Exploring Visual Thinking

An independent study by: Jody Fisher
Ideation Strategist
Nestlé Purina PetCare

“Draw Your Ideas”

Several years ago, I participated in an ideation session for a new product, lead by an innovation consultancy called Gravity Tank. At this session, we were each handed a stack of 8½- by 5½-inch pieces of paper and were told to “draw your ideas.”

This was the first time I’d been in a session where the ideas were approached in a visual way. My experiences up to that point had involved Post-It Notes, Sharpies and words—lots and lots of words.

At the end of the day, I asked one of the Gravity Tank partners about why they used the “draw your ideas” method. She told me that it came out of the fact that most of the staff had backgrounds in industrial design, so they were naturally inclined to draw. But, she said, they had also found that it really helped distill the idea down to its core. Without words, there was no room for fluff or distractions.

It was powerful. But why?

Why is a visual thinking experience so different from a linguistic-based one? What do we mean we say “visual thinking”? What does it take to become a visual thinker? And why are so many people afraid of it?

This summer, I embarked on an independent study to find some answers.

Why Visual Thinking?

For the purposes of my study, “visual thinking” is not “visual learning,” which is about how information is taken in (Felder, 1993). Visual thinking is about how information is processed and expressed. "Visual thinking is a way to organize your thoughts and improve your ability to think and communicate. It’s a way to expand your range and capacity by going beyond the linear world of the written word, list and spreadsheet, and entering the non-linear world of complex spatial relationships, networks, maps and diagrams" (Gray, 2013).

A lot of our mental resources are dedicated to what we see—much more so than any other sense (Eagleman, 2011; Roam, 2011). We think in images first: even our conceptual mind is pre-linguistic (Margulies & Maal, 2002). The origins of our written language began more than 32,000 years ago with a simple drawing of a bull on a cave wall. Over time, those simple pictures evolved from representing a word to representing a sound, and the images themselves evolved into a symbolic alphabet (Roam, 2011).

At some point, the written word became the standard mode of communication. But using words alone to express ideas constrains our thinking (Gray, Brown & Macanufo, 2010; Roam, 2011). The written word is linear: lines on a page, progressing predictably from left to right. To express an idea visually—to create a picture— is to “make use of a massive range of cortical skills: colour, form, line, dimension, texture, visual rhythm, and especially imagination — a word taken from the Latin imaginari, literally meaning ‘to picture mentally’” (Buzan, 1993, p. 73).

Why Aren’t We All Visual Thinkers?

If visual thinking is “natural” to us, why is it so hard for so many of us to approach problem solving from a visual point of view?

“I can’t draw.”

If this is what you think, welcome to the club. That’s what I thought going into this study. Roam (2009) pointed out that the only group of people who willingly and enthusiastically say they can draw are kindergarteners.

There’s a widely held (mistaken) belief that either you know how to draw, or you don’t. Discomfort among adults regarding drawing is due to the fact that they haven’t got the “grammar” of it (Roam, 2011). The “grammar” is more simple than you might think. Rohde (2013) has broken down “drawing” into five basic elements:

If you can draw these, he said, you can draw anything.

When it comes to “drawing,” we are bogged down by intellectual and emotional baggage. It raises questions of good and bad, right and wrong, pretty and ugly. We get caught up in judgment and forget the point of visual thinking: to express ideas not more beautifully but more clearly and intuitively. "The point of problem-solving pictures isn’t to create great art. We’re not trying to show ourselves and others what things look like ‘out there’ (in the real world); we’re trying to show what things look like ‘in here’ (what we see in our own heads)" (Roam, 2009, p. 261).

Sketchnotes

When I started this independent study, one of the first things I read about was sketchnoting — in part because I know and have worked with the sketchnote evangelist Craighton Berman (www.craightonberman.com). “Sketchnotes are rich visual notes created from a mix of handwriting, drawings, hand-drawn typography, shapes and visual elements like arrows, boxes and lines” (Rohde, 2013, p. 2).

Sketchnoting requires you to think like a reporter, an information designer and an illustrator, all at the same time (Berman, 2011a). But “sketchnotes are about hearing and capturing meaningful ideas, not how well you draw” (Rohde, 2013, p. xiii).

I attempted my first sketchnote after I had spent some time learning the “grammar” of visual thinking.

There’s definitely room for improvement — I need more icons, for example, and my structure isn’t clear — but I can say just from creating this and a few other sets of notes that the process of sketchnoting is a richer, more engaging note-taking process. It demands active listening while putting you very quickly into a convergent state: is this information important?

Mind Mapping

Mind Maps are “a system for generating and organizing any ideas” (Margulies & Maal, 2002, p. 10). The term “Mind Map” is a registered trademark of the Buzan Organization. Buzan (1993) described Mind Mapping as an external expression of a natural function of the human mind—what he calls “Radiant Thinking.” Because of the way thoughts are captured in a Mind Map—with just one word or symbol per line—the creator must distill ideas down to their core essence (Margulies & Maal, 2002).

While I’ve used Mind Maps as tools for divergent thinking in ideation sessions — as fuel for forced connections — I’ve never before deliberately created one to help clarify a problem.

The development of this mind map (partially shown) was an interesting exercise in highlighting the essence. Because I wanted it to be more visual, I created icons to represent the key ideas, which was a great way to explore how to draw concepts.

