you do it for a certain amount of time, not indefintely. Then you bring it back into a convergent thinking where you're narrowing the playing field, you're selecting from the ideas, contracting, honing in, discerning, focusing, rating by criteria, making sense of…

Unfortunately, what happens is many people don't leave the convergence to go into convergence. They will get meetings and say, "All right, now let's organize what we have," but they haven't stepped out beyond their current framework to play with and expand possibilities first. When you play with possibilities, it is messy, and it might not make sense for awhile, and it can look a little crazy. Like Einstein said, "If at first the idea is not absurd, there's no hope for it," and while that doesn't mean all good ideas appear ridiculous at first, it really speaks to oftentimes the seed idea is the instinct for something new, it's messy, it's just a seed, it's not refined. It needs to be nurtured into fruition to become something viable. So before you evaluate it and start to converge, begin to explore with it, play with it, build on it, add to it…taking something beyond just convergence and adding in time for divergence.

I'll give an example of how this looks in one organization I worked with, a very large organization, where they used to have meetings that they felt the creativity wasn't their problem, but everybody was vying for who's idea was better. They started applying some of these principles and practices and giving this process lot more divergent space. They started calling their meetings "Discovery Sessions." They allowed for a certain amount of divergence time. If they had an hour, maybe twenty-five minutes was in divergence first. They started finding that they were creating better ideas, more novel ideas, more collaborative ideas…and when it came time to get the convergence, the convergence went so much more quickly because they allowed themselves some divergence first.

I would say allowing conscious time, consciously creating a space to diverge, where no one can judge or evaluate ideas, you just build on them, explore them, and expand them, before you go into the convergence where then you rate it...then you connect it to the criteria and the objectives of the problem that you have. Then, just knowing that sometimes you have to practice low-risk, low-stakes exercises, practices or games, they might seem frivolous, but by practicing low-risk, low-stakes
exercises, then that better prepares you for high-risk, high-stakes problem solving. With this practice, you become more nimble and flexible and adaptive inside yourself. That piece is connecting to, looking at new, perhaps non-conventional principles and practices to sort of break those patterns, so you begin to think differently.

Michael: Earlier you mentioned using applied improvisation and you talked about you take part in improvised plays for 10 years. I'm not sure everyone here has even attended an improv session or knows what that means. When you say "improvised plays" does that mean there's no script whatsoever for the play and the actors just make up the play on the spot?

Michelle: Yes, I'm glad you brought that up, because that distinguishes improvising, like improv theater, like you might see on Whose Line, or improvised plays like our performing group used to do which the goal, the objective, was to entertain the audience using improvisational theater principles and practices. We would use the improv principles, but there was absolutely no script. We would completely improvise a full-length play, and that's when I discovered the power of the improv principles…because by adhering to the principles and the practices of improv, you truly could self-organize and create something out of nothing, and you'd begin to learn that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, which is a big facet of Emergence.

Applied improvisation, in the way we use it in organizations, is taking the same principles and practices, but with a different goal or set of objectives. The goal isn't for entertainment, the goal isn't to be improv theater performers for people who go out on a Friday night to watch you. The goal with Applied Improvisation is whatever your business goals are: better leadership, solve problems more quickly,  think more creatively, adapt, have more cohesive co-creative teams, reduce turnover, more novel ideas if you're doing product development, or any kind of development, etc.

Your applying improvisational theater principles and practices to something larger than performance. For example, in my work with organizations I don't throw people up there to perform improv because the goal isn't to teach them to be performers. I often get them working either as a whole group or with partners or in small groups using various improv practices and games, but, most significantly, embodying principles to work on real-world issues or problems they're solving or visions they're creating.

The practices are simply a way of embodying the principles, but it's the principles in action that are what's transformative. For example, "yes, and" except most organizations live by "yes, but". So "yes, and" is very good in the divergent space. Heighten and explore, allow yourself and your ideas to be changed by what's said and what happens. Those, and may more, are a big part of improvisation. You're up there and something new emerges and you have to adapt instantly. You don't fight it, you don't resist it, you just adapt to it, and you allow your character to be changed, you allow your ideas to be changed, you allow the direction to be changed. That's a real significant part of the creative process when developing anything.

Another thing about improv, because it happens in real time, you're focusing on presence over polish. Oftentimes, in brainstorming sessions or ideation sessions, people are afraid to speak up or they wait until their idea's fully formed. In improv, literally the practices force you to be so present, you have to say something, you have to say something right away, and by practicing that, you truly bypass the editor, and you become more comfortable with throwing things out there. If people have to, for a certain agreed upon amount of time in the divergent space, "yes, and" it, go with it, explore it and expand it, the first idea thrown out often isn't the best idea. It may be, but in many cases, it's just a seed idea
or it's has a messy fragment of a good idea, and by expanding it and exploring it, and "yes, and-ing" it, you give it the chance to become something new and different.

There are many more, but one other very significant part of doing a lot of creative activities and improv-based activities with people and organizations is that you begin to have a different relationship to failure and the concept of making mistakes. Mistakes become invitations to create. Mistakes are simply iterations in the creative process. They're not binary finalities, like "yes/no", "good/bad", "right/wrong". They're invitations to modify, to explore, to grow. A lot of people know that when you're prototyping, you then try it out and you modify it. One of the things that improv-based practices allow you to do is get a lot of practice in realtime with instant modification, instant trial and error, and so then you become less resistant to change, and more adaptive when you're doing it around a real world project.

Michael: Do the principles, in your experience, make a difference? Does it really make a difference whether you literally say, "yes, and" to someone's idea instead of "no, but"?

Michelle: Literally saying the words "yes, and" can be helpful at first, and is simply a good way to remind your mind to do it, but it really is more the concept of "yes, and-ing" - the concept of accepting an idea as it is offered and building, adding onto it, before you negate it, before you hone in and say, "Well, that won't work, because…" that makes the huge difference. That, to me, is the difference between generative thinking - which is connected to the divergence process, and critical thinking - which is often connected to the convergent part of the creative process.

Both are essential, but the key is not to go immediately into the critical thinking, until you've gone into some generative thinking. I like to think of it in terms of the way nature generates and creates. The branch "yes, ands" the tree, the leaves "yes, and" the branches. Nature creates generatively. Our mind is designed to create generatively, and unfortunately, we are not socialized and educated into doing that. But we have nature on our side - remember back to when you're a little child or watching kids play…someone throws out an idea, and others instantly add onto it. They start creating fantasy worlds and they're "playing pretend" and they're building on each other's story. Then all of a sudden, we go to school and we get thrust into binary thinking, so we leave our natural beautiful, multidimensional way of creating and making associations and connections, and we get into binary thinking - right/wrong; good/bad;  yes/no.

People begin to associate that if you get the "right" answer, you're a good person or a smart person - so then people freeze up, afraid of saying something wrong or silly. "Yes, and" is simply a way, a tool, of getting back into your natural generative, creative self. Then, you generate more ideas, you think of them and then you can use some of the more critical thinking to put it up against, "What are the criteria we're trying to beat here? What are the objectives we're trying to create?" Absolutely. "Heighten and explore" is another big improv principle which fits into that.

The principles, it's been my experience, are what create the container for new ways of thinking, new ways of interacting, new ways of being, and therefore, new and more accelerated ideas to emerge. It allows people to be safer, to put ideas out there, so you do get the most of your teams, and you get the most of yourself.

Michael: Is this more a team or co-creative way of solving problems vs. a hierarchical way as well?

Michelle: It's very much a team and collaborative and cocreative way. It can also be a very individual way. You can "yes, and" your own thinking. Often we, in the shower or running or doing something, get an amazing idea and in that moment we get excited. Then all of a sudden, before we allow ourselves to "yes, and" each other or "yes, and" our own idea, we find all the reasons it won't work, and we start "yes, but-ing" our own creative ideas, so individually it works.

Even within a hierarchies this can work if the leaders are embracing the principles. It becomes challenging if you have a "yes, and-ing" team and a "yes, but-ing" leader of that team. I think it's less that hierarchy impacts it, it's more the way of being in the mindset and the principles that the leaders within the hierarchy embrace - that creativity is there available for anyone, no matter who you are in the organization. It always behooves a leader to be able to embrace principles and practices that will allow the most creativity to emerge from their employees.

Michael: How do the rules of improv fit in with a more conscious way of being and creating software?

Michelle:  I love the improv principles because they lend so well to a collaborative work culture, a collaborative team, and collaborative groups. First of all, you don't have to agree with someone. There's a difference between accepting an offer and agreeing it, and the idea of acceptance allows an idea to be heard before you jump down on it.

You don't have to necessarily like everything about a particular person, but if we agree on some principles of engagement - that for the next twenty minutes or the next two days we'll apply them - or that we want to embed in part of our ongoing culture that we're going to do, then it creates more spaciousness and more safety for people to think of ideas.

