Creativity and risk taking - Finding your Element by Sir Ken Robinson (RIP)

I am about to finish reading Ken Robinson's "Finding your Element" book.This year of 2021 I have given myself time to think about my vocation.  This book has been very helpful to let me understand myself a bit more.  It has useful exercises to get the reader to think about talents, aptitudes,  attitudes,  passions and other aspects of our personality.   It encourages reflection and self honesty about things we really want to do and are good at, even if we are to learn them fro  scratch.   

I studied computer science and systems engineering as it was the right thing to do at the time.  During my degree I learned how to program computers, and also to type and write bit more academically. I graduated and went to work on software development, process analyses and software selection.  

But something was off.  I could not really be happy knowing that there were politics when it came to work with technology users, consultants or software providers.  I left a technology career behind and studied systems thinking.  I found myself telling my research supervisor that I wanted a life change.  

Ken Robinson talks about taking risks when we feel that something is off.  In his book he gives lots of examples of people who changed careers, went to live in unexpected places, created businesses or simply turned away from what they were supposed to do in life.  To many of these people, comfort signalled a need to move on and engage in what they thought was 'next'.  

Robinson encourages people to take risks, given that life is uncertain and far from linear.  Taking risks promises that we can all start living more genuinely according to our Element(s) (where passions and talents meet).  In my own case, I took a bit of risk by getting into debt to pay for my systems thinking studies. I got the backing of my twin sister that acted as a financial guarantor of a scholarship loan I was awarded.  I will be always thankful to her, to my mum, my sister Clara, my other siblings and people who I encountered throughout.  

Thanks to life I keep encountering help. My guarantors have helped me to start a new life and to maintain it when things were not going well.  Graduating from a PhD with no job on sight and in another country was a challenge I did not foresee: the funny thing was that even getting a funded post-doc was seen as an alien thing by them.  This lack of approval affected my mental health and it took some years of counselling to accept that being a researcher was what I wanted to do, despite my previous technology education, my loyalty to loved ones, my anxiety of not being good enough, or my conservative attitude to life (and risk).  

I agree with Robinson that life is full of risks.  But I now find myself questioning if when taking them we are to involve our loved ones to act as 'guarantors' (the ones picking up the bill if things go wrong).   It is worth pursuing one's own passions.  But at what cost?  And for whom And? And if finding one's Element is not a linear process that could also involving 'going back' according to Robinson, why the rush?  Why do we have to do things now?  Why the 'now or never' attitude? 

As I pose these questions, maybe I am also learning to accept that in our lives there will be always things that are 'off' and that there will be times when we need to live with such things: I am now living with anxiety and that is OK.  I did live with problems as we all do.  I cannot fully blame my taking of risks for my anxiety although I would say there is a fine line between taking a risk and becoming a neurotic (my therapist's favourite term).   In Robinson's account of finding one's Element, there does not seem to be any choice but to pursue it (with guarantors, debts and anxieties involved).  Even of that involves small steps. The issue becomes: "do something!".  It reminds me of a wrong thing to say when one is mentally ill:"man up, get over it!". 

To this choiceless invitation,  one my psychotherapists would say something similar: There is no other choice but to be truthful to oneself and professional, so that we measure more carefully what we aim for.  There are some anxieties we can live with, and there are others we cannot.  And there is no shame in not being able to develop a 'thick skin' about anxieties as Robinson's examples seem to suggest.   

Both Robinson and my therapist will acknowledge that some form of 'guarantor' is needed.  Lucky if we are able to have them I think.  Maybe we need to ask for true help in our lives.  Help that tell us what risks are worth taking or when to take them.  

So what could be next? 

Out of these ideas and also echoing what Gabor Mate says to his younger self, my creative one would say:   "Worry, but not too much.  There is no need to pursue perfection.  Young or old, time is on your side"

And as I finish Robinson's book and review some of its ideas, I find myself feeling grateful for this year of 2021.  I can say that I am not yet sure what my Element is.  It has to do with connecting people to learning opportunities.  It also has to do with slowing down and saying no to things I can do but do not really want to.  There might not be big risks yet for me on this.  And time is still on my side.  

So what could be next for me?  Let people do things bit more, let me do bit more of aside art and writing, let me do more walking or swimming if not cycling.  Time is on my side I think! 

And for you?  