Resources

Interested in learning more about visual thinking? I started with Dan Roam’s Napkin Academy training (www.napkinacademy.com). I also learned from:


Berman, C. (2011, June 6). Sketchnotes 101: Visual thinking [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.core77.com/blog/sketchnotes/sketchnotes_101_visual_thinking_19518.asp

Berman, C. (2011, June 21). Sketchnotes 101: The basics of visual note taking [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.core77.com/blog/sketchnotes/sketchnotes_101_the_basics_of_visual_note-taking_19678.asp

Buzan, T., & Buzan, B. (1993). The Mind Map® book: How to use radiant thinking to maximize your brain’s untapped potential. New York, NY: Penguin.

Eagleman, D. (2011). Incognito: The secret lives of the brain. New York, NY: Pantheon.

Felder, R. (1993). Reaching the second tier: Learning and teaching styles in college science education. Journal of College Science Teaching, 23(5), pp. 286 – 290.
Retrieved from cfcc.edu/SACS/QEP/documents/ReachingthesecondtierR.Felder1993.pdf

Gray, D. (2013). Visual thinking school [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.davegrayinfo.com/visual-thinking-school/

Gray, D., Brown, S., & Macanufo, J. (2010). Gamestorming: A playbook for innovators, rulebreakers, and changemakers. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly.

Margulies, N. & Maal, N. (2002). Mapping inner space: Learning and teaching visual mapping. Tucson, AZ.: Zephyr Press.

Roam, D. (2009). The back of the napkin: Solving problems and selling ideas with pictures. New York, NY: Penguin.

Roam, D. (2011). Blah blah blah: What to do when words don’t work. New York, NY: Penguin.

Rohde, M. (2013). The sketchnote handbook: The illustrated guide to visual note taking. San Francisco, CA: Peachpit Press.

Sibbet, D. (2001, May) A graphic facilitation retrospective. Presented at the IAF Conference,
Minnesota. Retrieved from http:// www.davidsibbet.com/GF%20Retrospective(Updated).pdf

Stuart, J. (2010, August 23). Dear Harvard Business Review [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.makingideasvisible.com/blog/visual-mapping/dear-harvard-business-review/

About Jody Fisher

Jody Fisher is the Ideation Strategist for the Emerging Growth Group at Nestlé Purina PetCare. In this role, she helps facilitate creative problem solving around strategic business challenges to feed the company’s innovation pipeline. Prior to joining Purina’s Emerging Growth Group, Jody was a copywriter for 15 years, working on brands like Friskies, Purina ONE, Gatorade, Pizza Hut and more. Jody earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from The Colorado College, and expects to finish her Master’s of Science in Creativity and Change Leadership at the ICSC in December, 2013.

Finding and Understanding "The Progress Principle"

A book review by: Darlene Kent
Creativity Coach, Consultant & Trainer

Introduction

The lean, mean business machine myth died with the publication of The Progress Principle, written by Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer. This book shares a study about the importance of inner work life on productivity and creativity. Inner work life is made up of our perceptions, emotions and reactions to what happens at work. As something happens at work people do their best to make sense of it. Leaders, especially immediate supervisors/managers, have a significant effect on the members of their teams, and as a result inner work life.

The focus of the book is on the creative climate. While many of the creative climate studies have been focused on external factors, this book looks at how the external factors affect the person internally, and this is a fairly new perspective in creative studies.

Book Summary

The results of the study presented in the book illustrate that it is our humanness that matters most in productivity and creativity. We all want to make progress towards meaningful work, and it is the manager’s job, and that of the organization, to support people to make “small wins” every day in meaningful work. It is also important to remove obstacles that get in the way of productivity, because the effects of negative events are twice as strong as those of positive events.

Inner work life affects the way we pay attention to tasks, our engagement, and our intention. When inner life is good, we are interested in doing a good job; when inner life is bad, we are not interested in doing much of anything. Making progress or experiencing setbacks are the biggest influences on meaningful work.

Reaction

The book did a great job of presenting its results, connecting it to existing research and providing a thorough overview of how the research was done. The methods employed appear reliable and valid, and the book certainly adds to our understanding of work and creativity.

The progress principle resonated with my own understanding and experiences of what motivates a person at work. The Progress Principle is well written and uses everyday language. It backs up its findings with results of the study, and brings in other research, giving depth and breadth to the topic. I felt I was seeing beyond the surface skin, to the soul of what it means to be a person living in a modern world.

The next step would be to research the implications of the study outside of work, on how we could all have more meaningful lives if we used the progress principle in our private life. We are responsible, each one of us, to support a healthy climate for all, at work and in the world at large.
The authors give leaders a checklist to help them focus on what is necessary to support the people around them to achieve progress in meaningful work. It would be great if more tools and techniques were added through additional research on the progress principle.

Connect to Creativity

The book has something to offer practitioners of creativity. I find myself contemplating how to use visuals and dialog that will show progress in Creative Problem Solving (CPS), so people can see they are making forward movement towards a meaningful goal. I find myself taking steps at work to support the people around me to help them see that they are making “small wins” every day.

This book is about research, and it was written to present the results. Personally, the part that most intrigues me is how I can help people see that they are making progress in creating meaningful lives. This book suggests to me that you get the biggest bang out of creativity when you use it to make progress in living a life full of meaning. Create meaning, create progress, and you ultimately create purpose, satisfaction and happiness.

The Progress Principle offers a fascinating glimpse into the heart and soul of earning a paycheque; it reveals that inner work life and progress in meaningful work are more important than rewards or money. It reveals the hidden truth of what motivates us at work, and I look forward to seeing further research on how the progress principle could be applied to help humans create a life rich in meaning, creativity, and achievement in their personal lives.