A big part of consciousness, in general, is becoming conscious of what is in front of you. It helps you become very present. You listen more. You listen more deeply, you listen more generously, and by that meaning you're not listening for what you're going to say next, you're listening to what the person really has to say, and in that, if you are completely present, you then have so many options of how to respond. If you're present within yourself, which improv principles and practices help you access your own presence, when you're more present within yourself a well wellspring of options and possibilities emerge that you know would not have previously imagined.

You are not trapped by a pre-designed agenda, although that can be a guide and a starting point, but you're interacting with truly what's happening in the moment, whether it's in your own creative unconscious as you're generating ideas or if you're collaborating with others. By being completely present, you have access to an abundance of creativity that you don't have, if you have an idea you're going to be set on the idea, and then your only goal is to push that idea forward.

It may happen that you have a great idea and you do push it forward, but by being present it becomes much more clear if there are other options and other people can contribute better to that idea. I think presence and consciousness go hand-in-hand, and these principles are simply a way to help activate more presence in a group or a system. Another thing is, by practicing a lot of these in low-stake, low-risk environments, you begin to naturally embody it more in your everyday life.

For the complete interview, along with some techniques to apply, sign up for the Conscious Software Development Telesummit for FREE at http://conscioussoftwaredevelopment.com

Applied Creativity and Play - Heart of it All interviews me

I was interviewed on the Heart of it All online radio show on applied
creativity, play, co-creativity, and creating conditions for creative emergence:

Part 1: http://bit.ly/ZnuLSO

Part 2: http://bit.ly/1xJwApo

FREE Creativity in Business eBook: Navigating the New Work Paradigm

For the next month, we're offering the Creativity in Buisness eBook to download for FREE! 
(regularly $9.97)

In it, 32 Creativity and Innovation Thought Leaders explore 
navigating the new work paradigm, applied creativity and innovation. Each content-rich interview includes a "Making in Real" section with juicy exercises to apply to your work!


Includes interviews with Dan Pink (A Whole New Mind), Michael Gelb (How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci), Kat Koppett (Training to Imagine), Dr. Win Wenger (The Einstein Factor), Julie Ann Turner (The Creator's Guide), Stephen Shapiro (24/7 Innovation), Dr. Paul Scheele (Natural Brilliance), Peggy Holman (Engaging Emergence), Mike Bonifer (Game Changers), Gregg Fraley (Jack's Notebook), Sam Horn (POP!), William Smith (Your Creative Power), Jeff Klein (Working for Good), Annalie Killian (Chief Magic Officer at AMP), Michael Margolis (GetStoried), Robert Richman (Zappos Insights), Dr. Stan Gryskiewitz (Positive Turbulence), Larry Blumsack (Face-to-Face), Brian Robertson (Holocracy), Frank Spencer (Kedge), Corey Michael Blake (Round Table Companies), Leilani Henry (Being & Living Enterprises), Seth Kahan (Visoinary Leadership), Tim Kastelle (Innovation for Growth), Seth Kahan (Visionary Leadership), Cathy Rose Salit (Performance of a Lifetime), Jay Rhoderick (Bizprov), Marci Segal (Creativity Land), Russ Scheon (Creative Leadership), George Por (Collective Intelligence), Doug Stevenson (da Innovise Guys), Rick Smyre (Communities of the Future) and Michelle James (The Center for Creative Emergence)

Click here to download your free eBook.

Cultivating Creative Aliveness Poster

A couple yars ago I wrote an article on this blog on 9 Practices for Cultivating Creative Aliveness that goes into more detail with each of the practices. Today I played with making it into a poster (and shortening it) to go with a workshop I'll be doing. Thought I'd share it here:

The full-length article is at http://bit.ly/gx2Oyq

Whole Brain Creative Facilitation Workshop in December!

Using Whole-Brain Creativity Practices and Principles to create Vibrant, Agile and Innovative Learning  Environments

http://www.creativeemergence.com/wbfacilitation.html

2-day Workshop ~ December 7th and 8th.
PLUS 1 follow-up one-on-one coaching session.
Led by Michelle James, CEO of The Center for Creative Emergence.


Image from Mercedes Benz ad

This workshop is for professional facilitators, trainers, OD practitioners, coaches, consultants, educators, leaders and anyone else who wants to facilitate creativity, dynamic learning and positive culture change for their participants.
 
Join the creativity facilitation and training revolution! In this workshop you will learn and experience a variety of both right and left brain creativity approaches and techniques designed to enliven your workshops and accelerate participant learning.
 
Learn how to * Quickly and easily engage participants * Modify activities for the particular group and learning objectives * Draw forth the energy, passion, and assets already in the room * Cultivate the attitudes and behaviors for using whole-brain approaches * Create a safe and receptive learning environment
 
Effectively getting groups to open up to experiential creative approaches begins with increasing your own comfort and flexibility with the techniques you facilitate. This workshop will focus on two levels at the same time - you as a professional, authentic facilitator and you as a creative individual. You will have the opportunity for personal expansion as you gather useful tools.
 
Experience whole-brain training activities based in storytelling, improvisational theater, visual imagery, somatics, accelerated learning, ritual, systems thinking, Socratic and analytical processes...and more!  You will learn key creative facilitation principles, creativity training design guidelines, and whole brain approaches to design and facilitate innovative learning environments.
 
Explore using whole brain methods to:
    * Get your own creative juices flowing
    * Draw forth your natural gifts as a facilitator
    * Explore the applications of these new tools
    * Have fun. Surprise yourself and each other
    * Let go of controls; think and respond spontaneously
 
Leave with creative activities for:
    * Icebreakers
    * Energizers
    * Creating group story
    * Innovation & idea generation
    * Team & community building
 
In this pattern-breaking program, you will learn how to let go of controls and mindsets that otherwise inhibit your creative thinking. As you facilitate this for your participants, they will experience a deeper level of meaning and learning.
 
When: Friday & Saturday, December 7th and 8th (9:30: 4:30) and a follow up phone one-on-one coaching session. Where: Falls Church, VA. Directions will be provided.

More information and registration:
http://www.creativeemergence.com/wbfacilitation.html
 
Contact information:
email: [email protected]
phone: 703-760-9009
web: http://www.creativeemergence.com

Applied Discovery - Free Telesummit

I am excited to host this FREE Creativity in Business Telesummit!

REGISTER at http://www.BizCreativitySummit.com/

Featuring 15 Pioneering Creativity & Innovation Leaders, Explorers & Practitioners!

October 22-31 ~ Calls at 12pm & 2Pm EST daily

The theme is Applied Discovery - setting the stage for discovery, generating new ideas and insights, and using your creativity to apply your discoveries in your work.

This event is for entrepreneurs, leaders, executives, managers, learning and innovation officers, facilitators, trainers, OD and HR practitioners, consultants, coaches and anyone who wants to be more innovative, adaptive, resilient, and expressive in the changing world of work, or facilitate that for others.

Leave with principles, practices, techniques, approaches, and frameworks you can start applying to your work, life or business right away to help you discover, create, and innovate!

http://www.BizCreativitySummit.com

Plus, you'll get a free Creativity in Business ebook when you register through October 21st, in which 32 thought leaders explore applied creativity and making it real at work.

Hope you can join us!

Creativity Rocks Opposites

Creativity comes to life at intersections. It thrives on opposites. It engages paradox until something new emerges. This transfers to the design of projects, processes, workshops, teams, organizations, etc. If we design for space to accommodate opposites (just like nature does) we have a more creative system. This is part of a presentation I'm giving on the yin/yang of creative process:

There's no end to what could be added.

Bringing your Whole Brain to Work: We Mean Business TV interviews me

Steve Dorfman and Toby Marciante of We Mean Business TV recently interviewd me on creative (whole brain) thinking in the workplace. We talk about stories, improv, somatics, natural resistance, risk-friendly work cultures, generational creaitvity, discovery sessions, and more in this 30-minute interview.

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Solution Finding: The AIIM Process

A few years ago, when leading a Creative Thinking Program for a corporate client, I developed the AIIM Solution Finding Process to make it accessible, and to help them move onto the nonlinear nature of the creative process (when it is solution-focused, like in work settings) and still have a sequence to follow for those who like to engage more sequentially. I had been studying different models and approaches at the time and narrowed in on the same main patterns I saw showing up in each one, in addition thinking about the patterns I was seeing in the real-life experiences me and my clients were having with applied creativity in the workplace. I think these elements speak to the way nature creates: linearly and non-linearly, expanding and contracting, adapting and refining...

 

"The Map is not the Territory" - Alfred Korsybski
 
The AIIM process is a map, but it is not the entire territory. You can use AIIM in a creative process like you would use a map. If you go want to a new place, you have several choices. Typically, when you are first getting to know the terrain, you get a map and follow directions.
 
Once you get comfortable with the terrain, however, then you start exploring more and may not need directions as much or at all. You may discover new ways of getting around by simply exploring and finding out what leads where and which routes are best for your purposes.
 
Therefore, like a map which involves whole brain thinking, the AIIM Model is more than a step-by-step process to be followed in a sequential order. Each of the of the stages of the AIIM process, and each step within each stage can be, and should be, used as called for by the particular situation. The map is a guide, but it is flexible - and not complete as no mapped process can be.
 