  

Pandemic presence

The lockdowns in our societies have helped bring to the surface how we as human beings think of ourselves as present. Virtual and other technologies have helped us to maintain a degree of presence at work and with geographically distant family.  

I wonder if we have changed our image, what we say or do when being remotely present, and how we have managed our physical presence when it comes to going some places or just talking or doing stuff at home.  

Myself I had not thought of the above as I assumed that I was the same individual when interacting with others.  I was aware of the (mindful) importance to be fully present (easier said than done).  The first lockdown was a retreat to finish writing my latest book and some research articles, and a preparation of educational resources for my job.  I think I maintained presence in my circles, showing myself up at times.  There were nice conversations with old friends that I had not seen for a good while.  And with of course my close relatives.  At times I was also absent minded:  the writing, the preparations, the anxiety, the frustration.  

After this first lockdown ended, I noticed I was missing my coffee meetings with myself (for writing) and with my friend Adrian.  I was also missing meeting my well-being group.  We kept the meetings virtual.   And when the first opportunity came I socially-distant met with these people.  It was good to finally catch up.  

And with second and third lockdowns, I am now thinking that I need their presence somehow, and that I want but often cannot really be present as I would like to.  Work and home schooling make busy and draining days.  

Presence is now a challenge.  Or is it not?  Maybe I am still present, but not in the way I would like to.  It is one thing to talk or listen to my students online (most of whom do not show themselves and only listen), or to have virtual work meetings (in which we follow an agenda and occasionally we joke).  And it is another thing to feel we are ‘there’ in a common space, that we are ‘there’ now, fully engaged, feeding from each other, communing with each other.  

Maybe we would need to accept that presence means both of these things.  That we are and we are not present.  That one cannot be with the other.  

We are all trying to be present, perhaps we just need to be less demanding of what we want to achieve.  

A test for other viruses

This new year brings more testing, and not necessarily for COVID-19.

Having lived through several lockdowns and uncertainties, it might be time for us to test ourselves on how well aligned are our values to what we do at work and elsewhere.

It might be that our self-defensive habits have taken over, leading us to strongly protect some imaginaries like our own images of ourselves or others.  

Or our 'nostalgic' pictures of what the world was or needs to become ('normal' again?).   

And in the process, we might have adopted thoughts or behaviours that keep us ‘safe’ from the scrutiny of others and the world in general.  We could also have developed other habits or adopted thoughts which we considered very alien, and are now part of who we think we are.  

Myself, I considered that I am now more of a facilitator of learning than a traditional lecturer, although I still keep some habits in and outside the classroom.  My values of dedication and commitment remain, for good or bad. I have adopted my teaching material to suit more shorter events and also use of other online resources from publishers.  And I still aim to propose creative assignments to my students, teaching face-to-face whenever required.  

So I do not think I have been afraid of change, only that I have somehow changed at my own pace (not too fast, not too slow). There are costs. I feel drained at the end of the week.  Maybe I have tried to hard to instil enthusiasm in myself and my students. Perfection, again. 

Perfection, an old habit, and also, I have adopted some unhelpful thoughts:  “There is no body else that can do what I do; If I don’t do this the world comes to an end.  I am here to right all the wrongs encountered; everyone should be committed to help students, and if not I must intervene. It is the pandemic “. 

Some of these thoughts align with my values of dedication and commitment.  But others don’t.  I appointed myself to be a saviour, when colleagues are also paid to do their job.  I value time with family and time for thinking too.  I cannot right all the wrongs or help everyone that comes my way.  It is really not possible.  

What else do I value?  

• Contact with nature
• Health
• Self-care
• Collegiate support
• Curiosity
• Simplicity
• Reflection 
• Honesty
• Time to do nothing.  

Time to reshuffle priorities, and test myself again, with compassion.  

And what about you? Is your job misaligning with your values, creating fake thoughts or unhelpful habits?  

Me? I am just a symptom!

This year of 2020 will be remembered by how we all faced up to the world pandemic, and how, as human beings, we are capable of many good and not so good things.   

I can only praise the creativity of many of us, the dedication and the help we have received from, and some times given to, others.  

Have been lucky to be part of families as well as communities which came together via zoom and other means to help each other. With ups and downs, it has also been possible to many of us get by if not improve our quality of life, and keep smiling.  

Myself, I have been fortunate to find a new balance in what I do.  And to acknowledge what and who I really value.  Despite my best attempts to be who I am not,  I have found that I value family, respect, honesty and support above other things.  And I still tend to please others.  

