Fredrik Härén's Blog, page 20

The Power of Creativity Affirmations (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 140)

The following text was inspired by a conversation about creativity with Sonia Flynn of Zego whom I recently interviewed.The Power of  Creativity Affirmations Here is a simple way of getting people to become more creative: Have them affirm their own creative ability.A very large chunk of humanity does not believe they are creative. (In my 25 years of speaking on the topic of creativity I have asked over a million people if they think they are creative and almost 50% will not say “yes”.)The reason they do not believe they are creative can be many: They might just be shy or humble and actually believe that they are creative and just feel uncomfortable saying it. But my experience is that the vast majority of people who say that they are not creative actually believe this to be true.That is sad. Because it’s hard – virtually impossible – to be great at something that you yourself think you suck at.And it’s also unnecessary. As I think the belief that one is not creative can in many cases be easily overcome.One of the main reasons why people think they lack the ability to be creative is that they define creativity too narrowly.They might define “being creative” as knowing how to draw, and if they are bad at drawing they will not look at themselves as creative.Or they might define “being creative” as being “artistic,” and if they lack a talent for singing and/or playing an instrument they will define themselves as “uncreative”.And while visual creativity and artistic creativity are creative endeavors there are so many OTHER ways a person can be creative. By defining creativity too narrowly people deny themselves a skill they might actually have. (I will not here address that these people might actually be able to learn how to draw, dance or play an instrument which is a topic for another text. A growth mindset is a powerful way of becoming creative.)When someone defines “being creative” too narrowly ask them to look at their skills through a wider lens. Perhaps they are problem solvers, or skeptics, or dreamers, or detail finders, or contrarians, etc. There are so many different ways of being creative. By letting people define the way they are creative they can rebuild a creative confidence that they have lost.No one is creative in all ways, but everyone is creative in some ways.A simple way of getting people to reframe their approach about not being creative is to get them to affirm their creativity.  Here is one way you can do that: Before you begin a brain-storming session where people are expected to be creative 1) ask everyone to say one fun thing they did over the weekend. Then 2) ask them to identify what part of that fun activity could be described as unusual, unexpected and/or surprising. Then 3) have the person state the connection between the action and creativity. And finally 4) have them express and acknowledge that what they did was creative.For example:1) “A fun thing I did this weekend was to prank my son by hiding behind a curtain.”2) “He was very surprised when I jumped out and startled him.”3) “A surprising thing is a creative thing.”4) “I did something creative when I pranked my son.”Saying out loud that you did something creative, as silly as it might sound, is actually a very effective and quick way of boosting creative confidence.And creative confidence is crucial for being creative. You are not going to be curious, not have an open mind, not look for new solutions, and not inspire others to be creative unless you have confidence in your own creative abilities.But it is important that the creativity affirmation does not get stated without context. Just getting everyone to stand up and blurb out “I am creative!” is not going to work. It might even backfire. They need to start by thinking of something they just think of as fun and then connect that back to creativity.Creativity Affirmations can also work on yourself. The next time you start a new creative project write down the things you did on your last project that are examples of your creative abilities. It does not have to be examples of great successes, just of doing something in a different, unexpected, innovative or inspiring way. Big or small.The words we use to describe ourselves define how we think of ourselves. And how we think of ourselves affects who we become.So choose your words wisely. Especially around how you talk about your own creativity.

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Exploring Creativity with a Gamer. (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 139)

Today I was in Oslo, Norway, and had the privilege to share the stage with Joachim Haraldsen, aka “Noobwork”, of Heroic Group.Noobwork has more than 10 million views on his youtube channel, which is just amazing when you consider that the channel is in Norwegian and Norway only has 5 million people… (!)He is now building one of the world’s leading e-game companies in Heroic.I asked him about how playing computer games can help with developing one’s creativity.He said:“In gaming you can choose your own identity; you can choose who or what you want to be.And you have multiple of these identities and switch between them.”So how does that help develop creativity?According to Noobwork:“Every time you enter into a new identity your brain gives you a new perspective and new perspectives trigger your creativity.”I love that.Be inspired by gamers.Get more perspective!Develop multiple identities. There is not “one world” – there are unlimited number of worlds for you to live in (both in the physical world and the digital world).Thank you Joachim for giving me that perspective.Which new identity could you embrace?Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer.ps. I have renamed my Linkedin newsletter to “The Creativity Explorer” and will post my insights into creativity there going forward.If you prefer to also get these posts on creativity there you can sign up at: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-creativity-explorer-6967407670718816256/