In a creative process you go back and forth between analysis and imagination and between big picture and detail thinking; and you check for relevance and modify in each stage also. Like traveling around in any city, there are many ways that work and not just one right answer. You begin the process and modify along the way as external conditions change. Therefore, any creativity map or process must have flexibility for modification built into it. New ideas, insights and connections emerge that requires nonlinear navigating in real time.

To use the AIIM process in a sequential manner, you would typically start with analysis then bring in the imagination, then go back and forth between those two until you are ready to implement the solution or vision. After the solution is implemented, you continue modify in real time as you get more information and observe what is working and what is not.

Also have a Creative Emergence Process I charted for the book I am working on that looks a bit different - will post another time.

Creativity in Business Conference Re-cap

It took me a few weeks to get to this post, after integrating what unfolded at and after our Creativity in Business Conference a few weeks ago. On October 23, we produced a (sold-out - yay!) conference in Washington, DC with the help of many amazing, generous souls. It was gratifying that people seemed to get a lot out of it - I think the feedback reflects a juicy and alive day. Everyone really stepped up, took risks, pushed their edges, had fun and engaged fully. Photographer, Alexander Morozov of Photography by Alexander, captured the energy of the day with these pictures.

It Started with Principles of Creative Engagement

The day kicked off with introducing the 160 participants to the Principles of Creative Engagement for the conference: Yes-And, Make everyone else look good (both from improv theater), Creativity in Messy and Have fun! Participants were invited to leave with more questions than answers, and use the day to intentionally explore their passion, aliveness and curiosity with the applicability of what they learn/think/create into their work and business.

Lots of Options

 

At any given time, participants had 4 options - a choice between 1 of 3 breakout sessions or a panel - for that time period of 75 minutes. The 12 breakout sessions were designed to be rich in both innovative content and creative experience. They each engaged different aspects of whole brain integration, including storytelling, improv, embodiment or visual thinking.

Engaged Immersion 

Tweeting was not encouraged during the breakout sessions, nor was having laptops, so participants could be immersed in the full-on experience of the session. The intention was that these were not sessions for sitting back, taking notes and reporting out. Each session was about discovery by undistracted engagement in real time, trying new things, engaging the whole brain - and the body in many cases. Low on observing and recording; high on awareness, presence, creating, engaging...then integrating.

Experiential Breakout Sessions

 

The morning began with breakout sessions from Corey
Michael Blake on Breathing Life into

Improvisational Storyteller session

Your Story, Kat Koppett on The Improvisational Storyteller and Bill Smith, PhD on Your Creative Power followed by Gregg Fraley on Holistic Innovation, James Jorasch on Hacking the Hippocampus and Cathy Salit on Performance of a Lifetime. The afternoon included sessions by Dr. Win Wenger on Creative Solution Finding, Carol Sanford on Whole Systems Creative Change and Jack Ricchiuto on The Power of Narrative followed by Sean Kelly on Visual Brainstorming, Leilani Henry on Movement Anthropology, and Michael Margolis on Reinventing Your Bio as a Story. (More on the presenters here and the sessions here).

Heart-Centered Service at the Core

While each of the presenters and panelists has been a keynoter at events, there were no keynoters or "speakers" at this event. There were experiential facilitated sessions and participatory panels, a storytelling plenary and an audience-interactive Imagination Festival. This event was designed to have the central focus be the creativity of who was in the room, not on one of the many luminaries who were there. While each presenter and panelist is a clear creative leader in their own right - a credible expert and pioneering creator - they also are deeply heart-centered in service of that creativity for the greater good. The balance of head (knowledge, experience and ingenuity) and heart (service, kindness), is what I believe makes them so awesome...and made the conference work. Low on ego; high on meaning and service.

Interactive Panels captured by Graphic Recording

The 4 panels were thought-provoking (thanks to the wisdom and kindness of the amazing panelists) and audience-interactive. There was no distancing 4th wall between expert and participants - anyone could contribute. Graphic Recorder, Diane Cline of Over the Horizon Consulting, captured the juicy content from the 4 panels.

Click on the panel links for the graphic of that panel. The Creative Leadership Panel included John Hagel, Robert Richman, Annalie Killian and Rita King. The Creative Work Cultures Panel included Carol Sanford, Steve Dahlberg, Kristi Faulkner and John Hagel. The Social Media & Creativity Panel included DC-based 'tech titans' Jesse Thomas, Peter LaMotte, Shashi Bellamkonda, Maxine Teller and Jen Consalvo. And the Emergence & CoCreation Panel - which I had fun moderating - included Peggy Holman, George Por, Bill Smith and Jack Ricchiuto.

Pioneers who Lead by Example

One thing that I loved that each presenter and each panelist had in common is that they were pioneers in some way...each had created their own approach, structure, services or products. Each had something original they have developed as part of their business offering. It was significant to the design of the event that every one of the presenters and panelists was offering something new and original to participants - thereby modeling applied creativity in business. This "ownership of personal experience" also gave them the real-time flexibility in thinking that allowed them to be present to addressing what was really showing up, without having to rely solely on third party knowledge. And it allowed for the real-time discovery that comes from being in the moment.

Themes Extracted from Stories

The Storytelling Plenary Session had compelling stories from leaders who are bringing creativity in business into the corporate world - with transformative results: John Hagel, James Jorasch, Rita King and Annalie Killian, each of whom shared their personal creativity in business journeys - which made them meaningful and accessible. The themes that emerged from their stories captured in Diane's graphic recording are here.

Nonverbal Creativity to Deepen the Learning

In keeping with the whole-brain engagement and pattern breaking themes of the day, I facilitated the Nonverbal Creativity Closing Session accompanied by musician extraordinaire, Anthony Hyatt of Moving Beauty, who masterfully put to music participants non-verbal expressions of the day. Each group of 8 produced a moving sculpture that was captivating to behold - both visually and energetically. The music fed off of them and they fed off the music in a feedback loop.

Improvisation-Imagination Festival

The day ended with an incredibly fun and frolicky Improvisation-Imagination Festival led by Kat Koppett and Cathy Salit, premiere improvisers from New York. Imagination, Play, and Improvisation were the main themes of the Festival. Not just watching from the sidelines, participants were the creative action. It was a great time!


Thankfulfor and More

The Thankfulfor display - created and curated by Jen Consalvo (pictured right) of Tech Cocktail - invited participants to post what they were thankful for at any given moment throughout the day. With 160 people in "gratitude energy" a palpable appreciative field was created. I think every event needs a gratitude wall. :-)

After the Festival, there was time for connect-working over hors d'oeuvres, catered by Leigh DuWolf, followed by dinner at a local Georgetown restaurant. DJ Rasul Sha'ir, President of Cnvrgnc, kept the music flowing throughout the day to add to the creative atmosphere, and the Conference Team, led by the amazing Tya Bolton, kept the flow going and the contianer strong.

Post-Conference Presenter Retreat
 
After the conference, several of the presenters enjoyed some down time at Kayser Ridge, located on 20 acres of wilderness in the stunningly beautiful Shenandoah Mountains in West Virginia. We were fortunate to be there during the breathtaking peak foliage week. It also so happened that were there to behold the fluke occurence of the Northern Lights in the night sky - which "never" happens this far south - a perfect way to cap off a time full of pattern breaking, good juju and emergent surprises.

Conference Links

•  Conference Pictures
•  Blog Posts by Corey Blake, Melanie Sklarz, Patrick Ross, Shashi Bellamkonda and Annalie Killian
•  Conference Facebook Page

I really feel grateful for the co-creation at every level of this event, the learnings I had, and new and/or deepened connections I made. Putting on this second conference was passion-in-action for me - in service of the emerging creativity-centered work paradigm. I look forward to whatever unfolds next.

Our 2011 Creativity in Business Conference - October 23 in DC!

http://www.creativity-conference.com 

Come learn, think, create and engage with applied-creativity thought leaders, pioneering entrepreneurs and business innovators from around the country - in the fields of creativity and innovation, organizational change, social media, and transformational leadership - for a full-day event focused on:

* Harnessing and focusing individual, group and organizational creativity
* Organizational structures/business models conducive for creativity & innovation
* The integration of creativity, purpose, business and serving the greater good
* Bringing your whole brain - and whole self - to work

This new breed of business conference conference is about going beyond talk-only into exeperiential immersion - immersing you into the experience of creative process and your own creativity. The content is is designed to be informative, intelligent and practical. It will expand your knowledge and understanding. The experiences are designed to be rich and revelatory. They will expand your self.

New ideas, new innovations, new systems and new structures depend on accessing new levels of creativity. At this event, we will explore different facets of creativity as the key driver in navigating and thriving in the new work paradigm.

Come engage your whole brain with practices such as applied storytelling, improvisation, visual thinking, creative inquiry and dialogue, movement and embodiment along with innovative business models and approaches you can apply right away to your work or business.