So if you ask me what has happened with me this year, I can only say: “Me?  I am just a symptom.  As such it comes and goes, and it is (not) that important in the grand scheme of things...”

Ending 2020 on a high, I would like to say thank you to those who helped me.  And thank you to those who I try to help. 

What is for 2021?  

Well, lots of things I guess.  

Let us try to be instruments of greater and good purposes.   

Tired after zooming in and out

It’s not easy to accept that I am tired and am allowed to have bad or less exciting days. 

(Source:  http://clipart-library.com/clipart/741683.htm)

The pandemic has asked to be really alert.  This is like going into overdrive more often than not. Part of the new ‘normal’ for people like me. 

(Source: https://www.istockphoto.com)

For example, taking each of my children to buy sports gear in the last couple of days and in between work meetings proved to be taxing.  I was careful and so were they.  An opportunity to go out and fulfil promises, also to zoom out after being online (which really drains me after an hour or so!). Still, we missed not cleaning an item or checking on another one before using it, and my mind raced to foresee tragic consequences.  To top it all, watching the news made me feel powerless and feel in need of a hug.  

https://dougdvorak.com/worry-never-works-take-action/

When things like this happen, I withdraw and try to recover, often doing so on my own. I curse, I panic, I go into fight or flight mode, only to fall (even more) tired and regretful. 

Perhaps it’s time to continue accepting we cannot control everything around us, and give ourselves a pat in the back for having tried to do our best, or even failing. 

Let’s accept the good and the bad.  Let’s hope we can do better tomorrow, perhaps more slowly.  We are still in lock down, even if that means slowly learning to live differently, with our different selves, and with the virus. 

Our creativity is still at work. Silently, she is leading us to complete the day. She might be saying: “No need for big fanfare. Just a bit of routine, tantrums allowed along the way”, putting her hand in our chests to let us know we are all right.  

Source:  https://sunflowerrosecw.wordpress.com/tag/inspiring/

Let’s acknowledge that in certain circumstances, zooming in and out is tiring, and that we are just learners who are not alone in this journey.  Creativity is there, with all of us living the best way we can, just for today. 

Some thoughts for the new and creative 'normal'

Let us face it.  Most if not all of us have been caught off-guard with this pandemic.

(Source: https://clipground.com/free-animated-surprise-clipart.html) 

We still long to return to the old days where we could to go our offices, cafes, visit friends or family, running around like headless chickens in the pursuit of happiness.

The lock down brought a sense of distance to those days.  But for people like me, it also brought a new form of anxiety, which is manifested in my desire to cling on to what I know, what I love to do and what I fear to lose.  

For the new normal, the return to how things were, it might not be enough to continue supporting systems that contributed to fuel this sort of anxiety.  This is because the elephant in the room, the different selves or identities that what we used to get by, are still there.

And we will have to learn to live with these different guys, being now more anxious because of a greater risk to lose them, or to see them go.  

But where would we start in the new normal?  A spell of honesty with ourselves could help.  

Myself, I woke up today and after a hectic week of trying to keep the work-life balance 'right'.  I realise that I have used the pandemic, and it has used me to do things that my selves wanted to keep:  finish writing a book, publishing an academic article and writing a few more, whilst keeping a good parenting role.  I have also learnt to wake up later than before, do more physical exercise and gardening, and catch up with old friends and things that I thought I did not have time to complete.  

In this new normal, my life has still busy and not so busy moments. I have tried to keep some 'precious' things at all cost: my job, my writing, my family, my health. The good friends to have coffee with and vent our mutual frustrations are now at a distance.  For good or bad, the remote family and the children are closer.  

The new normal has allowed me to keep these and other things.  However, some days I feel tired and sometimes angry with myself and the world.  Why is that?  Is it because I try to keep the old (committed, perfectionist) and have some new 'selves' (i.e. the sporty one) at the same time? 

I fear for the return to the 'normal', for the realisation that I need to let go of some of these selves. I wish I could let go of a competitive-creative self: :  feeling demanding audiences in colleagues and students, engaging in fights about our 'novelty' and 'contribution' on a daily basis, attending requests to get funding, travelling, evening meetings or plagiarism panels.  This on top of being the 'good' parent, whilst my bank account balance disappears nearer the end of each month.  And my other creative, writer self, is still here.  

