Are You Hot or Cool? Take the Quiz

I’m that girl.

You know the one who used to buy the fashion magazines and flip to the page that had the quiz. Growing up in the 80’s the Cosmo Quiz was something you waited for in each monthly issue:

• Are You Good-Girl Hot or Bad-Girl Hot? ?
• When You’ll Get Married, Based on Your Drink. ?
• Which Astrological Sign Are You REALLY??

The framework for the quiz was always the same.? You answer a few questions, add up the points and are placed in a category where you could discover your true self….or something like that.? We all knew the quizzes were silly and that was kind of the point. But the bigger picture wasn’t about the quiz itself, it was about what happened after you took the quiz.

You talked about it with your friends.? Do you really think I’m more a SCORPIO than a CANCER?? I mean, I tend to snap at people and I really don’t like cooking.? My favorite drink is a margarita - does that mean I’ll get married in my 30s?? And honestly, if I’m a brunette who wears black, does that make me automatically bad girl hot?

Quizzes are just as much about the conversations that they generate than the answers that they yield.? Reading is a solitary act, but talking about reading is a communal act and I wanted to write a book for creative communities. In TEMPERATURE: Creativity in the Age of AI, I've created a quiz that's part Cosmo, part Daniel Kahneman (RIP) and 100% designed to get you talking about creativity in a whole new way.

The quiz is all about finding your creative cognitive style – that sweet spot where you naturally feel most comfortable starting the creative process. These cognitive styles intersect with the structure of the environment, or the external rule system, to create five distinct creative personas:

The Guardian: You're a rule-follower who thrives in structured environments. Recipes and clear guidelines are your best friends when it comes to getting creative.

The Entertainer: You appreciate structure but aren't afraid to bend the rules when necessary. You're adaptable and can easily switch between following conventions and putting your own spin on things.

The Mediator: You find harmony between established systems and emerging ideas. You're skilled at finding win-win solutions and evolving traditions gracefully.

The Activist: You're not afraid to question the status quo and push boundaries. You thrive in environments with fewer rules and restrictions, where you can challenge existing norms.

The Explorer: You march to the beat of your own drum, often disregarding systems entirely. You're unconventional, and you prefer to carve your own path rather than follow the crowd.

So, where do you fall on the spectrum? When you take the quiz, you'll be assigned one of five dominant personas based on the intersection of your cognitive style (your internal rule system) and the structure of the environment (the external rule system). These personas were derived by analyzing five key attributes: Engagement with established systems, navigation of rules, utilization of conventions, responses to ambiguous rules, and balance of instincts and norms.

But here's the thing – your dominant persona is just the beginning. Within you are a multiplicity of personas, waiting to be released. You've collected these through your DNA, lived experiences, focused training, observation, and even osmosis. Just think of how many times you've asked yourself, "What would [insert name of person] do in this circumstance?"

Creativity is no different. I like to think that each of us possesses a creative heat map, which starts from our locus of comfort and radiates out to the boundaries, naturally stretching our capacity in ways that are less and less familiar to us. And then, of course, there are those regions of the map where we find ourselves uncomfortable. That's where we can take a page from generative AI and actors, adopting personas that are well-suited to those climates.

In a world that values authenticity, putting on personas can feel like wearing a mask. But as Kerry Washington so elegantly acknowledges, we all are a composite of characters that we play in various contexts. Some of us are more consistent than others, but thinking about personas as hats we wear rather than betrayals of our identity is a constructive way to approach creativity.

So, are you ready to find out if you're a Guardian, an Entertainer, a Mediator, an Activist, or an Explorer? Take the quiz now and start the conversation with your friends and communities. Who knows – you might just discover a whole new side of your creative self!

Once you've taken the quiz and discovered your dominant persona, the real journey begins. The rest of the book is organized around five different rule systems – Recipes, Improvisations, Negotiations, Prohibitions, and Chances – each representing a unique creative climate. You'll be able to follow your persona through these different environments to see how your creative style can adapt and thrive. But don't stop there – the book also explores how you can tap into the other personas within you, borrowing their strengths and strategies when faced with a problem that's outside your comfort zone. Think of it as a choose-your-own-adventure guide to creativity, with the quiz as your starting point.

Now, I know what you are thinking….what does this have to do with AI?

Well….you’ll just have to read the book for that part of the story!? It all began with an invitation to write a poem.

Take the Quiz!

A special thanks to Suzan Calcali for the graphic elements and digital experience. If you are looking for an interactive web experience, please connect.

I'm Lori Mazor. I teach AI with a Human Touch.? I'm reinventing how we educate, strategize, and build the future one article at a time. If you enjoy this newsletter,

• You will love the book, TEMPERATURE: Creativity in the Age of AI, debuted #1 New Release in Human-Computer Interaction and now available on Amazon.
• You can join one of our executive bootcamps with our April cohorts. The next Level I cohort kicks off on Saturday, April 6 (12-2PM EST) and Level II on Friday, April 13 (3-5 EST). Ask your company to sponsor you where you'll learn not only from me, but from the other senior leaders all generating use cases.
• Bring our 10-Hour Corporate Training Program to your Company, empowering your employees to identify their own problems, strategize, and build their own solutions as you organically incubate and grow enterprise level applications.
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