Conference: 9:00-5:30 Festival: 5:30-7:30

CONFERENCE:  - Lively, Content-rich, Experiential Break-out Sessions each with a different focus related to the theme of Applied Creativity in Business  - Engaging Thought Leader Panels explore the creativity-centered work paradigm through the lens' of leadership, social media and creative thinking. There are no keynoters - just thinkers, leaders and facilitators in service of YOUR creativity and your business.

IMAGINATION FESTIVAL:  Improvisation, Live Music, Connectworking, Book Signings, Give-Aways and tasty hors d'oeuvres.

REGISTRATION:  Earlybird discount through Friday, September 16, 2011. Seating is limited - early registration is recommended. http://www.creativity-conference.com

Hope you can join us! :-)

9 Practices for Cultivating Creative Aliveness

A day of one's, 1-11-11 seemed like an appropriate time to talk about new beginnings! In the spirit of new beginnings and creating what's next, I thought I would share a few (of many) ways to engage creative aliveness as we shift into 2011.  

9 Practices for Cultivating Creative Aliveness

The following practices are not necessarily in a linear order, and you might go back and forth between them. It's not as much about a sequence as it is about engaging and responding in the moment: sometimes listening receptively; others times creating it out actively. By intentionally and consciously setting the "container" with the first three practices, you can be more present to adapting to the rest. Our right brain, by its non-linear nature, isn't one to follow our pre-set linear path...that's the domain of left brain. Any whole-brain creative process includes both linear and non-linear engagement. The right brain also loves to imagine and create new practices as we follow any existing method or approach. If you have an impulse along those lines, go for it. I experience all the time with my clients - as we get deeper into an emergence process, not only do new ideas and directions emerge, but new approaches for cultivating and discovering them emerge in the moment. There is an improvisational quality to each creative emergence - what keeps it so juicy and alive! 

1. Clearing. Give yourself space, time and attention. Consciously set aside some non-distracted time and attention. Like any healthy relationship you have, or creative project you engage, your Creative Self needs quality time to thrive. Make your creative self your most important client - even if that means setting official "creative self  time" on your calendar. Just like (hopefully) you wouldn't answer an email or tweet when with a client, give your creative self the same focused attention - it needs that to be seen, heard and known to be more active and reveal its riches.

2. Centering. Get centered. During your designated emergence time, getting centered allows you to be more present to what is calling to emerge within you. It is about having an intentionality, a clarity of focus and a presence, to be able to begin to hear and connect with deeper aspects of your creative self. Do this is whatever way feels comfortable...whether you do this via visualization, meditation, affirmation, embodiment, or however else you get centered. It can be any small ritual that serves as a pattern break out of your normal everyday consciousness and centers you. I do this with my clients at the onset every coaching session, and the rituals we use vary based on who they are. Find what works for you. This is your "sacred" time.
 
3. Asking. Ask yourself what is most alive for you NOW. It's not about the entirety of your vision and all that you can imagine - just what feels most alive within you now. Listening to what's alive now is like picking the lowest-hanging, ripest fruit from your tree of potential - it does have to be the complete vision. I often ask, "What's calling to emerge for me now?" which helps take it out of future potential (all that can be) and into the realm of the immediately actionable (what is now and next).

"Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~ Howard Thurman


4. Holding. Release the need for an immediate answer...or a familiar one. Hold the question before rushing to an answer or "the" answer. Instead of writing down a list with the same thoughts that you always carry in your left-brain, try engaging your whole brain first. The right brain processes much more quickly than the left brain - and is not inhibited by habitual thinking. Let your left-brain take a mini-vacay. Emergence needs so breathing room before being analyzed, evlauted and figured out. It is not about rushing into sense making. Indulge non-sense-making for a while.

5. Listening. Listen with your whole self, and whole brain. not just the left brain language. Pay attention to images, feelings, thoughts, ideas, surprises, seeming disconnects that come out of nowhere, impulses that emerge. Pay attention to how it feels in your body. What feels most alive? What energizes you? Do not wait for it to make complete sense before you validate it (more passions are not realized because they are judged as ridiculous before they have a chance to evolve. A new emergence, like any new birth, can be messy when being born. Listen for incomplete and partial directions, not entirely clear and sensible answers. In a creative process they usually unfold through cultivation.

 6. Cultivating. Use whole-brain creative processes - draw it, paint it, move with it, embody it, act it out, etc - to break habitual thinking patterns, open up the creative aliveness wellspring, and draw forth its insights and wisdom. It's not about the entirety of your vision and all that you can imagine - it is about what is calling to emerge from within you now. By creatively cultivating it out, you access far deeper levels of information and insights about it than just by thinking about it alone. Use both left-brain linear practices with right-brain practices and whole-brain storytelling. Every emergence is a multi-dimensional story that fits into the context of who you are and expresses what's unfolding.

"Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." ~ Thomas Merton

7. Tending. Also pay attention to images, feelings, thoughts, ideas, impulses that emerge as you go about your days, outside of your "sacred" time. Record them. Ask the question to your creative source a lot, not just once. Let it marinate. As Rainer Maria Rilke said, "Live the question." Deepen into it over time. Notice the patterns that emerge, the key themes. As we engage the process of cultivating what's most alive for us now and in the near future, then the next level of the vision will emerge - like a rose which unfolds in layers, revealing one layer at a time. That's how an emergence works. Many dreams remain idle because there's too big of a gap between all that can be in that vision, and what is simply next - and we can feel overwhelmed, or judge ourselves if not "on track" - and then we can shut down. By working with what is next day by day, the bigger vision becomes more and more clear over time...and accessible. Instead of a target to be hit, creative aliveness is more of a garden to be cultivated...and shaped into something tangible.          

8. Creating. Once you have more clarity - you have diverged out and expanded the creative "playing field" of new, emergent gifts - then look at how to structure that aliveness into you work and life. The key, though, is to not skip over the cultivating and go right to the creating-it part as so many strategic plans have us do. With that approach you can get an action plan, strategy, or goal that is attainable...but may not give you the passion-infused life energy to see it through. The conventional way to stay motivated is through will and perseverance. This is still valuable for those times you do not feel like doing it. To YES-AND that...I believe, and have seen this consistantly over the past 14 years of coaching passion-centered entrepreneurs, that once you have connected to your purposeful aliveness, it is the greatest motivator there is. Motivation is then embedded in the goal itself, and not just something we need to use to achieve it. It's there within us to carry us forth even when we do not feel the energy of it.

9. Adapting. Let the vision be mutable and change over time. Balance planning with emergence.  Have goals and hold them focused enough to guide the process AND loosely enough for new information, insights, and awareness' in the moment can shift them into something more alive (and often unexpected) -  something that you would not have known until you are in the midst of your process. Some goals shift. Some are released entirely. And some new ones show up along the way.  By keeping the long term directed and flexible both, and focusing on what's next, you have room to move, respond, adapt within the goals, making them more accessible...and energized. I heard a great term by Holacracy founder Brian Robertson that resonated with me for this concept: dynamic steering.

There is an improv principle: "Be changed by what is said or what happens" that I find also applies to cultivating passion-infused creativity. In engaging your creative self at deeper levels, you tend to grow and change as a person and meet up with the parts of ourselves that held back our creative flow. As we engage our creative aliveness, this often shifts our original goals into something else - often a more expansive version with some unexpected, emergent surprises. The key is not to get stuck when best-laid plans do not look as planned. They are often "evolutionary invitations" in disguise. Creators and pioneers throughout history have made some of their most profound discoveries and contributions via what was not planned en route to what was. Like John Lennon said: "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans."

Like an improv scene (which is more what life is like than a formulaic, unwavering, static direction), know that that your visions will probably not play out exactly as planned. It can be influenced by a variety of factors and conditions you can't know ahead of time. It is a living, apdaptive story that will morph and change over time with real-time feedback...and being present to your alive-feeling, creative impulses.

Unseen resources that we do not know when we begin our journey show up along the way as we are engaging the journey. In emergence, the whole is always greater than the sum of the parts, and it often leads us to happenings far more alive, fun and meaningful than what our original vision can possibly give us. Life shows up most vividly in the cracks. Aliveness rewards letting go of over-controls. It's important not to need to know the whole HOW before you begin, just a direction and what is most alive...and an entry point. Be kind to yourself in your not-knowings and have fun!

~ 2011 Michelle James  ~ www.creativeemergence.com

15 Foundations for Facilitating Creativity at Work

The following are lessons learned and insights gleaned from the trial and error of facilitating creative process with hundreds of individuals and organizations over the past 12 years. It requires a different focus, skill set, way of being and "container creation" than facilitating analytical processes. Below are some of the many principles and practices I've learned or discovered. Take what resonates and leave the rest :-)

Dynamic Balance and Facilitating Creativity in the Workplace 

1. Set intention and embody purpose. Get clear on your intention - not only from a business perspective, (i.e., leave with a Strategic Plan), but also from the human element. Creative process in human beings is organic, and contains emotional energy. In fact, the more passion and inspiration, the deeper and more coherent the creativity that emerges. If you intend to support the growth, creativity and awareness of those you serve, you facilitate from a more meaningful place than if focused only on the business goal. If you take time, both in the program design and in the room when facilitating, to think about what is the service you are providing - the gift you are offering - it frees up your own creativity more to support that in your facilitation. Focusing solely on the task limits the creative potential. By genuinely focusing on what is yours to GIVE, (not how you come across doing it), participants pick that up – either consciously or unconsciously - and are more receptive to trying new things with you. Creative Facilitation adds some new “yes-ands” to what already works.

