Category: creativity

art, creative process, creativity

Two sides of the management coin

Christa Avampato

 “To know when to be generous and when firm — that is wisdom.” 

~ Elbert Hubbard


Last week was a little tough for me, and for the people around me. I’ve found that in my career I’ve work with two kinds of people – those who are generous or those who are firm. And very often I have come across people masquerading as one kind of person, while truly being another. Occasionally, I have come across people who can straddle line – generous and firm at the right moment. These are the people I have tried to emulate. 


Last week may have been the first time in the past 8 months that I’ve put my stake in the ground and called people to the carpet when something wasn’t done to meet high standards. There was a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of excuses made. At the end of the day, it wasn’t about blame and it wasn’t about having a reason for what happened – it was, and always is, about responsibility. 


This ability to be generous and be firm is critical in the creative process as much as it is in any other setting. If too firm, the end product will have the life beaten out of it. If too generous, the end product won’t be as good as it could have been with constructive criticism. The most beautiful pottery gets its shine from the care of the potter’s hands and the fire of the kiln. The same should be true for the creative work we put out into the word – a little gentleness mixed with a little fire yields a truly extraordinary masterpiece.    

creativity, friendship, New York, relationships

Messages out to the world

Christa Avampato

“One that would have the fruit must climb the tree.” ~ Thomas Fuller

I’ve been dating a nice guy for about two months – my first foray into match.com. Last night we decided to go our own ways and while I was a bit sad, there was a part of me that was also excited. I learned a lot from this very briefing relationship: one thing being how much I’ve grown emotionally in the last year, and the second thing being that putting out into the world what you’d like back in return is a very healthy and helpful thing to do. My friend, Steve, is grateful that I have now turned the corner to stop dating jerks – he’s grown a bit tired of hearing about them – rightfully so. There’s something to be said for growing up.

So while this guy didn’t have the creative and adventurous side I was looking for, I learned how very important those two things are to me. My sweet friend, Katie, said that this world needs my creativity. And she’s right – it needs everyone’s creativity. It needs everyone to be exactly who they are and I need someone who not only nurtures that creativity in me, but also someone who has his own creative work going on that I can nurture in him.

I have found in the past few weeks that as I spent more time with him, my writing suffered, as this blog shows. He didn’t inspire any kind of narrative in me. And I found I couldn’t share any of my creative work with him. He would listen politely, because he is very polite, though couldn’t reciprocate in any way.

Last night for a bit, I felt frustrated that it took me a few months to realize this fact, though I have to admit that the only way to know if the fruit is the right fruit for us, we must, as Thomas Fuller says, make the climb and check it out. No harm done at all; we can always climb back down and walk on to another tree that appears to hold more promise.

The above photo can be found at: http://www.avonk.com/images/Lemon%20tree.bmp

career, creativity, culture, innovation, invention, job

Soil and seeds

Christa Avampato

I met with a group today who is interested in doing some consulting work with my company. We can’t afford them, though I enjoyed the way they spoke about their projects. They think of them as soil or seed. 

Soil projects are those embedded in culture, building competencies and new skill sets. Seed projects are those that explore new opportunities or new systems. Though the metaphor is simple, it has a tremendous amount of power. A ground of fertile soil won’t grow anything if seed isn’t sewn, and the seed won’t flourish if it’s planted in concrete.
Companies are the same as soil and seed. No matter how many fantastic ideas we have, if we don’t have a culture of innovation and comfortability with change. And if we have a strong culture without the creativity to create new ideas and concepts, the culture won’t do us any good. 
There’s just one snag in the soil seed metaphor. I am left wondering if one can generate the other. Can a creative culture inspire creative project ideas or can a collection of ideas inspire us to build a culture that brings those ideas to life?     
career, creativity, job, school, teaching

Marshmallows and spaghetti

Christa Avampato

I began teaching today – my first class in what I hope will be a long series of workshops geared toward igniting creativity and infusing work with fun. We started with Peter Skillman’s game to build the tallest free-standing structure with spaghetti, string, and tape that supports the weight of a marshmallow. And with this seemingly simple activity, the laughter began, and the eyes lit up.