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A Rallying Call For Creativity (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 138)

A rallying call for creativity.

 

The old slogan of “reuse, reduce, recycle” is great. It reminds us, in an easy-to-remember way, about the need to live in a sustainable way.

 

But if we are really going to solve the climate challenge and create a world that is truly sustainable we need to think differently than just “reuse, reduce, recycle.”

 

We need to think bigger, better, and bolder.

 

Let me instead propose this easy-to-remember slogan: Innovate, Inspire, Invest.

 

Innovate – we do not just need to, for example, reduce our use of oil; we need to come up with innovative solutions that are way better than oil. May it be practical hydrogen, better biofuels, or us cracking the code to fusion. We dramatically need to innovate how we grow food, and so on.

 

Inspire – we will not get people to change by asking them to sacrifice their way of life. Instead of asking them to reduce what they use, we need to inspire them to look for, and adopt, solutions that are better than what they have today – better both for themselves and for the environment.

 

And finally, we need to:

 

Invest – recycling is wonderful, but the challenges we stand in front of now will not be solved by getting people to just recycle their aluminum cans. We need to get them to redirect their savings toward green tech investments. The green revolution is – finally – here and entrepreneurs are ready to make it happen. The more money they get to kick-start the revolution the faster it will happen.

 

The word “sustainable” means “to able to be maintained at a certain rate or level.”

 

But we need to go for “Amazable” where we are “able to create amazing improvements at an impressive rate and on all levels.”

 

We need the opposite of “sustainable”, we need fundamental transformation. We need mindset-shifting creativity. We need wow-look-at-that-!-innovation.

 

“Sustainability” is often defined as us “meeting our own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

 

We should aim far higher than that.

 

We should aim for us to create a world that exceeds our wildest dreams while at the same time creating a future where the generations who will follow us can exceed the wildest dreams of their own.

 

Let’s Innovate, Inspire, and Invest ourselves to a way better world.

 

Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer

 

(This text was inspired by attending the Planetech conference in Israel, by interviewing a number of senior leaders in large organisations around sustainability and creativity, and by noticing the fundamental shift that has happened in companies over the last 18 or so months towards embracing and acting on the Sustainable Development Goals.)

 

ps. Please leave your comments on this text at: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activi...

 

Would love to hear your view.

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Creativity is Everywhere (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 137)

What can we learn about creativity from an archaeologist?

 

Yesterday I spoke on creativity for The Historical Museums of Sweden, an organisation that consists of a number of historical museums and of the archaeologist of Sweden.

 

As part of my research, I interviewed an archaeologist about why creativity is important in their job.

 

He said: “We have to be able to walk into a landscape and by looking at it be able to create an image of what this land looked like 10,000 years ago, 1,000 years ago and 500 years ago – all at the same time. To create multiple images of the same landscape throughout time, so that we can make an estimate of where people would have lived and worked during different times.

 

Basically, archaeologists imagine the past – in a multitude of layers.

 

I like that.

 

It reminds me that creativity is never about finding ONE answer.

 

Creativity is never about having ONE perspective.

 

It’s the ability to be able to keep multiple points of view simultaneously.

 

What other points of view would you benefit from taking?

 

Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer.

 

ps. I was delighted to see that the group of archaeologist and history museum employees were one of the most creative groups I have had as an audience in a long time. Creativity truly is everywhere. Very inspiring.