2. Focus on awareness in addition to what happens. Focusing on the awareness aspect allows it to be transformative. In all facilitation, the debrief can be one of the most powerful parts. It integrates the learnings and serves as a bridge to what’s next. In debriefing creative process, focus on what was going on INSIDE of the participants as well as what actually was created OUTSIDE in the room. This leads to self-awareness, which increases the chances of continued creativity and co-creativity after the workshop, program, or process is over. The more aware participants become of what emerges within themselves as they create - both what was most alive as well as what was most challenging - the easier it is to continue to navigate and cultivate their creativity beyond the workshop setting.

3. Understand the normal resistance that occurs with navigating the unfamiliar. Resistance is a healthy, natural part of the creative process. It only becomes unhealthy when it is allowed to block the process (by overemphasizing it and spending too much time engaging it, or by not acknowledging it all and trying to barrel past it). Be prepared for resistance to show up. It's usually a result of fear of entering the new territory, and it can show up in a myriad of forms - deflection, sarcasm, distraction, disengagement or, most often and most subtly, talking about what is already known. It's not something to be pushed down or avoided, but rather something to be acknowledged and moved through if it shows up. Acknowledgment ahead of time gives it permission to follow it natural course when and if it emerges. It is the natural “contraction” to balance the creative expansion. You find this in all of nature’s creativity. The flower feels the resistance of the bud most just before it blossoms.

4. “Fail” gracefully - be comfortable with messing up. This is a great lesson from improv theater. Improvisers do not see mistakes as static failures. Instead, we see them as dynamic invitations to learn in real time and an opportunity to create something new. To authentically learn how to deepen your experience in facilitating a transformational creative process requires you to be the explorer as well. Unlike facilitation that relies on what is known, creativity depends elements of the unknown. You can better facilitate that which you're willing to experience for yourself. Applied creativity has vulnerability attached to it as being experimental means being vulnerable. And, that means something you try may not work, or may work differently than you had anticipated. Go with it. USE that information as feedback to either refine for the future, or, in that moment, to take the group to another place. The facilitator’s discomfort with the challenges of creativity can inhibit the group's craetive process. (If you can take an improv class, do it…it's the quickest way I know to free yourself of the “the fear of failure” and develop a comfort with thinking on your feet.)

5. Adapt in real time. There's always a dynamic balance between creating enough structure and releasing. If you as a facilitator need to control the process, do whatever you can on your free time to get comfortable with letting go, shifting gears, and modifying the agenda in real time. Use the real-time feedback loop: engage, get feedback, modify; engage, get feedback, modify, etc. It’s an ongoing process, and like with all things, takes practice to embody. Do this enough and it becomes comfortable and easy…and alive! In fact, you will get to a point where it takes more energy to try to stick to the exact plans than to follow the creative aliveness of what is trying to emerge in the room. Be ready to adjust your "agenda" at any time for what is REALLY going in the room. Otherwise, you can get engagement, and even expanded perspectives, but generally no real novelty. Novelty contains an unpredictability within it, and to facilitate creative process means adapting to that unpredictability in real time. May as well have fun with it :-)

6. Work from your own Creative Edges, not your comfort zone. This creates a palpable dynamic aliveness in the room. You are all in it together. This may seem antithetical to our "expertise" culture. The paradox is that you must still deeply know and understand what you are doing before you enter the room, but then once in the room, hold it loosely and respond in real time. Be in your own unknown - a co-discoverer instead of the expert on their creativity. Allow yourself to be surprised. Don't limit them, or yourself, by your creativity experience or pre-existing assumptions. While you are the one creating the container and holding the space, this role is balanced with your own openness to what emerges. Creative facilitation is an open system.

7. Respect creative style diversity. To further expound on #6, one size, approach, method, technique, or even paradigm does not fit all. One creativity model definitely does not fit all. Understand that each person in that room is at a different comfort level, and will have a unique relationship with the creative process. Each carries unique and different stories of creativity in his or her consciousness. You give them tools and techniques as entry points, but be ready to let their creativity show you ways of creating that you can’t imagine. This expands your own Creative Practices repertoire.

8. Understand patterns found in the creative process. This allows you to facilitate during times of resistance. Another paradox: while each person has different creating styles and approaches that work for them, there are also re-occurring universal patterns that tend to emerge in a creative process. The deepest understanding comes from your OWN experimentation and learning, and will most likely be refined over time. Start with what you know, and open up to being "yes-anded" all the time. Look for patterns, not just techniques. Techniques only get you so far…patterns and principles allow you to create new techniques on and ongoing basis. Start where you are, be gentle with yourself as you learn, and learn from direct experience. Insights that emerge from experience and observation are give you a real-time agility that book learning alone cannot offer.

9. Embrace dynamic balance. Divergence AND convergence. Left AND right brain. Structure AND flow. Reflection AND action. That is one of the re-occurring themes in this post because it permeates all of creative process...and the complexity of being human. Creativity is filled with paradox. Setting up conditions for creativity is as well. Like with all natural systems, every situation, project, and group has a dynamic balance that will allow the most amount of creativity to emerge in that situation. Too rigid keeps the creativity bound; too loose, it gets unfocused. There is a balance between structure and flow. This is why whole brain practices are needed...the right brain to access NEW levels of ideas and information, and the left to discern and organize it.

10. Allow for self-organization when facilitating a group project. Inherent in the creative process is a self-organization found in all of nature. You see this all the time in improvised jazz or improv theater...something larger than the sum of the parts emerges and it is a coherent whole and unexpected. It is similar to the experience you have in those moments when everything just seems to effortlessly come together in a brilliant, yet totally unexpected, way. This possibility always exists in any group. One key is to not over-control the experience and allow enough space for the next level of creativity to emerge in the room. This takes some trust in the creative process itself...and practices recognizing, like in an improv performance, when you need to step up and lead, or step back and follow. Without question, groups have the capacity to self-organize around a creative task - a collective creative intelligence can take over that is larger than any one person's idea. You have nature on your side. We are natural meaning-makers, and creativity is naturally self-organizing. By balancing both directing and following in real time, you can more naturally moving to higher levels of coherence, meaning, and sense. (All “Aha’s” are deeply grounded in common sense at their new level). We have simply been socialized, educated, and trained to over-plan. Instead, we can learn how to work WITH the natural creative process.

11. Seek to make it safe, not comfortable.  
Safety will allow people to open up and move into
unknown territory without the fear of criticism, failure. Too much stability, and nothing new emerges. Asking people to share what they already know is different than guiding them into their unknown. On the other side, without doing the “container creating” to make it safe, taking people in too deep too soon can throw them into chaos and they will shut down – and they lose trust in you. In either case, nothing new emerges. Find the balance of the Creative Zone - the place of creative potential between stability and chaos. Create a safe space AND guide your participants into new territory, which can be uncomfortable. Discomfort is a normal part of the creative process. In fact, if everyone is the room is entirely comfortable the whole time, chances are you did more
of an information gathering process than a creative one.

12. Fun is functional. There is more research emerging all the time that shows how fun, play, and “lightening up” have a serious role to play in increasing creative thinking and establishing creative work culture - not just as an outlet to do on your free time, but as a driver to navigating change and working on serious challenges in work and life. It frees the brain to think more creativity, and frees the energy in the room for more effective and safe collaboration. In fact, I have not come across any research anywhere that points to not having fun and not being playful as a more effective way of living and creating. To facilitate creativity requires accessing and being comfortable with having fun yourself. And, knowing how to bring it in purposefully, and in a way it can be accepted (and not shut people down). It's different for every group and every culture. Once you access your own "deep fun" self, you have more choice on what methods to use and how. As with all facilitation, know your audience.

13. Your inner stories directly impact the container you create for others. Check out all the stories you carry around creativity, fun and play. Do you hold them as separate from a business bottom line? Most of us grew up with the programming that creativity is something you do on your free time after the “real work” is done. Facilitating Applied Creativity carries a new story – that it is an essential part of the real work. It is more than something fun to open up a group, but actually something to help transform individuals, groups, teams and organizations; create a thrivable work culture, and feed the bottom line. Do you carry a story that creativity is for the domain of the arts...or do you know it to be present, in infinite abundance, for every person, group and system? What stories do you carry about yourself as a Creator? In knowing yourself as a Creator, and knowing that you are walking into a room filled with other Creators (whether they are aware of it or not) allows you to help facilitate a new story for those in the room.

