The following is the Afterword found in A World of Creativity by Mark Stinson.
As an innovation thought leader, I find creativity one of the most important and captivating subjects. We cannot innovate without raw materials, ideas which are birthed through creativity.
The reason creativity is captivating and even magical is because there is no end to creativity. In fact, creativity is not limited to one person or “super-creators.” Everyone has the ability to be creative in their own way. That is why this book is so refreshing; it is a mix of stories about creative individuals, in different contexts, coming up with creative solutions resulting in creative and extraordinary impact in those contexts.
For me, the golden nugget in this series of stories is the recognition of the individual and the creative self. There is no better demonstration of the human power of creativity than when a person creates something that did not exist before or, in the heat of a stressful situation, this would be new thought, a new and a different perspective, or a new solution.
Creativity manifests in different ways. The best way to describe creativity is through the use of story, which is what this book does so well—a series of stories from different types of creators. The best of art, painting, and photography is not just best because it looks visually stunning, but also because it tells a story, a story for me in the creator’s mind.
Creativity is a result of different influences and stimuli. Creativity can come from people who watch and observe human behavior. It can be a result of a collaborative exercise with other people, by reading, and personal focus on something that you need to create a useful solution around. Environment has an impact on how well you create. Find the right environment where your mind is stimulated and conditioned for creativity. This could be during a hike, early in the morning, or in a vibrant room
Levels of creativity are dependent on the creator’s experiences and talent patterns. Creativity is a skill that can be learned. This has been validated many times through work on innovation. We found out that everyone innovates, but each innovates differently. The same with creativity. Some people create by visualizing and observing, others create through insight and data analysis (yes, you can be very creative with data and facts), others create as they work with things in their hands, and others create as they watch, talk, and interact with others.
When we teach creativity, we courage people to try the different ways with repetition until they find the one or two approaches that work for them. Some start with a blank paper and they come up with a very positive creative output. The same blank paper does not work for others; they need to get someone to start the journey, and then they accelerate the creativity.
Find a way to put your creativity out to use. Additionally, develop a method of evaluating your creative output. Is the output helpful and is it impactful to the target?
One of the creative exercises we teach in our Innovation Academy is to put energy behind ideas by creating Idea Banks™ and Idea Portfolios™. In the Idea Portfolios, we combine ideas so they have multiplicative impact. This is what leads to the enterprising of ideas, among other benefits. The key point is that creativity does not end when you come up with the idea; additional creativity is required to put those original ideas to use—that is where creativity becomes fun and profitable to all. If you miss to put the energy behind your ideas, you miss the opportunity to see the fruit and impact your thoughts could have. Do not underestimate your creativity—in fact, do not even compare your creativity with someone else’s. Rather, put energy to your level of creativity now and you will get better as you work it.
Creativity is everywhere. One of the most refreshing aspects of nature is that nature tells a story. Every time you go for a hike or observe animals, especially in the wild, you see a story. In fact, you cannot be around nature for long before you create a story in your mind of what it means to you. The same is true in our lives and professions. There is creativity in every subject; natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, law, business; in every type of job, and in every part of the world. You find creativity in sports, entertainment, music, and all form of human interactions.
Indeed, we live and have our being in A WORLD OF CREATIVITY.
Stay creative!
Evans Baiya, PhD
Co-Author of The Innovator’s Advantage
Mark Stinson
has earned a reputation as a brand innovator – a strategist, creative facilitator, and venture catalyst.
His work has included branding, advertising, and marketing strategy for health, science, and technology products. Mark has worked with clients including:
- Global healthcare companies (Abbott, Baxter, DuPont, Merck KGaA, Pfizer, Takeda, UCB)
- Biotech leaders (Amgen, CSL Behring, Gilead, and Salix)
- Hospital products companies (Cardinal Health, Covidien, Fenwal, Hollister, Hospira)
- Drug delivery system developers (Adare, Endo, Kos)
- Medical start-ups (ClearCare, Magsense Nanoparticles, MedsForAll, Organ Recovery Systems, Plasticity Brain Centers, Solstice Neurosciences, Virgilant Technologies)
- Major university tech transfer (Boise State, Tulane, Purdue)
Mark is a frequent speaker and facilitator for sales meetings, advisory boards, and strategy workshops. He is the author of two business books, ForwardFast Branding and N-of-8 Groups, plus a contributor to 2 motivational books, Living in the Now and Alone In My Universe.
He is a recipient of the Brand Leadership Award from the Asia Brand Congress for global marketing efforts. He was included in the PharmaVoice 100 Most Inspiring People in the Life-Sciences Industry.
Mark and his wife, Jenny, live in Boise, Idaho with their golden retriever, Sydney.
Learn more at https://www.mark-stinson.com.
Purchase A World of Creativity here.
Listen to the Unlocking Your World of Creativity podcast here.