References

Amabile, T, & Karmer, Steven. (2011). The progress principle: Using small wins to ignite joy, engagement, and creativity at work. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. 

About Darlene Kent

Darlene’s passion is “artlightenment” – enriching life with creativity. She is a creativity coach, consultant and trainer, and is earning her Masters in Creativity from the International Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State. 
While doing a screenwriting workshop she discovered her life’s purpose: support, celebrate, and contribute. Support people to reach their dreams or goals, celebrate the steps forward, and to contribute her skills and expertise to make the world a better and happier place (one creative act at a time).
She will guide you through the adventure of innovating success, from ideas to results. She has helped Creative and Artistic Professionals get inspired, organizations to innovate, and individuals to embrace their creative potential. Reach and connect at 826.dk.

You can see an interview with Dr. Teresa Amabile, co-author of The Progress Principle, live at Buffalo State!  Click on the image for details!

"Who Killed Creativity?" - An Inside Peek

A book review by: Paulina Larocca

Global Creativity & Innovation Marketing Manager
Premium Wine Brands

Who Killed Creativity? is a non-fiction book that – at first glance – is yet another book about creating the right climate for creativity and innovation. What makes it stand out is it is told as a murder mystery making it highly engaging and its messages memorable. 

Through a skillful combination of personal anecdotes backed by supporting research, Who Killed Creativity? makes a powerful case for rescuing creativity from modern life’s murderous claws. It identifies the “seven deadly killers” of creativity; shows you how to rescue innocent victims; and create a safe environment. Written primarily for organisational use, it also has helps you to identify the creativity killers in your life. 

Part I is the forensic overview of the “crime” and Part II is the “forensic lab report” to help prevent future crimes against creativity. It opens with an example of how creativity is being “murdered” right under our noses without us realizing it. 

Then using CSI-like profiling, they demonstrate how the “four Stages of Destruction” have spawned the “seven deadly Creativity Killers”. Some are “killers in disguise” – like how a culture of restriction gives rise to killers like “the flirtatious socialite at work” who is the personification of those that “thrive on communicating that they are constantly busy and under pressure” and strangle creativity with their constant demands on your time. 

Locating the crime scenes is not always easy. There are killers in the boardroom but some lurk in unsuspecting places – like the playground – where ‘free play’ is being transformed into ‘controlled play’ building the case that creativity is a necessity, not a luxury.
Part II revives creativity using the ”seven creative thinking strategies” e.g. cultivating curiosity, accepting ambiguity to name a few. 

It reclassifies each crime scene as a “potential rescue site” showing how once deadly places can be transformed into safe havens for creativity. 

As a final twist, it re-examines the evidence to reinforce the idea that creativity requires an acceptance of ambiguity. In the review of the evidence they make the case that potential deadly behaviors – when used in the right way – can actually be good. Creativity is best when it is freed of duality-like judgment of right or wrong. 

It concludes with their “Creative Thinking Life Cycle Model”, which gives you “a solution to every potential creativity problem you, your team or organisation face” with a supporting case study from Procter & Gamble. 

What I really liked about the book was how the authors skilfully weave their personal experiences, like the Bali bombings (the Australian equivalent of 9/11), to illustrate how the rapid pace of global change is crushing creativity. It gives the book a real human edge that I really responded to. They make a compelling case for how the pressure to make more money is making us lose our sense of self and what’s really important. Creativity is often the first victim and they have experienced first-hand this loss and have witnessed its impact our community. While no one sets out to kill creativity – the relentlessness of change makes it easy for us to forget what we really need to be fulfilled. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and the fact that it was written by a fellow student, Gaia Grant, added to my enjoyment. I think it’s a great diagnostic tool to help you understand if you have the best creative climate and how to improve it if you don’t. 

I found the final plot twist very clever. Finally, a book on creativity that acknowledges being creative is not about following a simple recipe for success. 

What could be improved is sometimes their creative idea of telling it as murder mystery distracted from the power and simplicity of their ideas. 

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in increasing their creativity in their organisational and personal life. The key concepts are engagingly presented and it’s refreshing to find a book on creativity that is actually creative. Interlaced with their personal experiences and supported by research, this book demonstrates the importance of creativity and how, if we’re not careful, our modern lifestyles will end up killing it. The case is made that creativity is a necessity for a fulfilled and happy life.

Grant, A., & Grant, G. (2012). Who killed creativity and how can we get it back? Sydney, Australia: John Wiley & Sons.

Meet Paulina Larocca, an Innovation specialist with over ten years' experience working for world-leading FMCG companies.  Paulina currently works at Pernod Ricard's global wine division, Premium Wine Brands, and leads their Innovation function based out of Sydney, Australia.  She is also responsible for training the group in Creativity.

Paulina's core expertise is identifying strategic opportunities, concepting, building the innovation pipeline, influencing senior management and leading cross-functional team to implement the ideas to increase revenue and grow share.  She is also a key player in training and facilitating creativity, as well as ideation.

Interview with Kristin Fields

Creative Connections Network Summer Newsletter 2013

Interview with Outgoing CEE Conference Director Kristin Fields, ‘02

By Amy Frazier, ‘11

During the 2012 CEE conference a year ago, I looked up at one point in my trek between buildings and around construction zones to see Conference Director Kristin Fields standing on the ramp at the back of the student union, marshaling us all in the direction of lunch. She looked so elegantly composed amid all the conference comings and goings and the dust and noise of construction that I found myself commenting to her on it.  At other times, during that conference and the others I’ve attended, I’d see her often in the hallway as sessions let out – always with that same sense of composed awareness and attention to our conference experience.