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Ideas Island in a Commercial (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 136)

As you know Ideas Island has gone 100% solar. The provider of our solar-system, Victron Energy, fell in love with the island (and my other island) and made a video about it.

 

Check out some stunning footage of Ideas Island: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-z-iY1jZNo

 

It’s also a great video about the Energy Transformation that is happening right now in the world.

 

The next 10-15 years will be very very interesting when it comes to energy innovation. The Digital Transformation was huge, but The Energy Transformation will be bigger. 

Let’s make it happen.

 

As an early adopter, I transitioned to 100% solar way back in 1999, and now I have upgraded my system to a brand new, modern system from Victron Energy. 

 

Quote from the film: “I grow my own energy”.

 

Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer

 

p.s. Ideas Island is now closed for the season. Apply again in early 2023 if you want to stay on the island in 2023.

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Pronuncification – The Moment When We Truly Decide to Actually Make an Idea Happen (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 135)

To procrastinate – to “put forward to tomorrow” – is one of the big killers of creativity.

 

Imagine all the ideas you would get done if you just got around to making them happen the moment you have the idea.

 

But that’s not going to happen, is it?

 

Instead of put plans off, we postpone our dreams, we decide to focus on something else and a million other reasons for why we do not make our ideas happen.

 

But then.

 

Suddenly.

 

Almost like magic: We make up our minds to actually make the idea happen.

 

This is a crucial aspect of the creative process.

 

A moment that has not been given enough attention and appreciation.

 

And certainly not been given a name.

 

Until today.

 

I call it: “Pronuncification” – as in “to put forward to now”. (“Nunc” is Latin for now.)

 

I will give you an example:

 

More than ten years ago we build an amazing new house full of glass, right next to the water on our island. We love every aspect of this house. 

 

Except for one thing: The door!

 

For some reason, we installed a sliding door that was hard to open and even harder to close. And when it did close it did not close properly.

 

For years we thought about changing it, we talked about changing it, we decided to change it. But nothing happened.

 

And then – just a few weeks ago, I said to my wife: “Ok, that’s it! we are getting a new door! Then I went online, ordered it and had it shipped. 

 

Today we got it installed.

 

I love it. We all do. Especially the kids who can not open and close the door without a problem.

 

As much as I love this new door, I love even more that I finally got around to fixing our door problem.

 

That I stopped procrastinating and started to “Pronuncicate”

 

What’s that one thing you should be doing?

 

Go and do it.

 

 

Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer

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Idearise (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 134)

Every sunrise is a celebration of creativity, because every morning the sun rises and every morning it paints a new painting on the sky.

 

I got this story from Amar Ramesh, a famous wedding photographer from Chennai in India. 

 

Most mornings he goes down to the sea to watch the sun come up over the horizon. Every day the sunrise is different.

 

It’s a reminder of the endless possibilities of creativity. A celebration of the power and brightness of an idea that can light up the darkest world.

 

Get up early tomorrow and go and catch a sunrise and be inspired to create something new fuelled by the sun’s relentless habit of waking up each day to create a masterpiece.

 

Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer

 

P.S. The picture above is from the sunrise at my island today.

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Explore and Search. (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 133)

Who do you need to learn from?

 

 

In the last 100 days, I have done more than 50 (!) one-hour one-on-one interviews with leading innovators around the world.

 

From Nicholas McQuire, Director, Strategic Missions and Technologies at Microsoft, Microsoft, (UK)

 

to Rafael de Jesus, Head of Innovation Teams Partnership & Development Petrobas (Brazil)

 

From Angelica Garza, Chief Human Resources Officer Aeromexico, (Mexico)

 

to David De Schutter, Global VP Innovation & Technology Development AB InBev (Belgium)

 

And many, many more.

 

I have learnt more about the creative process, how big organisations innovate, about creativity in different parts of the world, and much much more.

 

I might have studied creativity for the last 25+ years but it is my experience that you can learn something new in every single conversation you have with an

expert on a topic you are interested in.

