Rain delayed and over(pod)cast.

Fairweather Observations is a bit late this week. I am blaming the weather. In fact, this week’s newsletter is bought to you by my good friend and co-host of The Common Creative Podcast, Chris Meredith, as a tribute to our 50th episode. For those of you who know me, I am not a sporty person and have no real interest in cricket, to say the least. However, I do know that a score of 50, and still going strong, is a pretty good innings.

Chris and my partnership started in early 2020, and we have only just managed to meet in person recently. Not only has our partnership produced a run of 5o episodes with us bowling off questions for our guests to bat back brilliant insights about creativity, but we have also developed a program about ideas and stories from the great learnings from our guests.

Over to Chris Meredith.

Five big learnings from fifty episodes of The Common Creative

We’re there! A half-century of episodes of The Common Creative. Since we launched, Chris and I have amassed 3000 minutes of content, a range of slightly dodgy technology, wonderful new friends from around the world and, of course, some big learnings about our core question - “how does creativity work in a business?”

A huge thank you to all of our guests for their time and energy and the powerful insights about creativity. Hit the link below to tune in to the special celebratory edition!

Guests have included a Brigadier General, a clutch of CEOs, pioneering neuroscientists, free-thinking entrepreneurs and even a seven-year-old artist. We’ve heard stories about flying helicopters over Elgar’s house with music blaring, bank robbers prompting a career re-think and brush turkeys making a statement about the meaning of mindfulness.

The Common Creative - 50th Anniversary Episode

Looking across the raw content, we’ve identified five core themes that could supercharge creativity in any business.

And (big news!), we’ve used this to build a program to help business people embed creativity in their own teams. It’s called Ideas and Stories that Matter. More details are at the bottom of this e-mail.

So here they are - our Five Learnings from Fifty Episodes:

Doubt

A key part of the creative process. Learn to embrace it and learn to live with it as a stepping stone to new ideas and creative connections.

Wandering

Creativity needs time, and it needs the brain to be in a relaxed and positive state. If anyone’s ever told you to stop daydreaming, they’re (unknowingly) squishing the creative process.

Bravery

A creative act is an act of bravery. New ideas invite others to analyse and often to criticise. It means that creative people need to get comfortable with being brave. And leaders need to build an environment where staff feel safe to share their ideas.

A boost for the soul

Human beings are inherently creative. We all spend our lives cracking problems, whether small (how to get to the bus on time) or big (reducing carbon emissions). But more than that, creativity feeds the soul. It gives us a sense of accomplishment and validates our identity.

It’s a team sport

When people get together to create, it doesn’t just raise energy levels. Neuroscience shows that when humans are ideating in a group, different parts of the brain kick in, leading to different types of new ideas.

Curiosity (a 6th, bonus learning!)

Creativity is about being open-minded and asking powerful questions. Creatives are like detectives, looking for clues about how the world works and how they can better express themselves or solve problems.

Ideas and Stories That Matter - a new program to foster an idea-rich culture in the workplace.

We’re thrilled to announce that we’re putting these learnings to work in the form of a new program called “Ideas and Stories That Matter”.

Available as a half or full-day interactive workshop, it takes participants on a creative journey to help them ideate and express their own personal creativity.

Ideal for any team that needs to grow and flex. By the end, participants walk away with an array of practical business-ready creative tools and an understanding of how to use them in the workplace.

“Paul and Chris did a great job of taking us through the creative journey to think differently …and make a difference.”

Dianne Hawkswood - Chief Procurement Officer, TMR

Hit the link or give us a call to find out more!

Ideas and Stories That Matter - Info kit

I am a speaker, writer, artist and recovering architect.

My Talk BOLD, BRAVE and a bit QUIRKY is all about reinvention.

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