As a relatively recent graduate, I’ve only ever known the conference with Kristin at its helm. This year, after four years as Conference Director, she’s stepping down. Since her contributions have been many, and since I can’t quite yet imagine CEE without her as Director, I decided to interview her. Below are highlights from our conversation.

Amy Frazier:  How does it feel to be done?

Kristin Fields: Good! I’ve finally realized my part in the process. We really created this great thing and I can see how I have helped to make that happen. It has a really solid structure and it’s part of the fabric of the community. It’s a happy ending. I feel really good.

AF: What went through your mind when you began four years ago?

KF: I was excited about it. My previous job had been event management. I moved to facilitation, and missed the event management. This was like both. The conference had been the responsibility of the Graduate Assistant, but a new one always had to be retrained. Gerard wanted more continuity.

AF: And you did this along with having a full time job?

KF: This was the hardest challenge. I wanted to work on the conference all the time. My “5 - 9 work…” It was pretty much a year round job.

AF: I’m imagining that the degree came in handy.

KF: Oh my gosh! “It sure is a good thing we all have degrees in creative problem solving” – that was our mantra. All the times I filled my dining room table with Post-its! I would travel for work, and in airports it was process maps and flow charts. Each year there was some crisis. I used the degree formally or informally the whole way through.

AF: Tell me about one of the crises.

KF: The construction around the building! Last year I didn’t find out about it until I pulled in with bagels and muffins on the opening day. Another was the year before last, when I found out a week and half before the conference that there would be no food on campus. I was eight and a half months pregnant and dragging coolers to Bulger so people could have beverages for lunch…

AF: You taught the conference class as part of the job as well.

KF: Yes – I wanted to put my fingerprint on the course contract. Challenging people to take a stretch workshop was my contribution. This has been one of the most successful experiences for the students. It’s opened doors for people. I enjoyed this the most. We look to push people outside their own paradigms; we were really trying to be thoughtful about how to make the experience meaningful.

AF: You at one point were the President of the Alumni Network, so you’re the perfect person to ask: is CEE “the alumni conference?”

KF: Yes and no. Yes because most of our attendees are alumni. But it’s open to anyone who’s got a strong interest. We do want it to be a reunion, a homecoming. We want people to think “I have to go so I can see my colleagues and be refreshed and have more energy.” But now there’s also more of a focused push outward.

Everyone who comes is exactly who we want to have here.

AF: What’s next for you?

KF: I’ll be doing some adjunct teaching and I’m looking forward to spending more time with students. The position was heavy on logistics, time management, project management, physical labor. I’m looking forward to taking on intellectuality again. Having time to read before 10:30 pm.

AF: How about an IWBGI for CEE.

KF: IWBGI… there could be no more construction going on! To give some creative thought to the location; maybe a new space will present itself on campus.

AF: Where does CEE go from here?

KF: It was great that it was so hard to select the workshops this year. People were telling me they were mad they couldn’t go to everything. I’ll take that “negative feedback” and be really proud of it! Finally, we’re there – with the caliber we’re looking for. The continued challenge is to promote that caliber.

AF: Thanks for an inspiring conversation.

KF: It’s been an honor.

Creative Connections Network Summer 2013 Newsletter

Creative Connections Network Summer Newsletter 2013

 The alumni chapter of the International Center for Studies in Creativity. 


Dear ICSC Alumni,

For the Summer newsletter, we have a Creativity Expert Exchange Conference report; an update on the Beyonder Academy (Buffalo-area folks, take note: they’re hiring teachers for this summer’s camp!); an interview with outgoing CEE Conference Director Kristin Fields; and the introduction of CCN Board Members Kathysue Dorey and Jason Hall – plus Jason’s description of the value of CCN involvement from the perspective of a current student.

Also make sure you scroll to the Creative Class Notes section below.

A note of congratulations to all the recent graduates of the program – welcome to the alumni community!

Yours in the Creative Spirit,

Amy Frazier ‘11

CCN President

CEE Conference Update

The CCN produced a table at the Taste of Creativity during the conference opening night. Cory Wright ‘00, Shawn Kassirer, and Amy Frazier ‘11 introduced various membership and technology initiatives, including the prototype of an online alumni directory, and the Conference Ambassador and Connect2Challenge programs. Alumni who are interested in membership information are invited to contact Cory Wright, Membership Director at icsc.creativeconnections@gmail.com.

For a brief review of the faculty research presentation and other conference impressions, see also: Creativity Alumni, Experts Converge on Campus.

Expanding Beyond...

By Jenna Smith, ‘12

The Beyonder Academy formerly known as Camp UpRising, the kids creativity camp sponsored by the ICSC, is expanding beyond it's original kids day camp concept. This year, the summer camp hosted in Buffalo, N.Y. has doubled in size. As a result, camp Co-founders and Directors Ismet Mamnoon '13, Jenna Smith '12 and Pam Szalay '08 are seeking to hire Lead Teachers and Assistant Teachers for the one week camp August 5-9. 