(Source:  https://www.1001freedownloads.com/free-clipart/ma-2-2)

These realisations have made me acknowledge that the new normal for me needs to be, paradoxically, very abnormal.  It would need to be inclusive of uncertainty, self-compassion, introspection, human-sized jobs, doing good enough, touching fragility, developing simple education, enjoying nature locally, breathing, accepting frustration, welcoming the other selves in myself and my loved ones.  

And if possible keeping the writing going.   

In the new normal, my electric bike is also still waiting to be used a bit more.  

A toast to silent creativity

I propose a toast to silent creativity,

that muse that comes uninvited, when we give her the chance.

That creativity that encourages us not to boast but to work diligently,

to be honest with ourselves and ask:  Why is it that we do what we do?

If we are seeking fame, money or ego aggrandizement, she will walk away in the same way she came in. And we will not notice.  

She will wait 'outside', patiently, for us to prepare our hearts,  to find ourselves in our work.

She will visit us in our dreams, whispering a word, an idea, a feeling,

for us to wake up and get back to work, now with humility, zeal and passion.

If we are lucky, she will keep doing this, and when we feel we are ready, we can defend her in court.

The prosecutors will argue that she is passive, useless and mystical.  

The public will get impressed by the lack of evidence.  

Most of them perhaps will ask for a refund, they thought this was a show! 

What shall we do as her only friends in the room? 

Just listen to what she whispers:  

I am with you, do not worry, just keep doing what you love doing. 

Retreat if you must, but remember your dreams, my dreams, who you are.

Seek solitude, seek friends, seek your old diaries, I will be around... 

Cheers!  

Paradoxical Creativity

Those of us who decide, consciously or unconsciously, to welcome creativity in our lives, are learning how paradoxical this could be.

Creativity, aiming to do something creative, or studying ourselves as potentially creative beings, we do often do so with the conviction that we have been called to do so.

Only that this call is made to many.

We feel uniqueness, being blessed or cursed, as if we are not in full control of our actions.  

And yet, with some practice and habits (as I wrote earlier in this blog), we learn to cultivate some ways in which we feel 'in the driving seat, of that inspiration, a silent driving to destinations we don't know.

Elizabeth Gilbert writes in her book "Big Magic", that there are forces making the above possible (the welcoming of the call, the working silently).   As human beings we are to respect and cultivate such forces in what Gilbert calls a partnership.  

We are to trust such forces, as we trust when we love someone.   We are to make sure that we do not scare them with our anxieties, fears or attempts to over control them.

We are to respect them, if they decide to leave us, temporarily, whilst they find better hosts, whilst we regain our sense of awe to the universe, whilst we regain our trust in them.

With creativity, we stop thinking too much about ourselves, and let enjoyment take over, but not to the point of harming our bodies or other beings.   

We are to host creativity, look after it, but also look after ourselves, our financial and economic sanity.

The more we are able to understand this paradoxical creativity, and treat it like a good old friend who wants the best for us, and who cannot be told exactly who to be friends with, the better.

The wonders of creativity have made Gilbert's book possible, and I believe they have made my own contributions possible too.  

In my new project, I am hoping not to scare creativity away with the demands of daily life.   I also hope not to obsess with it.  Rather I hope to continue working on it, sanely and in tune with forces that I cannot control.   

That, perhaps is the biggest challenge.  To do so with enjoyment and gratitude. Even if the end result is not only mine, or unique.   

Dear creativity, let us sit together in silence, and let us keep working.  

My creativity syndromes

After my last post on creativity habits, which I hope sound positive and encouraging, now I would like to share my 'negatives' about creativity.   I decided to call them syndromes, as this last word seems to be more recognized and acknowledged.

A sticker from Hyper-Japan Fair,2019

My creativity syndromes are certain habits and ways of thinking about myself and the world that do not help me.  In a nutshell, they keep me with fear and doom about my creative work.   They are now easy to spot, but difficult to manage, specially because they are ingrained in how I think about myself and the world around me.   

I seem to have acquired them when growing up. They probably helped me for a while, but now they seem to be in the way of me trying to live more creatively.    They drain my energy, and make me feel miserable at times.  