One of the participants said at the start of the activity, “I’m at a complete loss of what to do.” It was the greatest way to start our discussion. Innovation, along with creativity and design, begins with this simple statement. We are confronted with a problem, and the only thing we have to help us move forward is our own imagination. This is where the fun begins.
The best thing I fond about beginning with a game, and laughter, is that it opens people up. We flew through the two subsequent powerpoint presentations and got to the good stuff – the questions and exchange of ideas on how to further fold new thinking into an old company. The group taught me as much, if no more than, I had taught them. It’s the best thing about being a teacher – with the right questions it puts you in the position of being a student as well.
apple, creativity, design, Mac, retail, technology

Meet Mac

Christa Avampato

My new love – my Mac. After months of trying to justify the cost of a new laptop, even though my current laptop works just fine (most of the time), I took the plunge. I’d done my research, I’d attended some workshops, and finally made an evening appointment with the Mac concierge service. They were waiting for me when I arrived and I was out of there in 15 minutes with my new Mac in hand, plus a free printer / scanner / fax/ personal assistant to make me breakfast in bed. 

Their reputation for excellent service is well-deserved. Paul, my Apple guy, was friendly, funny, and best of all, honest. I happily wrote him a note and one for his boss on his behalf as soon as I arrived home. It was the best retail experience I’ve ever had – and I am a very tough sell when it comes to service. In just minutes I was up and running. 
It is amazing what I can now do with photos, my music, personal websites. Even powerpoint presentations are a joy to build. This is the ultimate toy. And it’s so intuitive that I find myself having to unlearn all of the work-arounds I’ve had to learn over the years to operate a PC. I almost have to be re-trained to think naturally about how a machine operates.  
My Mac is also affording me the opportunity to learn design skills and expand my creativity to movie making and original music. I could go on and on, but I really need to get back to Mac. He’s got a lot to teach me. 
corporation, creativity, research

6 myths harmful to the creative movement

Christa Avampato

“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” –Erich Fromm

Though this article is a few years old, the principles of the study it describes still hold weight, and sadly the myths are all too prevalent – particularly at companies where old thinking reigns. Teresa Amabile, the author of a new study on creativity in the workplace, heads the Entrepreneurial Management Unit at Harvard Business School and is one of the country’s foremost explorers of business innovation.

In summary, she busts the following myths when discussing corporate creativity:
1. Creativity Comes From Creative Types
2. Money Is a Creativity Motivator
3. Time Pressure Fuels Creativity
4. Fear Forces Breakthroughs
5. Competition Beats Collaboration
6. A Streamlined Organization Is a Creative Organization

Read the full article from Fast Company at http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/89/creativity.html

charity, community service, creativity, volunteer

HelpOthers.org

Christa Avampato

People need a mission – something to keep them going when the going gets tough. For some it’s work, for others it’s family and friends. Could be a hobby or volunteer work. The folks at HelpOthers.org take pride in making a stranger’s day a little bit easier and then asking those strangers to pay the favor forward to others.

A few months ago I signed up for their weekly email, Smile Newsletter, that records the antics of good samaritans across the globe. A story from this week’s newsletter, below, made me laugh and reminded me that even when it comes to doing good deeds, it’s helpful to be flexible. Enjoy!

“I went into a laundrymat today to leave money for someone to find to do their wash, so I had my coins and tape and was looking around for a spot to leave them when this distraught lady said, ‘Oh you have tape! I really need some my top is cracked and won’t stay on and I didn’t know what I was going to do!’ I’m not sure what was exactly wrong but I was happy to give her some tape and a smile. When I was walking away I heard her say, ‘Thank you, God!’ I went in for one reason but clearly there was another purpose in my being there, even if it was so simple as sharing a piece of tape. It definitely put a smile in my heart!” –RaeofSunshine

career, corporation, creativity, work

What is good for the company?

Christa Avampato

I work a company that sells fun products and has a decidedly “unfun” corporate atmosphere. I am willing to toe-to-toe with anyone, and I mean anyone, who says otherwise. There is a completely lack of smiley-ness around the place. There’s so much grey and taupe that you begin to wonder whether or not color ever existed at all. When I come into work in the morning, I see employees marching toward the grey, 1970’s-architecture building with the same cadence of those in the movie Antz. It’s sad. Really sad….

I pride myself on having a colorful character – I’m also blunt and opinionated. Luckily, I work for someone who’s also blunt and opinionated and we’re starting to know enough to be dangerous. Dangerous as in we may be leading the Antz to some kind of colorful revolution. I am seeing signs of creativity and life pop up in unexpected places, and in fairly rebellious ways.