14. Diverge...and Converge with discernment. 
Facilitating transformational creativity requires your presence, adaptability, agile thinking…AND
discernment. Discernment keeps whatever
emerges in the room focused on the objectives, relevant, and purposeful…not just random creative expression (unless that is your goal). This means having processes for Convergence as well as Divergence. Divergence explores, discovers, yes-ands, and accepts to expand the playing field – the increase the field of potential from which to draw. Convergence discerns, focuses, fleshes out, uses what is relevant and leaves the rest. For a visual with more on Divergence and Convergence click here. As with each of these points, the dynamic balance is the key: expand, contract; explore, refine; value logic and intuition; planning and spontaneity. Most people naturally gravitate to more comfort with diverging or converging…find out which is your preference and practice giving more time and attention to the other. 



15. Prepare yourself with pre-workshop creativity rituals. Creativity, by its nature, contains a lot of energy and newness. Facilitating novelty is not "business as usual." It's about leading a group into the non-habitual. It requires being resilient, agile, compassionate and an "expedition guide." Taking some time to do whatever you need to enter your own non-habitual state first can makes a significant difference. One of the best ways to do that is by taking some alone time before the facilitation, to do pattern-breaking exercises to increase your own energy and become present, alert, and responsive. The more of the whole-brain - and whole-body! - you bring in, the better. Like an athlete who warms up by stretching muscles, you’re a creativity facilitator who warms up by stretching beyond your familiar patterns. Try different things, like moving in non-habitual ways around your living room before you leave your house. You'll be alone, so the more “out there” you can be in the privacy of your own space, the better. Surprise yourself at how “out there” you can get! It will also help you be more comfortable when something “out there” emerges from a participant. Do it until you transform any negative self-judgment or evaluation you have into the joy of exploration. It will increase your energy and aliveness, and help you be more attentive and at ease with what shows up in the room. Creativity is messy. Non-judgment of self and others during the process is essential!

I am so passionate about this topic that I could go on ad infinitum :-) I have covered some of the basics here. It's challenging to use words-only to describe a fullness of whole-brain experience. This is not about one right way - it's a loose guide and exploration. My hopes is that something in here gives you food for thought, inspiration or validation. 

~ Michelle James ©2010

Go to http://www.creativeemergence.com/wbfacilitation.html  for more on our next Creative Facilitation Workshop. Offerred once or twice a year since 2005 in the Washington, DC area. 

Whole Brain Thinking

This is revised from an article I wrote last year, with updated chart.

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, leaders and entrepreneurs are required to be more adaptive, responsive  and innovative than ever before. Assessing situations quickly, developing novel solutions and flexible strategies have become a requirement (or invitation - depending on how you see it) for all of us.

If you approach a new situation with the your habitual thinking, it’s impossible to generate new ideas, visions or solutions. Your thought patterns will travel down the same neural pathways in your brain the same way they always do--and the outcome will be the same ideas you typically have. Thinking in novel ways requires new connections within the brain. New thinking requires pattern breaking. Research shows that by actively engaging the brain’s capacities from both hemispheres, you have a larger "playing field" from which to create – there is more cross fertilization between neural synapses which leads to original ideas and "A-ha" moments.

The "left brain" organizes what already exists and thinks linearly. There is a sequential, analytical process toward a specific outcome. The "right brain" imagines what can be and thinks in nonlinear interconnections. It has immediate access to insights and novel connections.  Cultivating the use of both sides leads to breakthrough leaps and the ability to think on your feet under pressure

 

I developed a simple Whole Brain Dimensions chart of the generally accepted differences. You can use it to get a glimpse into your dominant thinking approach. The words in the left hand column are typically associated with the "left brain thinking," and the words in the right hand column are typically associated with "right brain thinking." These are simple generalizations, designed to get you thinking about your habitual thinking patterns. The more integrated your brain hemispheres are – accessing and using the elements associated with both sides of this list - the more effective you will be at generating elegant solutions and developing new, generative visions. Most individuals and most organizational cultures lean more toward one side or the other. Which are you? Which is your organization? Which are valued in your work culture? Which are invisible, repressed or even criticized?

Quickly scan the list for the words that apply to you. Don’t think about it - go by initial instinct even if you are unsure about what something means. Answer intutively. Keep track of how many words in each column describe you. You don't have to choose between the 2 columns - just check off each word that speaks to you as part of your own process, even if they seem opposite. For example, you may find you already use both detailed and big picture thinking in your work. If so, check both. 



Add up the totals on each side to become aware of your dominant thinking approach.
What are your natural gifts, trained skills, habits or growing edges?

Whole Brain Integration Techniques

The flowing are some quick and simple exercises you can use anytime to begin to integrate the hemispheres and strengthen your less dominant side.



1. Opposite functions - Spend some time doing everything with your non-dominant hand. Every time you break a dominance habit, you create new neural pathways and give the brain more options. It become easier to think in new ways throughout your day, and easier to adapt, respond and create in high pressure environments.



2. Color and No Lines - Instead of using lined legal paper and a pen in meetings, brainstorming sessions or any other work related functions, try use unlined paper and colored markers. Lines have a subconscious effect on us which keep the brain locked in habitual thought patterns. By removing the lines, the brain is more free to think visually and instead of just in words. Using colored markers has a stimulating effect on the brain because the right brain thinks in color.



3. Sensory Immersion - engage all of your senses in your ideation process instead of coming to a situation from analytical thinking alone:

 The more senses you use simultaneously, the more the brain sides work in harmony and the information you receive. Immerse yourself in right-brain touch, taste, smell, imagery, movement, sounds and music while focused on your project and you can unfold more insights, awareness' and novel connections.

4. Embodiment - become the project, problem, vision, product and act from its point of view. New ideas will flood your mind. This is easy to prove. First, try imagining new features to add to any product in a certain time period, i.e., 5 minutes. You will come up with a number of features. Then, pretend you actually are the product - become the product -and start talking as the product, again for 5 minutes. You will learn exponentially more about what additional features it "needs." The act of becoming a product or concept will give you new insights and awareness' into the product, and therefore, potential new features, that you cannot get from just thinking about it.

Creative Thinking: Diverge and Converge

Here's a little diagram I put together to highlight the differences in the creative process between divergent and convergent thinking. Like all models, it's not comprehensive, but meant to serve as a general guideline. (Convergence and Divergence are used in some form in most creativity models). The key is engaging BOTH types of thinking in a creative process. Next-level solutions emerge from engaging the unpredictability and expansiveness of divergent thinking first, and then applying the narrowing of convergent thinking to ground the new ideas into practical understandings and action steps.

Creativity in Work Development Program ~ Winter 2010

A Professional and Personal Development Program spanning the course of 6 weeks. Led by Michelle James, CEO of The Center for Creative Emergence and founder of the Capitol Creativity Network and the Creativity in Business Conference.

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” - Dr. Seuss

This course is not about writing out lists. It is about delving in, whole-person creating, breaking patterns, and cultivating new ideas, structures and directions - that are both creative and practical. It's for you if are truly committed and ready to birth something NEW into the world that serves others and is aligned with who YOU are!

Use the Creative Resources within you to inform new Work Directions, Strategies, Innovations, Projects, Products or Services:

• Discover, design, and develop what's next in your work
• Cultivate your creativity and self-awareness
• Focus your creative intelligence for practical results
• Learn to use uncertainty as a productive business resource
• Develop a solid, structured framework of what you offer & your "signature"
• Create, innovate and implement with confidence
• Attract clients aligned with your vision and mission

An Integrative Program -  Practical, tangible outcomes and offerings will emerge from the inside-out over the course of 6 weeks. Your passion, skills, talents and experience will inform the goals and structures. This program contain s a balance of left and right brain activities, analysis and intuition, strategy and emergence, thinking and being, action and reflection, theory and application, lightness and depth, and improvisation and planning...with measurable results.

We'll use the Creative Emergence Process with a rich integration of improv, story, the arts, intuition techniques, reflection tools, whole-brain/accelerated learning methods, creative thinking, ritual, and analytical and evaluative approaches to help you create next-level business solutions. Along with your business changes, you change internally.

You Will Leave With:

• The development of new or the refinement of your existing offerings. If you work for an organization, new ways to apply creativity to your work.
• The next evolution of your work direction, project, work environment, approach, product, service, design, process, program, workshop or model.
• A self-designed framework, set of strategic goals and an action plan.
• The initial implementation of the action and marketing plans.

Program Includes:

• 4 full-days of workshops, each building on the one before
• One two-hour+ Creative Emergence coaching session PLUS one 45-minute post-workshop follow-up session ($400+ value)
• Creativity in Work workbook - activities and resources with your emergent ideas and learnings
• Emergence Box - relevant items to engage your process beyond the workshop setting
• Engaging and relevant practices to do in between workshops
• All art supplies and program materials
• Individualized make-up session for classes missed
• In depth attention due to small group size
• Quality food, gourmet coffee, teas and spring water
• Certificate of Completion

When: 4 Fridays over 6 weeks - 9:00am to 5:00pm: 2/12, 2/26, 3/12 and 3/26 in McLean, VA

For complete details and registration go to http://www.creativeemergence.com/id22.html

For the whole brain...