Because of these and other reasons, they need to be identified. So here they are:   

• Misplaced loyalty: I tend to overcommit to clans or tribes.   My commitment of saving the world by writing about it often leads me to say yes without thinking too much.   I give my allegiance to people and causes which, after a while, end up draining my energy because they do not align with my inner values or motivations.   I overdo helping those who have trouble in their academic careers, those with few friends, those who insist in working with me or those who praise me. I create unbalanced relationships in which I am willing to give more than what I receive. 

• Perfectionism.  I grew up thinking that I could become one of those ancient Kings (including Jesus Christ) that I read about in a book of Sacred Religious Catholic history: Noble and helpful, one which never complained and did good to everyone around; never tired, living according to high moral standards.  When I talked about this to a psychotherapist many years ago, he told me that I had a wrong idea about being 'good':  Jesus Christ expelled those who were trading in a sacred place!. It is difficult for me to accept failure and I fear failing.   So I often decide not to try, specially when there is strong competition around me. However, I also react when I see that things are not right.  

• Being an imposter.  I keep thinking:   Did I really deserve praise?   Do people really value me or my work?  Combined with the above misplaced loyalty and perfectionism, I have these moments of anxiety where I decide that what I do is not enough and I fear that someday, someone is going to 'find out', so I work harder.  

Life has taught me (sometimes the hard way), that these syndromes are not good for my health and thus for my creativity.   I now recognize more often and earlier when these syndromes show up. When they do,  I try to give myself a hug and say:  I am OK, I am good enough.   Work is just work.   Life is bigger than this or that situation.

I recently heard someone suggesting that we need to look at our relationship with both success and failure, so that we keep a balance in the stories about these guys that we entertain in our minds.   Wise words...

This guy will always make me feel special

I also try to remind myself now and again that what I creatively do has to do with my own personal values, and that they are good enough.   When I feel anxious, I talk to loved ones, to colleagues that do not take life too seriously, to people who know what I have been through or .  Or even if they do not know, they who are not judging me as hard as I judge myself.

To my dear creativity syndromes:   You are welcome to visit, but not to stay too long, I have more important things to do in life, and that includes being creative!

My creativity habits

Since reading Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi's book "Creativity", and also taking an online course on creativity, innovation and change in 2015,  I have been encouraged to develop my own habits to nurture my creativity.

Csikszentmihalyi's book refers to habits that could help a person develop and maintain an adequate environment to work on his/her creativity,  whatever that might be.   This includes finding a good space (physical and timewise); combining work with other activities (for example playing a musical instrument); learning to say no to things that could take our mind away from our creative projects; and even having a car decorated in ways that reflect who we are as creators.

The online course I took encouraged me to develop deliberate practices or activities that I would not normally do or which would take me out of my comfort zone.   So one day, I went around the neighborhood walking in my pajamas!  And I took to do drawing and painting, because I wanted to find other ways to express my self.   People who visit my office can see some of my works of 'art', and often they praise my kids for them!

Virginia Water Lake

For me creativity now is what I do, an effort to walk the talk, an effort that also involves my well being as I said in my book.   I do not walk on my pajamas but I cycle whenever I can.  I have painted my office to make it more lively.   I also have some hiding places (mainly cafes) where I do my writing and thinking.  I also go to a nearby lake (Virginia Water) to have a walk and wind down when I feel stressed.  

And I am learning to say no, or to say yes with conditions. This helps me not to feel overwhelmed or guilty, and increasingly to have more realistic expectations about my creativity, work and life in general.  So for instance I am now beginning to take longer holiday breaks, and accepting that this is to be the case whether my perfectionist mind likes it or not.   This has not been easy to learn and still is one of my biggest challenges in life.   I was brought up to face up to any challenge, so I am learning and unlearning about myself in this regard. 

My folders for a new book project

In addition,and as the choreographer Twyla Tharp suggested in her book about the Creative Habit, I keep a 'box' in order to 'think outside the box'.  So I have several folders where I store notes or articles that I want to use for my next book(s).   The folders are decorated with stickers of my favorite movies (star wars, alien, ghost in the shell, yamato).  A good and also relaxing routine is to (re) organise the content of these folders, moving things around.  That also helps me remember what I am doing and why I am doing it.

Finally, in my mobile phone and tablet I use Evernote, a nice app that helps me write notes on the go, so I do not forget what I was dreaming about or what pops up in my mind when I am least thinking about ideas. When I feel that I am not much motivated, I check the notes that I have written and I edit them.This helps me regain a sense of confidence and purpose in my work

I am certain that creativity can be pursued with these or other habits.    For you reader, you might like to ask yourself what works best to get yourself into a good thinking and acting mood, so you can think of new ideas and make them happen.   I hope this post helps you.   Good luck with your creativity.  And please remember that you are a human being after all!.

