Workplace Creativity Articles

Some young, aspiring singer is about to put herself out there. She stands before a panel of judges who will not spare her feelings. They will rip her to shreds if she fails. But, she believes she can knock their socks off with an incredible performance. We see clips...

If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let ‘em go, because man, they’re gone. Jack Handey, SNL Creativity and change aren’t just about embracing something new. They also require us to let go of what’s familiar.  This can be hard.  First, familiarity...

As the final minutes of July 4th slip away, I’m thinking of what Independence Day means to us… all of us. George Washington called America “The Great Experiment.” I am realizing the experiment isn’t over. 1776 set events into motion, but it did not seal our destiny as...

The idiom “get back on the horse that bucked you” exists for a reason. Trust me. I’ve been bucked off a horse. It leaves you with the distinct desire to not climb back into the saddle. This phrase reminds us that failure hurts. It also encourages us to spend less time...

Growing up, one of my favorite TV shows was Cheers. The program’s theme song was an anthem of sorts. Sometimes you want to goWhere everybody knows your name,And they’re always glad you came;You want to be where you can see,Our troubles are all the same;You want to be...

15 years ago, I read a book that changed my life: Orbiting The Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie. Gordon shared how society robs us of the greatest gift we all receive at birth, our identity as creative geniuses. Schools and workplaces seem to work overtime...

Many people believe the apex of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is the fifth level of need: Self-Actualization. Later in life, Maslow added a level 5b: Self-Transcendence. He characterized this as altruistically helping others self-actualize. Once you are able to fulfill...

If a guaranteed success is required, don’t expect it to be highly innovative. Best practices and case studies will provide prescriptive solutions. Honestly, they don’t even provide guarantees. They provide examples of what worked in the past for someone else in a...

Choosing to be an artist isn’t life or death. It just feels like it. The primitive part of our brain reacts to fear of embarrassment, failure, and loss as if an actual predator is attacking. Times have changed.Failure is no longer fatal.It’s an ingredient for growth....

When it comes to embracing a creative identity, we believe that path is bifurcated between mega-success and devastating failure. This keeps us from pursuing creative endeavors because–honestly–both of these paths scare us. But the truth is there are many variations on...