Our Creativity in Business Conference ~ October 4 in DC

http://www.creativity-conference.com

Join applied-creativity thought leaders, pioneering entrepreneurs and business innovators from around the country - in the fields of creativity and innovation, organizational change, social media and transformational leadership - for a full-day event focused on:

* Harnessing and focusing individual, group & organizational creativity
* Organizational structures/business models conducive for creativity & innovation
* The integration of creativity, purpose, business & serving the greater good

New ideas, new innovations, new systems and new structures depend on accessing new levels of creativity. At this event, we will explore different facets of creativity as the key driver in navigating and thriving in the new work paradigm.

Conference: 9:00-5:30 Festival: 5:30-7:30

CONFERENCE:  - Lively, Content-rich, Experiential Break-out Sessions each with a different focus related to the theme of Applied Creativity in Business  - Engaging Thought Leader Panels explore the creativity-centered work paradigm through the lens' of leadership, social media and creative thinking

FESTIVAL:  Comedy, Live Music, Networking, Book Signings, Give-Aways and hors d'oeuvres from award-winning Mie N Yu restaurant

ALSO INCLUDED:  Arts and Business Services Silent Auction - all proceeds from the auction go to ProjectCreateDC. For more info on how to donate a work of art or a business service, email [email protected]

REGISTRATION:  Earlybird discount through August 21: $149 ~ Regular rate after August 21: $197 ~ Sponsorship: $500. Seating is limited - early registration is recommended. http://www.creativity-conference.com

SPONSORS: - The Center for Creative Emergence (Conference Producer) - Capitol Creativity Network - Center for Digital Imaging Arts - Teratech - Timothy Flatt Studios - Mie N Yu - Over The Horizon Consulting, LLC - Associated Producers - Brandwithin - Integral Company - Thoughtlead -Photograhy by Alexander

ALL THE DETAILS:  http://www.creativity-conference.com

Hope you can join us! :-)

Whole-Brain Facilitation Workshop

Using Whole-Brain Creativity Practices and Principles  for Vibrant and Engaging
Learning Environments  ~ www.creativeemergence.com/id47.html

4-week Program ~ 4 Tuesdays in July: 3 live workshops plus 1 follow-up teleclass
Tuesdays, July 7-28 ~ 6:30pm-9:00pm
Led by Michelle James, CEO of The Center for Creative Emergence
 
NEW 4-WEEK EVENING FORMAT!
 
This workshop is for professional facilitators, trainers, OD practitioners, coaches, consultants, educators and anyone else who wants to facilitate creativity, dynamic learning and positive culture change for their participants.
 
Join the creativity training revolution! In this workshop you will learn and experience a variety of both right and left brain creativity approaches and techniques designed to enliven your workshops and accelerate participant learning.
 
You will learn how to * Quickly and easily engage participants * Modify activities for the particular group and learning objectives * Draw forth the energy, passion, and assets already in the room * Cultivate the attitudes and behaviors for using whole-brain approaches * Create a safe and receptive learning environment
 
Effectively getting groups to open up to experiential creative approaches begins with increasing your own comfort and flexibility with the techniques you facilitate. This workshop will focus on two levels at the same time - you as a professional, authentic facilitator and you as a creative individual. You will have the opportunity for personal expansion as you gather useful tools.
 
You will experience whole-brain training activities based in storytelling, improvisational theater, visual imagery, somatics, accelerated learning, ritual, systems thinking, Socratic and analytical processes...and more!  You will learn key creative facilitation principles, creativity training design guidelines, and whole brain approaches to design and facilitate innovative learning environments.
 
You will explore using whole brain methods to:
    * Get your own creative juices flowing
    * Draw forth your natural gifts as a facilitator
    * Explore the applications of these new tools
    * Have fun. Surprise yourself and each other
    * Let go of controls; think and respond spontaneously
 
You will leave with creative activities for:
    * Icebreakers
    * Energizers
    * Creating group story
    * Innovation & idea generation
    * Team & community building
 
In this pattern-breaking program, you will learn how to let go of controls and mindsets that otherwise inhibit your creative thinking. As you facilitate this for your participants, they will experience a deeper level of meaning and learning.
 
 When: This program meets in person the first 3 weeks, and then has a follow up phone session the fourth week. Live workshops: 3 Tuesdays 7/7, 714 and 7/21 - 6:30 -9:00pm. Group follow-up teleclass: 4th Tuesday 7/28 - 6:30-9:00pm. Where: McLean, VA, one minute off the beltway. Directions will be provided.
 
> Registration: $325 Early bird discounts: $250 if registered by June 25. Space is limited - early registration recommended.
> Details: Includes the Creative Facilitation Workbook with handouts, light snacks and spring water.
> To Sign Up: To register, please send a confirmation email to [email protected] and go to www.creativeemergence.com/id47.html
 
Contact information:
email: [email protected]
phone: 703-760-9009
web: http://www.creativeemergence.com

50 Ways to Think Creatively

This morning I was reflecting on creative thinking for my newsletter and decided to make a list of what came to me as it emerged, stopping after the first 50 concepts:

1. Give your Creative Self space, time and attention
2. Be curious and aware - wonder about, ponder and reflect
   
3. Have more questions than answers
4. Challenge assumptions and norms - your own, others, societies
5. Get clarity about exactly what you are trying to solve or envision and why
6. Turn problem statements into vision statements
7. Record your thoughts and ideas
8. Have brainstorming buddies and a creativity support team
9. Break patterns and habits - consciously do something different
10. Use the body - walk, dance, move in non-habitual ways - as a creative resource
11. Surround yourself with diverse types of people and situations
    
12. Use reverse or opposites thinking
13. Look for the story behind or about something
14. Meditate - cultivate presence and mindfulness
15. Live in terms of exploration and discovery, not just solutions or right answers
16. See uncertainty as an invitation to discover
17. See mistakes as an invitation to create
18. Suspend judgment as you explore and experiment
19. Think in terms of "What if?" about seemingly obvious things
20. Surround yourself with life-giving and inspiring people, images and objects
21. Justify why something works even before you know why - make it up as you go along
22. Tell your own Creativity Story and identify the beliefs you have about yourself as a creative person. Make up a second version with you as the SuperCreative Hero
23. Experiment without needing it to work - let go of attachment to outcomes
24. Use visual, metaphorical and analogical thinking - not just analytical
25. Thinking terms of what works rather than the one right way
26. Develop positive beliefs about creativity and you as a creator
27. Self-creation - think of yourself as a Creator always recreating yourself
28. Engage all of the senses - sight, touch, taste, smell, sound
29. Use different types of music in the background while thinking
30. Think of your vision or challenge in terms of attributes: shape, size, color, texture
31. Use the S.C.A.M.P.E.R. technique with your ideas
32. Read up on creative thinking techniques and DO them to get practice
33. Learn to listen to your intuition to follow hunches and discern ideas
34. Be wiling to break rules, and then break them again
35. Cultivate your inner bon vivant - have fun, laugh, play
36. Embrace, rather than avoid, ambiguity as an essential part of the creative process
37. Allow time to stay immersed in the question
38. Take improv theater classes to feel more comfortable creating in real time
39. Animate concepts and ideas - endow them with human or other characteristics
40. Write out the unique ways you already are creative
41. Use, and value, the whole brain - including the visual, intuitive and kinesthetic
42. Draw or paint concepts
43. Create your own rituals
44. Adopt alternative views of reality
45. Pretend your are someone/thing else while problem solving or creating
46. Embrace being wrong as a worthwhile part of the creative process
47. Allow discomfort to be an acceptable part of the process
48. Give time for divergence as well as convergence - and before it
49. Value imagination as much as knowledge
50. Finally, there is no substitute for Passion - find what is alive for you and create from there
    
    Michelle James ©2008
    

Graphic Recording of Last Night's Presentation

Jeremy Epstein gave a lively and compelling presentation last night at our Capitol Creativity Network gathering on Creativity as the Key Driver for Profit - transforming the seemingly mundane aspects of business into your remarkable brand - and story - by thinking creatively...and having fun doing it!  Thanks to Diane Cline, of Over the Horizon Consulting, who captured the presentation with Graphic Recording, you can see the main points here - it's a whole-brainer!

 

10 Traits of The Creative Personality

Psychology Today featured an excerpt of an article written by psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (who popularized the term "Flow" in is books which include Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience and Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention among others). To build on Flow Theory, Csikszentmihalyi  interviewed 91 people, eminent in their respective fields, each of whom engaged in "flow" in an ongoing basis while contributing to the betterment of society. He found certain traits common to all that he called the Creative Personality. The following article summarizes his finding. I have copied only parts of it below - for the complete article, click here.

The Creative Personality
By Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Of all human activities, creativity comes closest to providing the fulfillment we all hope to get in our lives. Call it full-blast living...Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives. Creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals. Most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the result of creativity...When we're creative, we feel we are living more fully than during the rest of life...what makes their personalities different from others...complexity. They show tendencies of thought and action that in most people are segregated. They contain contradictory extremes; instead of being an "individual," each of them is a "multitude."

Here are the 10 antithetical traits often present in creative people that are integrated with each other in a dialectical tension.