My Creativity Book Tour - Third Stop: Manchester and Hull in the UK

Have I been preaching to the converted when presenting my book about Managing Creativity at Manchester and Hull in the UK? 

Not really 😁.  

I have visited colleagues in Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) Business School, and Hull University Business School,.  I want to thank them and the fantastic audiences that my seminars had.  

Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) Business School

At Manchester, I was asked about individual creativity, and how I see it.   In my book (Chapter 1), I venture to lay a distinction between individually and collectively oriented creativity. 

The creativity field has progressed in consolidating a sort of established tradition of the first one, not so much in the second one, which was one of the reasons that led me to write the book.  Systemic creativity, or conceiving of creativity as resulting from creators and their circumstances, could find a place under the second one.  

Green square in front of MMU Business School

In between these (which the sociologist Andrew Abbott associates to lineages or branches on trees as the picture on the right aims to emulate), I see a great deal of creativity research that is focused on the processes associated with creativity, be them internal (cognitive) or external to a creator. Whichever lineage or body of knowledge we consider in creativity, what is becoming clearer is that in each, there are different criteria to study and assess a creative process, idea or individual.  The audience at Manchester also saw that creativity needs to consider environmental constraints and tensions, many of which shape such success criteria.  

I was also asked about how I plan to continue developing my ideas.  Since finishing this book, I have continued looking at creativity, this time in management education   My claim so far is that we as management educators have narrowed down our ideas about creativity, and have become somehow passive instruments of a big trend in digital innovation.


To overcome this situation, we will need to develop more ethical awareness and choices in relation to creativity.  I want to further research on how creators (students, educators) could assume more ethically driven responsibility for our own creativity, a responsibility that also implies engaging with others and accepting that our life and work has some inevitable 'shit' we have to deal with.  

The renovated Hull University Library

At Hull, the discussion and questions after my presentation moved towards how creators need to learn a specific domains of knowledge, in order to be able to improve them.  But how far do creators want or have to go when  learning something new? What motivates them? What criteria of can we then use to assess our own creativity and that of others?  

In my book I present how I addressed a situation which required knowledge about inter-disciplinary creativity.  I found myself having to learn about the domain of creativity and also having to follow certain conventions about how knowledge in an inter-disciplinary research proposal was to be generated.  This situation led me thinking about the risks of following conventions to the letter, in particular if we as creators have to flexibly deal with challenges that we encounter along the way.   Add to this the need to look after our own well being, and the picture becomes more complex.

I was also asked about what notion of creativity I use in my book, which perhaps by now you as a reader are also intrigued about.   My response was that I do not subscribe to a particular one, except that I am aware that in the creativity field some attributes to something creative have been defined:  Novelty, Value and Implementation.    An idea, person, process or product needs to be seen as novel, valued by others and it needs to 'fit' or to 'work' somehow in a situation or context. 

A view of Ferens Way, Hull

On further reflection about these and other questions, perhaps not all creators want to be worldwide recognized eminences in a domain of knowledge.  Not everyone would aspire to write academic journal articles or win prizes or research grants at all times.   This is a lesson that has been difficult for me to accept and assimilate.  Partly forced by circumstances, partly motivated by curiosity and interest, I decided in the last few years to write my latest book instead of writing high impact journal articles.  Writing a book made more sense to my family situation and health.

Now I am pursuing another book project, am putting more effort into this blog, and am collaborating with others in writing some journal articles.  This to me means striving for success using my creativity.  However, and because I am a perfectionist academic, it is still not easy to see myself as different from colleagues or previous role models both in academia or elsewhere.  There is the daily temptation to look at my academic citations and compare myself with others.  

Centre for Professional Success at Hull Business School

There is a lesson from the above:  Perhaps we need to be honest with ourselves and say something about the inner motivations and the external pressures that guide us as creators, and how we could take them forward. Achieving success (fame, economic benefit, fitting in within a community, or even pleasing those who we think deserve credit) needs to fit in with who we want to be.  There is a need to better link creativity with ethics, and do that through education and reflection.   

Many thanks Manchester and Hull, see you soon, with new ideas about creativity and how best to make it happen!