Creativity Maximizing its Exponential Power Vern Biaett, CFEE Faculty Associate
A Quiz #1 How many of you today would have liked to be the author of the Encyclopedia Britannica?
A Quiz #2 In contrast, how many of you would have liked to have written Alice in Wonderland?
A Surprising Finding Disciplined mental focus seems to inhibit creativity; instead the ability to let the mind wander, to day dream, lets the brain solve problems at the unconscious level. Jonah Lehrer, Imagine, How Creativity Works
Stand up if you believe your creativity level today is inside the box
Stand up if you believe it is outside the box
Do you see the problem here? Pretty much everyone in the festival & events business thinks outside the box today and that makes you just average, just Mediocre
Levels of Organizational Performance All personality types can perform at all levels 4% Outstanding turbocharged with passion 17% Top notch curious, engaged, driven 72% Mediocre competent 7% Naysayers Renie Cavallari Chief Inspiration Officer Aspire Marketing
How can you be outstanding or top notch? To be the BEST you must now do more than work outside the box you must SMASH the box And in festivals and events that box you smash is often how you go about Being Creative
Creativity inside the box
Basic Brainstorming A technique used to generate prospective answers by creating a list of spontaneous ideas by the members of a group Alex Osborn, Applied Imagination, 1953
What are the Rules of Basic Brainstorming?
Basic Brainstorming Four General Rules 1. Focus on quantity 2. Withhold criticism 3. Encourage unusual ideas 4. Combine & improve ideas Other Rules 1. Address only 1 question 2. Ideal group size = 12 people
Basic Brainstorming can be effective if you have the right team
Creativity Outside the Box
Six Thinking Hats A more advanced and controlled method of brainstorming. It separates ego from performance and encourages full spectrum thinking Dr. de Bono, Six Thinking Hats, 1985
The Hats White Hat thinking Used to discuss facts, figures, information Let's drop the arguments and proposals, and look at the data base Red Hat thinking Used for intuition, feelings, emotions. "Putting on my red hat, I think this is a terrible proposal
The Hats Black Hat thinking Used for judgment - why a suggestion does not fit the facts Not negative, must always be logical Yellow Hat thinking Used for positive logic - why something will work Both forward thinking and used to find something of value in what has already happened
The Hats Green Hat thinking Used for creativity, alternatives, proposals, what is interesting, provocations and changes Blue Hat thinking Used for looking at and controlling the process I feel we should do some more green hat thinking now
Creativity A Little More Outside the Box
The Power of Three music food crowd the event
Creativity Smashing the Box
Re-discovering a Classical Idea Élan Vital Henry Louis Bergson 1859-1941 French Philosopher The idea of Life Force
Élan Vital Matter Instinct The flux of experience in terms of discrete, repeatable units Denies the continuous flow of experience Geometry Creative force more concerned with time than form: quality = duration Change is dynamic, not static Driving force of novelty
Matter repeatable patterns
Instinct meander & adapt
Modern Adaptation of Élan Vital Gene Columbus from Disney Corporation said Never do the same thing once creatively stride to be better
Élan Vital also can = Turbulence Beyond control Disruption of space Cannot be explained or predicted by math
Turbulence velocity, rhythm, friction And definitely The Unexpected sometimes for you as well as your stakeholders
Can you will you Create an atmosphere where the unknown, the unusual, and most importantly, the unexpected can happen?
Creativity Vern s Crazy New Idea
The Katy Perry Love Bi-Polar Creative Method
Hot n Cold You re hot then you re cold You re yes then you re no You re in then you re out You re up then you re down You re wrong then you re right You re black then you re white We fight, we break up, we kiss, we make up got a case of love bi-polar Hot n' Cold
Love Bi-Polar Creativity Expand on the idea of brainstorming with the use of opposites just like in the song there are many opposites
Case Studies A Few Ideas on Creative Promotions
7 Images of Less
Creative pre-event marketing Use other s Calendars and Newsletters
Creative on-site marketing Entrance/Exit Greeters
Additional Ideas on Creative Networking increases your creativity - Hang out with creative people to be more creative Put your smart phone away to increase your day dreaming Workspace design affects creativity more light (windows), wall colors (blue increases creativity and harmony), tear down the walls for open movement and discussion, throw out think signs and replace with dream signs
Let s Recap People who produce and promote festivals and events are very creative To be the Best you must be more creative
The End for Now Just the start of smashing boxes for you because the creative mind plays with the things it loves Carl Jung
Contact Information Vern Biaett, CFEE 623-251-1867 vbiaett@asu.edu