Creativity 101

Presenter

Sarah Wood

Sarah Wood, MSW, holds a bachelor’s degree in

sociology from Furman University and a master’s

degree in social work from the University of North

Carolina. She has experience in operations,

people management, program development,

project management, staff development, training

and coaching.

Sarah is currently the Director of Global Work-Life

Services at Workplace Options and has been

instrumental in the creation and implementation of

several company-wide staff enrichment programs.

Sarah is passionate about giving individuals the

tools that they need to grow and develop both as

a person and in their professional career.

Learning Objectives

• Discuss what creativity is and what it is not.

• Understand and apply strategies to increase your

creativity.

• Identify resources to assist you with tapping into and

developing your creativity.

CEO Study

An IBM study of 1,500 CEOs from 33 industries in

60 countries found that the #1 asset CEOs are

looking for is …

CREATIVITY

What Is “Creativity”?

Creativity (noun)

1. the state or quality of being creative.

2. the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns,

relationships or the like, and to create meaningful new

ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality,

progressiveness or imagination.

3. the process by which one utilizes creative ability.

Poll

Which of these statements best describes your

thoughts on creativity?

A. Creativity is something you are born with.

B. Anyone can be creative.

What Creativity Is NOT

• Not just reserved for “talented” individuals.

• Not compartmentalized in one side of the brain.

Benefits

What do you think are the

benefits of being creative?

How does creativity benefit you

at work?

How does creativity benefit you

in your personal life?

Strategies to Increase Your Creativity

Change your environment.

Change your behavior.

Try something different.

Increase Your Creativity: Change Your Environment

• Dim the lights.

• Turn on some music.

• Work in a coffee shop.

• Keep toys at your work space.

• Work from a messy desk.

Increase Your Creativity: Change Your Behavior

• Walk.

• Allow space for your mind to wander.

• Do a mundane physical activity.

• Doodle.

• Relax and unplug.

Poll

Which of these strategies do you think would work

best for you?

A. Walk.

B. Allow space for your mind to wander.

C. Do a mundane physical activity.

D. Doodle.

E. Relax and unplug.

Increase Your Creativity: Change Your Behavior, Cont’d

• Try some psychological distance.

• Get yourself in a good mood.

• Turn it into a fun challenge.

• Do your creative thinking during your least alert time.

Increase Your Creativity: Try Something Different

• Try something new.

– Take a class.

– Do a hobby.

• Vary your routine.

• Look at things from different perspectives.

– Network with others from industries unlike yours.

– Look at the situation from a variety of perspectives.

– Role-play with others.

Creativity Activity

30 Circles

1. On a sheet of paper, draw 30 circles.

2. Take one minute to turn as many of these circles

into other objects as you can (ex.: one circle can be

turned into a flower, another the sun and so on).

Source: Researcher Bob McKim, featured in Tim Brown’s TED talk,

“Creativity and Play.”

Creativity Takes Practice!

Resources and Tools

• Online quiz to test your creativity at work:

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/creativity-

quiz.htm

• TED talks on creativity:

https://www.ted.com/topics/creativity

Quote

“Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then

producing. If you have ideas but don’t act on them, you

are imaginative but not creative.”

Linda Naiman

Next Steps

• List one new strategy you will try in the next week.

• Go to the TED Talks link and watch one talk this month.

• Print the slides listing the strategies for increasing your

creativity, and post the printout where you can see it.

Then commit to trying one new strategy regularly!

For Further Assistance

Contact your Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Thank You!

Questions?

Beilock, S. (2012, February 8). Why your best ideas come when you least expect it. Retrieved January 3,

2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/choke/201202/why-your-best-ideas-come-when-

you-least-expect-it

Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Creativity. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/creativity?s=t

Gelman, L. (n.d.). 10 proven ways to boost creative thinking. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from

http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/proven-ways-boost-creative-thinking/

Kaufman, S. B. (2013, August 19). The real neuroscience of creativity. Retrieved January 3, 2017, from

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/beautiful-minds/the-real-neuroscience-of-creativity/

Kim, L. (2014, August 11). 9 ways to become more creative in the next 10 minutes. Retrieved January 5,

2017, from http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/9-ways-to-become-more-creative-in-the-next-10-

minutes.html

Kim, L. (2015, November 4). 9 ways to dramatically improve your creativity. Retrieved January 3, 2017,

from http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/9-ways-to-dramatically-improve-your-creativity.html

Works Cited

Works Cited

Kittaneh, F. (2015, September 8). 8 psychology hacks to increase your creativity and productivity.

Retrieved January 3, 2017, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/250312

Naiman, L. (2014, February 17). What is creativity? Retrieved January 3, 2017, from

http://www.creativityatwork.com/2014/02/17/what-is-creativity/

Seppala, E. (2016, October 3). The top 3 insights of highly innovative leaders. Retrieved January 3,

2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/feeling-it/201610/the-top-3-insights-highly-

innovative-leaders

Swartzberg, J. (Updated 2016, February 22). How to boost your creativity. Retrieved January 3,

2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/berkeley-wellness/how-to-boost-your-

creativity_b_9253724.html

Wong, M. (2014, April 24). Stanford study finds walking improves creativity. Retrieved January 3,

2017, from http://news.stanford.edu/2014/04/24/walking-vs-sitting-042414/?hn