The team is also working with groups globally to develop training programs and potential Beyonder Satellite campuses. The team is happy to report Ismet will be representing The Beyonder Academy in Santiago, Chile to work with educators and children as part of Chile's year of creativity and innovation. This Fall the Beyonder team will be traveling to China to train educators as part of an initiative by the Chinese government to infuse creativity into the current educational system in China. For more information on The Beyonder Academy, please visit their website at www.beyonderacademy.com

New CCN Board Members:

Joining the CCN team are Jason Hall, and Kathysue Dorey ’13. Jason, currently Graduate Assistant, is assuming the role of CCN Secretary. Freshly-minted graduate Kathysue is helming Special Projects.  Look for updates on their work in upcoming newsletters. We’re very happy to have them on board!

An Infinite Web of Relationships

By Jason Hall, CCN Secretary

Felix, a Catholic priest from Nigeria; Gaia, a business consultant and author from Australia; Jack, a guidance counselor from Texas; Ginny, a creativity consultant in Toronto; and Dixie, a bio-mimicry interior designer from Vancouver, are just a few of my newest and closest friends! We are all currently ICSC students and proud members of the diverse Buffalo State community. I want our friendships to last forever, because they are the most creative human beings I have ever met. 

That is exactly why, in the moment I was offered the position as Secretary of Creative Connections Network, I could not stop thinking about them—as well as the many others who are not listed. I know how important my contribution will be to seeing that my working relationships, as well as the infinite web of all the relationships formed by the amazingly creative students within our program, will grow and blossom into the future!

We fear going our separate ways. We dread our last class and master’s projects. In creative studies, it doesn’t feel great to be done unless there is reassurance that we will never be done. We need it to survive. We thrive on relationship building!  I am extremely honored to join the CCN team and very excited to assist in renewing and re-energizing connections and fostering new relationships! To the future of creativity!

Creative Class Notes:

Marta Ockuly ’10, is first author with Dr. Ruth Richards of a piece entitled Loving or Fearing Creativity? It’s all in the Definition. The article in the Journal of NeuroQuantology explores mentoring and the art of encouraging creativity, as well as reports on research Ockuly and Richards have compiled. Abstract.

Laura Ryan ’13, of LAMA Innovation is teaming up with Drs. Puccio ’87, and Cabra ’96, to offer two new products endorsed by the ICSC. Creativity in Asia and Creativity in America are multi-day seminars combining creativity and leadership training with rich cultural experiences. Creativity in America was launched last summer in Buffalo with a group from Taiwan. Creativity in Asia is slated to be launched in September in association with James Cook University’s Singapore site.

Dr. Cyndi Burnett ’01, and Paul Reali ’09, have released an edited collection of new works published by the ICSC Press. Entitled Big Questions in Creativity 2013: A Volume of First Works, Volume 1 , the book contains chapters by alumni and current students Mary Kay Culpepper ‘13, Irina Mishina ‘12, Sarah Thurber ’12, Ginny Santos ’12, Amy Frazier, ’11, Vicci S. Recckio ‘12, Robert H. Frantz, Catherine Tillman ‘13, Ted Mallwitz ‘12 and Lee Anne White ’11. The book is available at ICSC Press (and, sure, at Amazon as well…).

Have a Creative Class Note to share? Email us at icsc.creativeconnections@gmail.com

Creative Connections Network Spring 2013 Newsletter

Growing the Creative
Connections Network: 

The Creative Connections Network is the alumni group of the International Center for Studies in Creativity. 
 
As befits a Spring newsletter, we’re excited to share with you the growth of the Creative Connections Network since our last writing.

Last winter, we told you of the revival of the CCN and introduced you to some of our work to date. At the time, we put out a call for Board members to fill key rolls. We’re pleased to introduce you in this issue to the skilled and passionate people serving in the roles of Treasurer, Professional Development, Membership Development, and Technology.

Also in this issue, an interview with Hedria Lunken – the first president of Creative Connections. Read about the days when Gerard and Sue were students, Sid and Ruth were around, and CPS was Post-It-free.

Yours in the Creative Spirit,

Amy Frazier
CCN President

The Creative Connections Board

Board Members are recruited by a search committee comprised of the Vice President and Faculty Advisor, with input from the community. They serve year-long terms, renewable up to three years.

We added a number of new members in January, who are busy with their plans for turning the CCN into a thriving alumni network. Meet the current members of the CCN:

New Board Members - 2013

Laura Ryan –  Treasurer
Laura is the founder of LAMA Innovation, a Buffalo-based consulting firm. Laura specializes is training people on the language and tools necessary in optimizing their creative potential.  In addition, Laura enjoys facilitating creative problem solving and strategic planning for private and public corporations, government agencies, and non-profits. Laura has a BSME in Mechanical Engineering from Boston University and has completed her coursework towards her MS from the International Center for Studies in Creativity at Buffalo State. Laura plans to graduate in May, 2013.

Laura’s goal as Treasurer is to ensure the group is fiscally sound as we carry out of the planned programs and various offerings. 

Shawn Kassirer – Technology

Shawn is currently a Business Analyst and has provided support in electronic automation, enterprise analysis, and process improvement techniques within healthcare & non-profit facilities worldwide. Shawn’s areas of interest include idea innovation, team collaboration, and finding benefits of new technology. He currently resides in Buffalo, NY where he is a member of the Project Management Institute and International Institute of Business Analysts. He is a current student in the Creativity Studies Masters Program.

As CCN Technical Advisor, Shawn is involved in the CCN database and website development. His plans include incorporating additional visual tools and platforms within the CCN website to serve the unique needs of the community, such as allowing users to electronically post and prioritize ideas, align goals with strategies, access ideas for facilitating electronically, etc.

