I was delighted to be asked to talk about creativity at this year's Hawkesbury Upton Literary Festival with two of my heroes. Orna Ross's brilliance and kindness and inspiration have meant so much over the years to me personally as well as the wider literary world. Joanna Penn is a creative and motivational inspiration to … Continue reading Cosmology, Collidors, and Creatively Playing the Fool
From time to time I post questions on Facebook about the kind of strange question that keeps me up at night. Usually the kind of question that will either one day form the kernel of a thriller should I have my fictional hat on, or a piece of speculative futurology or creative research should I … Continue reading Just One Thing
This section contains three very different sets of exercises for you to work on. As such, it may be worth spending longer on it than last time, or treating it as three separate sections. Though of course it’s entirely up to you. (click here for the first lesson) Last time we looked at some ways … Continue reading Colliding, Sliding and Eliding: Lessons in Creativity 2
I’ve spent a lot of time here talking about the way creativity is, for want of a better term, about mashing things up and seeing what you get. But what I haven’t done yet is talk about how to develop the skill of the interesting collision. Skill, maybe, is the wrong word, because that takes … Continue reading Lessons in Creativity 1: Little Puffy Clouds
Creativity. Whether we are a massive organisation looking to break new ground or an individual wanting out of a rut, it is the one thing everyone wants more of. Yet of course it is the great unquantifiable. Anyone my age with any kind of artistic leaning will probably remember the inner – or, quite possibly, … Continue reading Why We Are Wrong About Creativity
It is always a fine line to tread when one has a very strong agenda for change, between the political and the supra-political. Especially so when the issue in question lacks the fluidity that allows many of the most useful debates to have their natural rhythm. But as today is “Brexit Day”, it is both … Continue reading Changing Conversations
The other day I was reading an article on a recruitment site about what HR people think when an applicant has on their CV they are a member of Mensa. I knew where it was going, of course. And, sure enough, I was right. It wouldn’t actually stop this guy hiring someone, but if it … Continue reading Whose Problem Is the Box?
TED is the thing many in how-to and life-improvement and, I guess, culture in general love to hate. I love watching TED talks from time to time. Today, on International Women's Day, I've been rewatching one of my heroes, Anna Frost, talking about the brilliant non-profit Sisu Girls. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4PUl-HZvf8 The problem with TED is that … Continue reading We Need to Talk About TED
Before I start, may I ask you for a moment of your time. If you have looked around you will know I am researching creativity and working on tools and systems to help people who have found themselves cut off from a creative life unlock their potential. The first step on that trail is to … Continue reading Dressed for Success
