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Posts Tagged ‘creativity’

Special characters (grawlix) in a speech bubble expressing outrage and cursing.

We’re All Outraged! Turning Passion into Results.

If you were to pop open any social media platform or news app right now and scroll through a couple dozen posts, you’ll easily get the feeling that everything is #%&$ falling apart. Everyone is mad at something. We now use the term “doomscrolling.” In the past we had Yellow Journalism and we are there […]

Photo looking down at legs standing on asphalt with yellow directional arrows pointing in different directions.

Zigs & Zags – The Opposite of a Great Idea Can Also be a Great Idea

I get a lot of enjoyment from the creative and innovative side of the work I do. Helping clients or my teams break out of the day-to-day and explore the unexpected. I’ve discussed innovation myths before and how to use lateral thinking to expand your pool of ideas in unexpected ways. One of my favorite […]

Funny picture of a man holding frayed electrical wires, his hair is standing on end with face scorched.

Fail Like a Pro – How to Plan for and Recover from Failure

Success and failure – just like hot and cold, light and darkness, love and hate, or good and evil – these represent the ends of a familiar spectrum. Countless philosophical works have pondered these seemingly opposing concepts. My favorite view for all such opposites is that you cannot understand one without the other. They are […]

Picture of a Chihuahua dog wearing pink aviator glasses, looking like a wildcard.

The Innovation Wildcard – Surprise Yourself!

An innovation wildcard is a team member who is there to add a unique perspective that the rest of the team may not have. This person can be within the organization or pulled from outside. They may have deep expertise in other areas, or they may be new and more likely to question everything. Innovation […]

Photo of kids with thinking hats on, unleashing creativity.

Unleashing Creativity through Constraints

When you hear the word “constraints,” what creative images and stories does your mind conjure up? The word often leads people toward negative thoughts of confinement, limitations, obstacles, or not getting what you want. With this article, though, I want to talk about useful constraints and how they can encourage creativity and innovation. Common Views […]

Photo of blocks being puzzle-pieced together. Using psychology to recognize idea blockers and help the pieces fit together.

6 Idea Blockers – Psychology of Innovation

The psychology of innovation is like any other area of life where our brains and emotions simply get in the way of our progress. We love to lie to ourselves. Even when we are aware of the pitfalls, they are unavoidable. Our brains are wired to fall into these traps. I recently wrote a blog […]

Image of an open book with a light bulb and connected dots that look like digital neurons. This signifies that intentional corporate innovation can evolve if managed well.

12 Lessons Learned while Managing Corporate Innovation

The Road to Managing Corporate Innovation I started out at an ad agency in southern Indiana in 2002. Our clients were interested in technology and our agency helped them find their way. At the same time, I was building the web development and digital strategy team within the agency. We began doing things intentionally with […]

Photo of a turtle stuck on its back, illustrating the idea of creative block and needing help to get unstuck.

Get Unstuck When You’re Not the Creative Type

So, you’re not the creative type? I have good news! In 4 Harmful Innovation Myths, I explain that creativity isn’t what most people think it is. In this post, I’ll show you how to use simple lateral thinking tools to break your mental block and get fresh ideas flowing again. Intentionality can force important things […]

Busted innovative idea, shown as a shattered lightbulb.

4 Harmful Innovation Myths

Creating a culture of innovation is a fragile effort. It needs to be nurtured and encouraged. If your work culture doesn’t allow for creativity, your organization’s big ideas might pop like a broken lightbulb!

Stars

AI vs. Creativity – Implications for Connecting with Customers

I recently had a thought-provoking lunch with Byron Reese on the topic of his newest book, artificial intelligence (AI). Because they seem to be used interchangeably, I asked him whether there is a difference between AI and algorithms, because I have more of an issue with the latter than the former – in concept at least. My […]

Designing From A Fresh Perspective

As a designer, its easy to fall into patterns that conform to established models. But to truly innovate, you must bring a fresh perspective to every design challenge. I was recently reminded of the value of a fresh perspective, when my 7 year old daughter took on the challenge of making a computer for her American Girl […]