Florian Rustler, ‘10  - Professional Development


Florian is an innovation coach based in Munich, Germany. He is founder and managing partner of creaffective. He supports organizations worldwide in German, English and Mandarin Chinese to become more innovative. Prior to his degree at the ICSC he studied Political Science, Psychology and Chinese in Munich and Taiwan. He graduated from the ICSC in 2010.

Florian's goal is to facilitate alumni in finding work, training and conference opportunities around the world. His plans include setting up an online database/resource listing that allows people to search for and enter information related to conferences, trainings and work and writing opportunities.

Cory Wright, ‘99 – Membership Director

Cory is a 1999 ICSC graduate residing in Rochester, NY.  While working as a Sales Engineer in Utah, he caught the “Creativity Bug” trying to help his employer adapt to the wave of outsourcing taking place in the 90’s.  Now he is establishing a nonprofit called Creative Leadership America, is a partner with ZiDEAS Creativity and Innovation Group and a part-time educator.  Cory was honored to write the case studies found in the book “Creative Leadership, Skills that Drive Change.”  He is actively researching and speaking on topics related to creativity and innovation. 

As Membership Director, Cory’s focus is to facilitate and coordinate efforts to promote and engage alumni through building a sense of community, collaboration, and valued connectedness. Look for signs of his work at creativity conferences near you.

Courtney Johnson-Woods – Communications

Courtney Johnson-Woods is a college instructor and director of Clarkson University’s Writing Center. She is also a consultant working for clients primarily in the forest products and biofuels sectors. She completed a graduate certificate at ICSC in 2009, and a year later went back to obtain her Ph.D. at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. Her research interests include the intersection of people, their sense of and connections to “place,” and the natural environment.

Courtney has assumed the position of communications with CCN. Her goal is to promote communication among alumni and increase connections between alum practitioners, the ICSC, and current and future creativity studies students. Her hope is to increase the visibility of the CCN through traditional communications and social media platforms.

Returning Board Members - 2013



Amy Frazier ’11 – President

Amy works in the field of organizational and leadership development through her company Stages of Presence, and is also a contributor at Innovation Bound. With a background in theatre, she brings a deep awareness of the artistic process to creativity and leadership development. Amy has contributed a chapter on creativity and leadership for the forthcoming book on Big Questions in Creativity Studies 2013, to be published by the ICSC Press this year.

Amy is working on Board development and increasing the visibility of and participation in the CCN.

Stavros Michailidis ’10 – Vice President

As founder of Innovation Bound, Stavros consults with global enterprises, academic institutions, government agencies & NGO's on their innovation initiatives and in creating valuable thought leadership. He conducts research and guest lectures at the University level and his presentations have been recognized and received awards at creativity conferences. In addition to his MS in Creative studies, Stavros holds a Bachelor Degree in Project Management.

Stavros’ main focus is to recruit great talent from our alumni pool to the CCN board.  We still have to fill two more spots, so contact him if you're interested : )

For current open positions, scroll down. 

Interview with Hedria Lunken on

Creative Connections, the early days:

 By Amy Frazier, '11 and Hedria Lunken, '90, Founder and first CCN President 


Q:  When did you graduate? 
A: 1990.

Q: When did you begin the CCN? 
A: In 1989 we were a small group of students and under 100 graduates.  The course of study was very intense and we felt the need to get together socially and include our families. We planned weekends at the lodge, skiing, making meals together and practicing our presentations.  In addition many of the graduates wanted to reconnect with the profs and since they were often busy with other students, this gave them a way to stay connected (hence the name creative connections, coined by Rita Ganim) to the program and meet new people who were involved. We wanted to get everybody connected, to know each other. In class you’re so busy…

Q: What was the department like at the time?
A: Roger Firestien, Scott Isaksen, and Mary Murdock were our teachers. I was in Mary’s first classes. She helped get the CCN started by giving extra credit to Dennis Carter to help me organize the group.  Sue Keller-Mathers and I went through the program together, she has also served as CNN president . Gerard was a student, one year ahead of our group.  I was one of the first students Roger guided through a master’s paper. Sid and Ruth were around, but not teaching. Ruth became my mentor. You knew they were the stars. And, there were no post-its! We wrote and rewrote. Should have invested in 3M, but we didn’t.

Q: What were some of the hot topics at the time? 
A:It was still the very beginning – were we psychology, or not psychology? We were carving out that it was a discipline on its own. When we interviewed companies for jobs, we needed to explain what creativity was, and how we could benefit their company to convince them to hire us. Now creativity is a core competency in many companies. It was the beginning of creativity training in most industries.

Q: If you could grant the current CCN one wish that you could pick, what would it be?
A: Stay connected. The graduates and students are a special group of people, who have been trained in a very special discipline, to think in a positive/creative way:  they are fun, interested and interesting, and extremely open and helpful to each other. 

Open Board Positions with the CCN...

Want to become involved in the revival of the Creative Connections Network? Over the next several months we will be looking for people who would be interested in serving in the following positions. Contact us at ICSC.creativeconnections@gmail.com to learn more.

Current Creative Connections Board
Amy Frazier, President
Stavros Michailidis, Vice President
Laura Ryan, Treasurer
Shawn Kassirer, Technology
Florian Rustler, Professional Development
Cory Wright, Membership Director
Courtney Johnson-Woods, Communications
Dr. Cyndi Burnett, Faculty Advisor

Open Positions

Secretary

Documenting our work through minutes and cataloging materials.
 

Special Projects

A dedicated person for trying new things, such as community outreach, funding sources, etc.