 

That is why I always say that the main job of a speaker is not to speak – but to speak to people. To do research. To explore his/her topic.

 

And that is important to anyone wanting to develop in any field.

 

Who do you need to speak to?

 

What do you need to learn?

 

 

Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer.

 

P.S. While some of the interviews have been done in person in countries such as Germany, Montenegro and Sweden. Most of them have been done via Zoom – a wonderful tool for in-person interviews and research.

Before the acceptance of virtual meetings there is no way I could have done so many interviews across so many regions as I have done in the last 100 days. And most of them I have been doing while sitting on my little island in the archipelago of Stockholm. Every man might very well be an island – but thanks to Zoom we are now connected

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A Lesson in Creative Thinking From on Top of a Buoy. (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 132)

Don’t you just love it when you get to experience how your brain looks at something familiar and decides to look at it in a new way?

 

For 23 years I have been driving by a buoy next to my island where I live. I must have driven by it thousands of times.

 

And each time my brain thought: “There is a buoy to tie a boat to” (after all, that is what they are for, right…).

 

Then, a few days ago, my daughter, Maria, 9, looked at the buoy, laughed and said: “Daddy, can I sit on it?!”

 

I laughed too and replied: “Eh…?”

 

But then my mind caught up with me and I added: “Yes, of course you can!”

 

I drove close to the buoy and she jumped onto it.

 

Instantly it became a gymnastics bar!

 

Now every time I drive by that buoy I smile to myself.

 

It is now a reminder of the value of looking at familiar things with a mindset of “what else…?”

 

Pick a thing in your environment that you have looked at thousands of times, smile and ask yourself: “What else could this be?”

 

Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer.

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Subscribe to The Creativity Suite on LinkedIn.

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If you are interested to learn about creativity and innovation from leaders in some of the world’s leading organisations then sign up for The Creativity Suite: My weekly newsletter on LinkedIn.

 

During the last couple of years, I have started an interview series where I interview innovation leaders.

 

The two latest interviews are with Rafael de Jesus, who is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he is the Head of Innovation Teams Partnership & Development at Petrobras, and Nicholas McQuire, Director, Growth Innovation and Strategy, Strategic Missions and Technologies at Microsoft. 

 

Subscribe here for weekly innovation inspiration: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-creativity-suite-6967407670718816256/

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“Pausebrate” (The Creativity Explorer. Episode 131)

It’s easy for creative people to run from one creative project to another.

As soon as one creative project is done, we rush to the next one. (Often we rush to the next one even before the previous project is done…).

In this post, I want to encourage you to stop and celebrate our latest creative project.

To pause and celebrate – to “pausebrate”

Here is a photo of me today unpacking a couple of beautiful gin glasses gifted to me by my dear friend Andrew Vine of The Insight Bureau.

I am lifting my glass in celebration of a project that I and Andrew have worked on for months and that finally came through.

Soon I will sit down to work on the next project, but for now I am just going to sit on my island, sip on my tonic and reflect on the wonderful feeling that comes when a creative project has reached a milestone or been successfully finished.

Here’s to more creative projects. Here’s to your last creative project!

Fredrik Haren – The Creativity Explorer.

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Ideas Island update:

Quote from one of the guests to Ideas Island this summer:

“The stay on Ideas Island was such a blessing. We loved the peace & quiet, being near the water, doing yoga on the deck, reading, writing, painting, sewing, getting to know the island creatures and sleeping deeply! 

We were four of us. I was focusing on embroidery. Linzy (British/Thai choreographer) was focusing on dance, Josie (Swiss/Welsh theatre maker) was working on her new script & Mish (Scottish/Turkish writer) was researching his PhD. We all got so much out of having a week away to focus on our creative practices without distractions.”

If you want to go to Ideas Island and stay a week next summer then keep subscribing to this newsletter and I will let you know when it’s time to apply for the 2023 season.

Staying at Ideas Island is FREE, but we ask those who can afford it to give some money to charity. This year 100% of the money gifted goes to humanitarian help in Ukraine.

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