1. Creative people have a great deal of physical energy, but they're also often quiet and at rest. They work long hours, with great concentration, while projecting an aura of freshness and enthusiasm...This does not mean that creative people are always "on"...When necessary, they can focus it like a laser beam; when not, creative types immediately recharge their batteries. They consider the rhythm of activity followed by idleness or reflection very important for the success of their work.

2. Creative people tend to be smart yet naive at the same time...Another way of expressing this dialectic is the contrasting poles of wisdom and childishness...a certain immaturity, both emotional and mental, can go hand in hand with deepest insights...Furthermore, people who bring about an acceptable novelty in a domain seem able to use well two opposite ways of thinking: the convergent and the divergent.

3. Creative people combine playfulness and discipline, or responsibility and irresponsibility. There is no question that a playfully light attitude is typical of creative individuals. But this playfulness doesn't go very far without its antithesis, a quality of doggedness, endurance, perseverance...Despite the carefree air that many creative people affect, most of them work late into the night and persist when less driven individuals would not.

4. Creative people alternate between imagination and fantasy, and a rooted sense of reality. Great art and great science involve a leap of imagination into a world that is different from the present...the whole point of art and science is to go beyond what we now consider real and create a new reality...this "escape" is not into a never-never land. What makes a novel idea creative is that once we see it, sooner or later we recognize that, strange as it is, it is true.

5. Creative people tend to be both extroverted and introverted...in the thick of crowds or sitting on the sidelines and observing the passing show. In fact, in psychological research, extroversion and introversion are considered the most stable personality traits that differentiate people from each other and that can be reliably measured. Creative individuals, on the other hand, seem to exhibit both traits simultaneously.

6. Creative people are humble and proud at the same time...Their respect for the area in which they work makes them aware of the long line of previous contributions to it, putting their own in perspective. They're also aware of the role that luck played in their own achievements. And they're usually so focused on future projects and current challenges that past accomplishments, no matter how outstanding, are no longer very interesting to them. At the same time, they know they have accomplished a great deal. And this knowledge provides a sense of security, even pride.

7. Creative people, to an extent, escape rigid gender role stereotyping...ability to be at the same time aggressive and nurturant, sensitive and rigid, dominant and submissive, regardless of gender. A psychologically androgynous person in effect doubles his or her repertoire of responses. Creative individuals are more likely to have not only the strengths of their own gender but those of the other one, too.

8. Creative people are both rebellious and conservative. It is impossible to be creative without having first internalized an area of culture...But the willingness to take risks, to break with the safety of tradition, is also necessary. The economist George Stigler is very emphatic: "In innovation, you have to play a less safe game, if it's going to be interesting. It's not predictable that it'll go well."

9. Most creative people are very passionate about their work, yet they can be extremely objective about it as well. Without the passion, we soon lose interest in a difficult task. Yet without being objective about it, our work is not very good and lacks credibility. Here is how the historian Natalie Davis puts it:  "...you can't be so identified with your work that you can't accept criticism and response."

10. Creative people's openness and sensitivity often exposes them to suffering and pain, yet also to a great deal of enjoyment...Being alone at the forefront of a discipline also leaves you exposed and vulnerable...invites criticism and often vicious attacks...Divergent thinking is often perceived as deviant by the majority, and so the creative person may feel isolated and misunderstood...Yet when a person is working in the area of his of her expertise, worries and cares fall away, replaced by a sense of bliss.

Perhaps the most important quality, the one that is most consistently present in all creative individuals, is the ability to enjoy the process of creation for its own sake.

That was from Creativity: The Work and Lives of 91 Eminent People, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

My two cents: the Creative Personality can hold paradox without feeling conflicted - both paradoxical traits within oneself, as well as the ability to hold the world (and world view) as containing seemingly opposing realities without having to adopt one in particular. It is not reductionist, reducing a philosophy, creation or way of being down to one common denominator. It is expansive and yes-anding - accepting that contradictory ideas, situations and traits can be operating simultaneously or within the same individual or system - and that adds to the creative complexity, aliveness and richness of output.

Indexed - Creative Blog

I was scrolling through the Times.com 20 top rated blogs and came upon Indexed, a completely creative and witty blog by Jessica Hagy. Like the Gaping Void creator, Hugh McLoud, who started out by using the backs of napkins and then moved to the backs of business cards, Jessica keeps it simple as well and uses index cards and simple venn diagrams to "make fun of some things and sense of others." It's worth exploring.

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

Precipice Improv and Emergence

I am in an improvisational theater performing group, Precipice Improv. (I'm pictured here with cast mates, from top left to bottom right, Dan Mont, Ric Anderson and Bob Adler).

We improvise full-length plays with nothing planned in advance. No structure. No outline. No character or plot development. Nothing, except for 2 locations we get from the audience at the beginning of the play. The play is then titled, "The Space Station and the Bathroom" or whatever locations we get from the audience. Two of us then run on stage and start interacting, and thus the play begins.

When the play goes well, the audience says, "That HAD to be scripted. At least some part of it had to be scripted. It looked too easy."  It was easy. When the performance does not go so well, the audience says, "That looked hard."  It was hard.

So what makes is hard sometimes, and easy others? What is the "magic formula" that allows a fully formed, coherent, organized play - with believable characters and a plot - to emerge before the audience’s (and our own) eyes?  And, what gets in the way?

What makes it work when it works?  We do not go our with a pre-formed notion of our characters or of a plot or of a conflict, challenge or situation. We just let them emerge based on our interactions, actions, and reactions. The "magic formula" is the adherence to improv principles. When we adhere to the principles of improvisation, an emergence occurs that is more intelligent and creative - and organized - than any one of us could have planned. As with any good emergence, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By adhering to the principles, a play unfolds so original and unpredictable, that while in it, you have a sense of being entirely in flow - getting to fully experience the adventure as you create it.

The principles that allow this to happen are simple, yet profound. They seem easy, but in practice, they are almost the exactly opposite ways society navigates every day life and work situations. Thye take re-learning (I say that becuase we were born natural improvisers and then got "educated" and "civilized" out of the playful aspects of it). Below are 7 basic improv principles. There are others, but I have found these to be essential:

1. Yes And - fully accepting the reality that is presenting, and the adding a NEW piece of information - that is what allows it to move forward and stay generative.

2. Make everyone else look good - that means you do not have to be defending or justifying yourself or your position - you have a group of other who will do that for you. And you are comitted to doing that for others. Without the burden of defensiveness, everyone are free to create.

3. Allow yourself to be change by what is said and what happens - at each moment, new information in an invitation for you to have a new reaction, or for your character to experience a new aspect of them. Change inspires new ideas, and that naturally unfolds what's next.

4. Co-create a shared "agenda" - the recognition that even the best-laid plans are abandoned in the moment, and to serve the reality of what is right there in front of you. You are co-creating the agenda in real-time. In order to keep the play going, you respond to the moment and an "agenda" co-emerges.

5. Be fully present and engaged - by staying preset to each moment, getting out of planning and into being, you have a wellspring options and choices in each moment. To do so requires  engagement and attention. With engagement combined with presence and yes-anding, you can't do anything but be co-creative.

6. Keep the energy going - no matter what is given, or what happens, you accept it and keep the energy gong. Unlike in everyday life, where people stop to analyze, criticize or negate, in improv you keep moving. A mistake happens - let it go move on. The unexpected emerges - use it to move on. Someone forgot something important - justify it and move on. Just keep moving.

7. Seek the good of the whole - always carry the question, "How can I best serve this situation?" and then you have a better sense of when to run in and when to stay back, when to take focus and when to give it, how to best support your fellow performers and how to best support the scene. By focusing away from how you will look into serving the larger good, you have more creative impulses and resources available to you at any moment. And the choices you make are more in alignment with the higher levels of creative integration that form a coherent play.

So, what make it "look hard" when it is not working so well?  Simple, any violation of the principles. If one of us tries to orchestrate, or worse impose, our own agenda or plot on the piece.  If one of us tries to be the "star" and take too much focus. If even one of us is not present to what is unfolding, moment-by-moment. If one of us worries about the plot, and starts to figure out how to "save" it. If we expect someone to should respond in a certain way. In short, anything that gets out  of the moment and out of support - and into our controlling heads.

The truth is, in each performance we have some of each - some magic moments and some more effortful ones. By adhering to the improv principles, however, we significantly increase the magic and decrease the efforting. A creative, and suprisely logical, play can then emerge through that  fresh and alive energy. We, and the audience, then get to experience the real-time excitement of riding the flow of a creative emergence.

Creativity is naturally self-organizing system. We are meaning makers, and left to our own devices, our brains naturally seek order, coherence and meaning. Once you allow yourself the freedom to explore and play; set the guidelines of play -i.e., improv principles; and then get out of the way, creativity can develop and unify all kinds of things that otherwise would seem impossible.   

For me, the principles of improvisation serve a much larger purpose than creating a play - I see them as having the ability to create the life-giving container for cognitive, personal, organizational, social, political, cognitive, and spiritual transformation. I see them as rules of engagement for a more peaceful, co-generative, co-creative, sustainable world.