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Interview on Creativity with Bob Maddams
How would you define creativity? Essentially, creativity is the craft of combining elements in new ways to create something new. You use the word ‘craft’. Does that mean it is something we can learn...
Three Ways to Transform your Creative Thinking
We are all born creative, and then we spend many years learning not to be. So, step one is the most fundamental: Allow the creativity back in. 1. Believe in your Creativity Make a list of things...
Interview on Curiosity with Marcelo Staricoff
What is curiosity? I think that curiosity is the essence of life. It’s the starting point for all learning, for all discovery, for the development of society, of humanity, of humans, of the world....
Nurturing a Beginner’s Mind
An Activity to Stimulate Curiosity Most of us are firm in our opinions on any one argument, be it politics, religion, parenting, or the state of the world. But could we see more clearly other...
The Power of Choice – Letting your team build their own personal and professional development curriculum
Many of us now work in small- to medium-sized organisations and that can make personal and professional development for ourselves and our teams a costly challenge. We all have different development...
6 ways to have a more meaningful life
Margaret Wheatley in her book, ‘Who do we choose to be?’ says: “Ours is a culture obsessed with the pursuit of happiness. As a consequence of this, we are more lonely, estranged and lost than at any...
Botanical Illustration: A Resurgence Of An Ancient Art Form?
You’re probably familiar with this ancient art without having paid much attention to it - that’ how commonplace botanical illustration is in our lives. But how often have you taken the time to...
“I view play as engaging openly, curiously and spontaneously with the world” – Interview with Play specialist Diane Marks
Psychiatrist and play researcher Dr. Stuart Brown describes play as “a state of being, purposeless, fun and pleasurable”. Is this your take on play? Absolutely! Purposeless in the sense that it is...
“You can’t do the learning for them” – The essentials of Coaching Skills by Jamie Pyper
In the teaching of coaching a common point of resistance is usually: ‘I don’t have time to do all this coaching. It’s just easier to tell them what to do right?’ This is indeed right if you are...
We spend many years learning not to be creative
Three Fundamentals of Creative Thinking - by Alex Pearson Believe in your Creativity. We are all born creative, and then we spend many years learning not to be. Our world is perversely built to...
“Audiences want to be entertained, not educated”
Interview with director & author Bob Maddams on Behaviour Change dramas, Travelogues & Story Telling You are a graduate of the National Film and Television School, and have produced...
Interview with Artist Andrew Pearson on inspiration, abstraction and purpose
You paint landscapes, nudes and still life. Is there a form that you particularly enjoy working with? I am interested in shapes and how they interact on a surface. This makes still life a natural...
Cultural Intelligence – Learning from Mongolian Nomadic Wisdom – Interview with Saranzaya Manalsuren
You came to the UK from your hometown in rural Mongolia. Can you tell us a little about that decision? I was brought up by my grandparents who lived in the northern part of Mongolia, and came to...
Understanding Chinese ideology, politics and idealism through its Landscape Painting – by Marieke Reichwein
Where does your fascination with Chinese landscape paintings stem from? It actually took me a long time to even notice the Chinese landscape paintings at all. Although I already had spent years in...
Do Charismatic People make Better Leaders?
By Culture Shaper Vanessa O'Shea I think there’s an assumption in our society that the most powerful leaders are charismatic ones. Consider Richard Branson, Martin Luther King, Bill Clinton, Tony...