Creative Class Notes

Jonathan Vehar ’95, along with David Horth, had a white paper published by the Center for Creative Leadership entitled, "How to become a Leader of Innovation" and were also interviewed by European CEO magazine about innovation leadership for a special edition that was distributed at the Davos Conference in January. Jonathan also '95 facilitated conversations after the four keynotes at the IIR "Back End of Innovation" conference in Boston in October 2012.

Linda Salna and Shari Walczak are partnering to earn their final credits working on an Independent Study Project to increase the awareness and engagement in World Creativity and Innovation Week (April 15-21, 2013), founded by ICSC alumna Marci Segal over 10 years ago.  The Toronto pair is collaborating with a team to create a repeatable framework that other regions can follow. To keep up-to-date with the project, like the page on Facebook

Lee Anne White '11 recently published Her Own Way: Creating an Authentic Life, a guide to self-discovery for college women and recent graduates. It features a mix of stories, interviews and creative exercises, and is designed to help young women explore their passions, tap their talents, develop a creative mindset and embrace life's journey.

Ismet Mamnoon ’13 has been awarded both The President's Medal, the highest honor awarded to a student by Buffalo State College, and the SUNY Chancellor’s Award, the highest honor bestowed by SUNY upon a student. The awards recognize Izzy’s outstanding achievements in academics, community service and leadership, among other contributions. Izzy will deliver the student address at Commencement in May.

Laura Barbero Switalski '03 is the recipient of this year's Creative Studies Alumni Achievement Award. The Award honors graduates of the program who are making a long-term impact in the field of creativity. Laura's work includes founding the CREA Conference, serving as adjunct faculty, and contributing to the development of the Thinking Skills Model. Laura has coauthored the book Creativity Rising: Creative Thinking and Creative Problem Solving in the 21st Century, published by ICSC Press in April 2012. She will be presented with the Alumni Achievement Award in a ceremony on May 18.

Got a Creative Class Note to share? We'd love to publish it! Send info to ICSC.creativeconnections@gmail.com 

Creative Connections Network Winter 2012 Newsletter

(Re-)Introducing the

Creative Connections Network: 

The Creative Connections Network is the alumni group of the International Center for Studies in Creativity. The CCN was revived earlier this year, and we're pleased to roll out out first quarterly newsletter with this Winter 2012 edition.
Enjoy!

An introduction to the CCN:



Dr. Cyndi Burnett, CCN Faculty Advisor :
The Creative Connections Alumni Network was started by Hedria Lunken, more than 20 years ago.  Hedria saw the network as a means to provide a professional framework for continued networking and development  for the current students, alumni, staff and faculty of the International Center for Studies in Creativity (ICSC).

Dr. Mary Murdock was the faculty advisor of Creative Connections for many years.  When she became ill, Creative Connections became quiet, and lives became busy (as they do). 

Last year, when the ICSC faculty created their goals and vision, we realized that one of our goals to was to have a robust Alumni Network.  We knew this could be achieved, in part, through our Creativity Expert Exchange conference, but we wanted to create something bigger.  At that point, I volunteered to be the faculty advisor, and began to solicit the alumni community to find interested people who were willing to commit to an initial six month term for reviving the CCN, with the option of continuing on.  Amy, Stavros, Izzy, and Jenna have been very active in propelling this goal forward and I have already seen the connections being made!

Dr. Cyndi Burnett, CCN Faculty Advisor

Amy Frazier, '12, CCN President:
The revival of the CCN comes at a great time for the ICSC. New initiatives, a steadily increasing enrollment, and the forthcoming launch of the PhD program in 2014 all testify to the dynamic growth of our community – and our field. In this context, it would seem incredible to not have the sort of robust Alumni Network the faculty envisioned last year. So, speaking on behalf of Stavros, Jenna, Izzy and myself, I will say that we have all been very excited and honored to helm the first several months of the revived CCN. (And a thanks and acknowledgement to Dana Calanan for her early efforts in the position of secretary.)
         Our work since last spring has been to “lay the pipes” –  putting some structure in place so that we may invite your greater participation in the Network. To this end, we have established our mission and governance structure; deployed a “Conference Ambassador” to spread the word at the various creativity conferences; launched a quarterly newsletter under Jenna’s expert guidance and graced by Ana Castelan’s handsome CCN logo design; established the basis for a mentoring framework, as Izzy describes elsewhere; and – in a complex project headed up by Shawn Kassirir – embarked upon the testing phase of an interactive database which we hope will demonstrate the variety of connections existing among alumni as well as stimulate your interest in creating even more connections.
         As we enter into the next phase of the CCN revival, we’re looking for people to serve in a variety of positions – and are eager to know in what ways you might like to contribute. If you’re curious to know more, contact us at icsc.creativeconnections@gmail.com.

         We look forward to continuing the journey with you, already begun.

Yours in the creative spirit,
 Amy Frazier, CCN President

Mentoring:

Building a community of creative leaders.
By Ismet Mamnoon 

The graduate program at the International Center of Studies in Creativity (ICSC) emphasizes creative leadership.  A significant aspect of a leadership role is mentoring.  The Creative Connections Network (CCN) hopes to provide opportunities for alumni and students to connect and benefit from mentoring relationships. 

The benefits of a mentoring program are twofold. The mentored will benefit from the sharing of experience, guidance and collaboration opportunities with their mentor.  The mentors will benefit from the sharing of a reconnection with the ICSC and the recharging of passion by plugging into the energy of a new graduate/student.  Additional benefit for mentors is that this relationship provides a connection to the newest research and developments at the ICSC.

