I’m missing the CREA conference this week, literally and figuratively. What I miss is the “creativity community”  — that wacky group of people interested in the subject.  Some of the most interesting people on the planet are in Italy, right now. Raise a glass and have a dance for me, and more importantly — learn something you can really use. I made a decision not to offer a session this year. I’ve gone back and forth on this and thought it might be of value to share my thinking about the “why” or “why not” of creativity conferences. I’ve written about CREA, and positively, in this blog before (see my old post here). I stand by my words of the

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I got an email just the other day from Emma Taylor.  I have no idea who she is, but she found my blog and sent me a nice note requesting that I mention an article — 25 Talks to Ignite & Unleash Your Creativity. I have no idea who wrote/composed the list, but it’s a darn good list of creativity talks. The article launches from the Accredited Online Colleges website (Kaplan, DeVry, et al).  The list is a bit heavy handedly arts-centric if I can be a bit critical. The idea that creativity springs solely from the arts is a myth, and a pervasive one. Yes, it does spring from the arts, AND, lots of other things.  The list includes

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It’s here. The iPad is already another Apple phenomena. I’m not surprised at the hype, the hoopla, the press — the attention — that’s being paid to it. Apple has already established its reputation for inventing cool new gadgets, and why should the iPad be any exception. We’ve had some wonderful arguments at our dinner table about iPad. My step-son Arthur is 14 and he’s not impressed. He predicts that it will ultimately be only a curiosity. He doesn’t see how it will replace laptops, and thinks it’s too big to be handy for music and even video. I argue that it will be used differently and that we don’t even know yet the needs it will fill. He doesn’t

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I’ve been aware of Summer Stars Camp for the Performing Arts for several years. It’s an amazing two week immersive experience for economically disadvantaged children. I’ve seen video clips (there was a featured piece on MTV some time ago) and it’s incredible what children can accomplish if they are inspired. Two colleagues from the Creative Problem Solving Institute are involved, Donna Luther is the founder of the camp, and Siri Lynn is an active board member. When it comes to inspiring kids, these two are the original “pros from Dover.” I’m writing this post for two reasons.  One is to encourage those of you who have the means to support the camp financially.  Please donate, they need funds to make it happen.  In

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I’ve been doing a lot of “innovation” reading and wanted to mention a few books I found helpful.  The common theme in these three very different books is finding that place or opportunity in the market where something new and different is needed. One is personal (Branson), one is conceptual (The Medici Effect) and one is strategic (Seizing the White Space).  All are worthwhile. Read These Books: Richard Branson, Business Stripped Bare, Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur. I found this business autobiography a delightfully easy and highly insightful read. Being an entrepreneur isn’t easy, but this guy makes it look like more fun than a barrel of airlines and record companies. Particularly interesting is the “how” around creating the versatile

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Riding the train you get a peek into the lives of other people. It’s one of my favorite places to observe, draw, and reflect. Yes, most have their game faces on already, but sometimes you get an intuition of what’s under the mask. I saw this woman a couple weeks ago riding the train into London. She was a domestic of some kind and she had a lovely open face (when you draw people everybody’s face looks more interesting, beautiful really).  Massive bag in her lap, practical brown shoes, tidy looking overall. A name came to me, Agnes. Agnes was a bit tired looking, in spite of a hurried, dab-on make-up job. Agnes relaxed for the ride and zoned out,

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I really hate to post about politics. I am not a pundit. I am a citizen. And the focus of this blog is creativity and innovation. Still, I’ve got something to say. Glenn Beck is Not Thomas Paine. Nor is he an innovator. Nor is he a conservative. While visiting the holocaust museum in Berlin my big takeaway from the experience was simply that when lies are allowed to stand unchallenged, very bad things happen. Let me state for the record here, Glenn Beck is a dangerous man. He is an insidious liar, and, he is not at all like Thomas Paine. Last evening he claimed to be the Thomas Paine of our time. The fact that he is an

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It occurred to me that Innovators need music as much as, maybe more than, everyone else. Music is an unparalleled source of inspiration for many people, so why would innovators be any different? So, what would the inspired Innovators ultimate playlist be? I’ve created the ultimate playlist for innovators — based on experience, and suggestions from friends on Twitter and Facebook. Now, it’s a given that there might be different playlists for different innovator mind-frames, like, what to play when doing research, or what to play when building a prototype, doing idea generation, etc.  Those might come later.  But this list is the generic all purpose one. I say Innovator in my title, but this is a post for Entrepreneurs

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There’s been an interesting dust-up in the press recently, having to do with innovation at Microsoft. An ex-Microsoft employee, Dick Brass, wrote an op-ed piece in the New  York Times, basically saying that Microsoft is failing to innovate.  He says that in spite of good intentions, great employees, and beaucoup resources they don’t have a formal system for innovation. Brass tries to be kind, you sense in his words that he actually cares a great deal. He concedes that Microsoft it still dominant and a big money maker, but he’s pointing out that unless they find a way to innovate faster they are ultimately doomed. The evidence he presents is virtually indisputable (in my view). Brass was leader of the

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I feel compelled to write something about J.D. Salinger. I loved his work and read all of it, which sadly for fans such as I, wasn’t really that much.  Beyond Catcher in the Rye, there was Franny and Zooey, Nine Stories, and Raise High the Roombeam Carpenters, and Seymour an Introduction. This is his body of work. And, what incredible work. These stories are gifts, they are some of the richest, most colorful, romantic, accessible, entertaining, and multi-layered fiction written in the last 100 years. For me personally it was an introduction to writing as an art form, but also to the world beyond my provincial Cincinnati. It was a glimpse into Oz-like New York, into genius, insanity, fantasy, humor,

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