A Guest Post on Creativity

Now, this is a first for Aa..ha! [Thinking Inside the Blog] :-)

Some one has written in offering to put up a special guest post here. I simply do not have any reason to refuse the offer however much I may consider this blog to be my territory - read a loony-bin of sorts. And especially so because the post happens to be on one of my favourite topics - creativity! :-) Donna has written a lovely post on how to encourage creativity in others and her every thought resonates with me! Emphasis mine!

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How to Encourage Creativity in Others


The work of the creative and curious has consistently led society to innovation and progress. Guglielmo Marconi invented the radiotelegraph system after tinkering with Heinrich Hertz’s radio wave discovery. Andy Warhol’s paintings and prints of celebrities and Coke bottles led to the popularization of pop art.
Unfortunately, creativity has become too linked with an elite few instead of encouraged in the masses. Not everyone knows how to express creativity, but everyone has the capacity to be creative. Just think of children and their imaginative qualities: an empty refrigerator box can become a space ship, a stick a sword, and a bed sheet a superhero’s cape. However, somewhere between childhood and adulthood, uninhibited creativity becomes taboo as people become more obsessed with fitting in than standing out. Many people are afraid to express their creativity out of fear of being deemed childish or weird, but as creative thinking leads to better problem solving, it is truly in the best interest of society to lift the unspoken ban on originality.

The first step to accomplishing this is to be encouraging. Team leaders and teachers should make it known that inventiveness is expected. After all, it is easier to do things the way it’s always been done than to come up with something new and exciting, so creative thought must be encouraged for it to happen.

Creativity should also be accepted to alleviate the insecurity many feel about expressing their “weird” ideas. Naturally, not all creative thinkers will contribute valuable and feasible ideas, but the impossible and fanciful thinkers should not be punished, ridiculed, or ignored. Their ideas may be laughable at the time, but with the advance of technology and social growth, those ideas may suddenly become viable. Traditional animators may have disregarded those who suggested that computers would someday do most of their work, but now computer animation has become the norm.

All too often, innovators often find themselves butting heads with those resistant to change, and they shouldn’t. Originality should be easy to bring to the public and new inventions and movements should not be shot down before it has had a chance to prove itself. If the world is ready, the movement will proper. If not, it will simply die out. Creativity should be subject to the natural course of judgment and application without the premature critical bludgeoning from traditionalists.

To maximize the creative potential of the masses, creativity must be freed of its association of being childish and bizarre. Only then can we hope to unlock the trove of brilliant ideas that lies within each person.

This post was contributed by Donna Scott, who writes about the online bachelor's degree. She welcomes your feedback at DonnaScott9929 yahoo.com

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Weekend Introspection

Here are some profound - even if I say so myself - things that occurred to me, and I shared on Twitter (I am @nimmypal), in the recent past. Would be glad to see your comments and hear about your related experiences, if any.

Even clear, consistent, persistent, passionate and desperate communication will not change the mind of a prejudiced man. (I wonder if smart people who realize this stop wasting their energy and go on to do better - other - things in life)

There are 3 kinds of people. Those who: are slaves of their conscience, don't know it exists & occasionally acknowledge its existence. (Ironically, the slaves - the first lot - are, I believe, the happiest in the long run)

In personal matters, the truth is elusive to everyone except yourself. Even if you share all the facts. So, be your own "final" adviser. (Makes one consider how critical it is to parent children to think independantly)

If you behave like there is nothing left for you to learn, you will definitely learn no more. Every new idea will see you as an obstacle. (...and adopt a different route depriving you of the joy of many more accomplishments in life)

KM World 2009

Dear Blog-Friends,

I was thrilled to receive a free invite - apparently as a consequence of being a long-time KM babbler...er, I mean, blogger - to KM World 2009 at San Jose. Well, as luck and all other (un)concerned entities would have it, it doesn't look like I can make it. I find it hard to digest that I can't go to such a popular and well-known conference, especially after having received a free invite. I will have it known - to no one in particular - that I am quite fond of attending conferences and think it is a perfect environment for me to get inspired and develop my ideas in! Read "If you happen to conduct a conference on KM or any other topic of interest to me, please do invite me. I promise to share whatever I know and spread whatever I learn at the conference" Anyway, if I want to avoid slipping into despair and further craziness such as exhibited above, I need to ignore this cruel twist of fate and hope I get to go next time around and move on with whatever is left of life.

So, here we are, what? Can't you see I am quite happy and ready to get my knowledge and learning from elsewhere? Thank God for Twitter, Blogs etc. Hmmph. OK. Ranting apart, here's the real good news

a) If you're going to the conference, you can avail a $200 discount for being a reader of this blog :-) [Finally, being a patient and optimistic reader of this blog has paid off, eh? All's well that ends well] - Here's the message I received:

Here is a discount URL for your readers:

http://tinyurl.com/mfmn2h

It automatically calculates a $200 discount for your readers. It also includes a free expo pass option!

They can also sign up just for a free expo pass at this link:

https://secure.infotoday.com/forms/default.aspx?form=kmw2009&priority=BLG10

b) The other good news - If you're going to the conference, you now know I am not going to be there to skew any sort of metrics related to participants' sanity. Enjoy!

Just in case you do use this opportunity to save $200 please do leave a comment here and ask for David White at the conference if you want to thank the person who decided to give this blog's readers a discount. :-) And it goes without saying that I'd love to know what knowledge you acquired or shared at the conference.

PS: Caveat: I am somewhat tired of people saying the KM is not about technology and that KM must satisfy a business need and that KM is all about the culture and that KM is not content management, among other things. Without wanting to sound blunt, I think we've beaten these things to death and they are obvious to most of us unless we indicate otherwise. I suspect that, more often than not, it is not that we don't believe these ideas but that we find it hard to get the rest of the organization to tow our line. Also, most of the time, people just stop at these high level statements. They don't elaborate and explain the why or how. Let's start talking about the "how". Let's start looking at fresh and unconventional ideas to realize the benefits of KM. Let's start getting into the details. Let's have case studies of how business needs were met. Or let's simply listen to those who are ready to talk about these things. :-)

Sustainable KM

I like the way Andrew has collated and packaged some very sensible ideas and approaches and labeled them as "sustainable KM". Embed KM, let it emerge from the bottom, let change manage itself....and more such gems inside. (But what scares me quite a bit is "Local solutions, Global blindness")

Sustainable Knowledge Management

View more documents from ajgent.

A Guide to CoPs

Found this nice presentation on Communities of Practice in Slideshare.

Communities of Practice: Conversations To Collaboration

View more presentations from Steve Dale.

Of Knowledge and Parenting...

Priceless! :-D One of my favourite C&H strips...!

Inspiration

What else can one say?

Are you this Frog?

From PravsWorld: http://pravstalk.com/give-it-a-shot/

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Question: There are 3 frogs on a leaf. If one of them decided to jump off the leaf into the water, how many frogs are there left on the leaf?

Answer: THREE

Why?

The frog only DECIDED to jump! It didn't!

Dreaming of a personal accomplishment, most people make the mistake of waiting...

- Waiting until they've been trained
- Waiting till someone say's they are ready
- Waiting till they have the proper tools
- Waiting till they're better
- Waiting till they're hired
- Waiting till they've been given the assignment

Ponder over this, my friends. Are you not unlike the frog; who decides to do this, decides to do that, but ended up not doing any?

In life, we have to make many decisions. Some easy; some hard. Most mistakes are not made by wrong decisions; Most mistakes are made due to our inability to take a right decision at the right time.

We have to live with the consequences of our decisions. And that is RISK.
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Croak. Jump. Dive.