The ICSC currently promotes such meaningful exchanges at a community level through the Creative Experts Exchange.  The CCN hopes to promote connection and exchange at an individual level through the mentoring program.  In order to facilitate the connections in the CCN mentoring program, alumni will be able to create mentoring profiles on the anticipated CCN database.  These profiles would allow the mentor and mentored to find those individuals who have similar areas of expertise and interest.

The CCN will be responsible for providing the platform for making the connections, however the framework for the mentoring relationship will be created by the individuals who wish to connect.  Information for best practices in mentoring relationships will be posted and shared but will simply be provided as guidelines.
 

ICSC 4.0:

Promoting four generations of creativity scholarship.
By Ted Mallwitz , '12

Current students and alumni comprise the fourth generation of future ICSC scholars or ICSC 4.0. With this in mind, the ICSC 4.0 is focused on promoting the growth of the International Center for Studies in Creativity both internally and externally through the fostering of collaboration, community, and goal setting that creates synergy between our individual goals and the goals of the ICSC. The ICSC 4.0 will begin with a retreat (details to come soon) open to current students, distance students, and alumni in order to set clear goals, gather data, and develop a concrete vision for the future of the ICSC from the student and alumni perspective. Key concept areas include: expansion, branding, collaboration (both in person and virtually), creating opportunities, and the mindful alignment of ICSC faculty goals and our goals. Through these efforts ICSC 4.0 seeks the realization of the growth and unification of our vast and diverse ICSC family.

Interview with Paul Reali on the ICSC Press:

 By Stavros Michailidis, '10 and Paul Reali, '09

Q:  What is ICSC Press?

A: ICSC Press is the new imprint of the International Center for Studies in Creativity (ICSC) at Buffalo State College. Ultimately, the purpose of our press is to support ICSC’s vision: “Igniting creativity around the world: facilitating the recognition that creative thinking is an essential life skill.” 

Q:  Why did the center create ICSC Press?

A:  The ICSC has long been recognized as a clearinghouse for information on the field of creativity. To expand this role, and to more actively disseminate original and rigorous work, the ICSC decided to launch its own imprint. Bypassing traditional publishers will allow the Press to publish works with more discrete audiences, and to get more quickly to market.

Q:  What type of content will ICSC publish?

A: The goal of ICSC Press is to produce high-quality work that contributes to expanding our understanding of creativity and supports effective creativity practices. To accomplish this goal, ICSC Press will serve as a vehicle for members of our community and other creativity professionals to publish and disseminate their original thinking, in book, ebook, and other forms.  One current initiative is to publish a collection of case studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of creative process, Creative Problem Solving, FourSight, and related methodologies and tools.

Q:  Who is the ideal author for ICSC?

A:  The authors best suited to ICSC Press are: ICSC Faculty, ICSC Graduates, CPS and creativity practitioners, and other academics and creativity professionals who want to make a contribution to the field while bypassing the lengthy academic and trade book publishing industry.

Q:  How should interested parties contact you?

Talk: 716-253-1871
Email: editor@icscpress.com

Growing the CCN...

Want to become involved in the revival of the CCN? Over the next several months we will be looking for people who would be interested in serving in the following positions. Contact us at ICSC.creativeconnections@gmail.com to learn more.

Current Creative Connections Network Leadership Team

Amy Frazier, President
Stavros Michailidis, Vice President
Jenna Smith, Secretary
Ismet Mamnoon, Treasurer
Dr. Cyndi Burnett, Faculty Advisor

Open Positions

Membership

A liaison to the membership community.
 

Technology

A coordinator of technology for CCN, including database and website.
 

Professional Development

A steward for opportunities and the development of programs.
 

Communication

A central point of contact and messaging.
 

Special Projects

A dedicated person for trying new things, such as community outreach, funding sources, etc.h

Creative Class Notes

Liz Aebersold '11 recently keynoted at the Project Management Institute Seattle Chapter on the need for Project Managers to be catalysts for creativity and change.  Liz teaches in the UT Austin Executive Education program in the School of Engineering on Creativity, Innovation and Leadership.

Chris Grivas '99 ICSC Graduate and co-author of "The Innovative Team" has recently had pieces related to his book published in Training Magazine, Forbes.com, Fast Company Magazine, and Entrepeneur.com among others.

Marta Davidovich Ockuly  '11 and eminent creativity researcher Dr. Ruth Richards were invited to present the results of the research study they co-authored titled: “How Do You Define Creativity?" at the 120^th Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association in Orlando, FL, August 3, 2012.  Link to the presentation is here.

Erik op ten Berg '12 served as a creativity expert at the opening show of the ConceptLab at the Dutch Design Week, where design students competed to create new products for smart houses, during three days situated in a glass house.  Erik also shared best practices for accelerating the creative process, amid chaos in the house! 

Nathan Schwagler '08 is currently serving the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg College of Business as: "Creative in Residence", and as an Instructor of Entrepreneurship. Recent accomplishments include mentoring a team of students to a 1st place finish in a national entrepreneurship competition.

Marci Segal '01  was recently named a futurist by the World Future Society and invited to present at their 2013 conference in Miami on "What humanity will be like in the year 2100." She also led a pre-conference session at the 2012 WFS conference, "Human Dynamics of Creating" with Megan Mitchell. 

Got a Creative Class Note to share? We'd love to publish it! Send info to ICSC.creativeconnections@gmail.com