Our restrooms, like our offices, are grey and taupe. Today, I have found that several people must have gotten sick of no amenities in the restrooms and placed peach hand lotion in each one. On my way back to my office from the restroom, I passed by a cube that was in full view on the main drag with a very large banner that said in bold letters “What is good for the company?” The wheels of creativity and action are slowly, slowly beginning to turn. And then as I turned the corner of my desk, I saw people dancing, actually dancing, in their cubes. Finally, an outward expression of joy.

Organizations, particularly those with decades of history, have a tremendous amount of inertia. When at rest, they are difficult to shake into action. Luckily, once they are stirred up and in motion, they are tough to slow down. My hope is that by the time I leave the company, those wheels will be cranking full speed ahead. And hopefully, I will have been a part of a creative revolution. It will indeed be good for the company.

art, creativity

The peer pressure to be an expert

Christa Avampato

I’m amazed at the ability of retailers to make us believe we can become experts in any field if we just have the right books, the right tools, and maybe an in-store class or podcast to show us how. A quick search on Amazon.com for the word expert turned up everything from cooking to gardening to work working to how to become an expert at being an expert. Become A Recognized Authority In Your Field – In 60 Days Or Less for $60. How to Position Yourself As the Obvious Expert for $25.

So whatever happened to natural ability or affinity for a certain field? What about creativity? What kind of message are we sending to people if we tell them that they can be experts in anything? And if I try something, and for some reason can’t be an expert, does that mean I’m a complete failure? Retailer and products they sell may have us think so.

I ran across a cartoon today on http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/cartoonists. That made me feel a bit better about this unfortunate message, and it gave me a good laugh too. With some clever drawings and short punch lines, they sided with me. Their very clear message: it’s okay to be an expert, just make sure the field you choose matches up to your abilities and affinities. No software package is going to replace human ingenuity.

http://thenewyorker.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/01/13/im_a_freakin_cartoonist_465.jpg

career, creativity, IDEO, job, work

A Room of My Own (sort of)

Christa Avampato

Two people at work have recently been promoted to a level that requires them to be seated closer to our company president. Both of these people have assistants that will be coming along with them so it was time for me to relinquish my front row seat watching how a company seeks to re-invent itself. Or so I thought.

Bob, my boss, is a mast-negotiator. He would never admit that; he is far too humble to ever toot his own horn. No matter – I’m happy to sing his praises as loudly and as often as I can. He deserves it. He hates the idea of ever being separated from his team at work and so he politely offered to have all three of us move to another area of the building. Nope, his boss wasn’t having that. Bob’s not going anywhere. So this week I moved across the hall with the third member of our team into a lovely office.

I hadn’t ever considered the possibility of getting an office at my company. I knew they were reserved for people at a much higher level than me. No one else thought it would be possible either. Bob took the two of us downstairs to the cafe this past week to have a coffee and celebrate our new digs. “Place profoundly effects progress,” he said. And he’s right – already I feel myself moving more swiftly in almost every area of my life and I think the space is the catalyst.

In addition to moving into a new space, Bob also encouraged us to make new name tags to hang outside our office. It had never occurred to me to replace the boring grey placard that stated my name, rank, and coded space. “Operations Support” was my job description according to the tag, despite the fact that I have nothing to do with operations. I’m not sure where they come up with this stuff. I couldn’t think of a less inspiring, or more inaccurate, job description if I tried.

A few weeks ago Bob sent me a job post from IDEO, a company we both greatly admire. I thought for sure this was the beginning of the end for me – I was being outplaced before I even hit the 6 month mark. In actuality, Bob was just trying to give me some structure and creative language to describe what it is we actually do in our very ambiguous jobs: we are nothing short of Human Factors Specialists. I proudly wrote that on my new office tag, and included a picture and poem by Brian Andreas, one of my favorite artists.

So what is a Human Factors Specialist you ask? It’s a fairly simple concept: we develop and foster opportunities to create joy through design. On IDEO’s website, they describe their human factors specialists as those who “apply their knowledge from psychology, anthropology, biomechanics, and related fields to enhance people’s experience through design. As interdisciplinary design team members, they employ a range of observational and empathic techniques to understand the issues people face. They use this knowledge to frame design opportunities and to create scenarios and “experiential prototypes” to explore, test, and refine opportunities in context.”

I don’t know that our HR folks will go for this fancy language, and that’s okay. While they may sequester me to a formal job description like “Operations Support”, I’m working hard to make make sure my imagination doesn’t fail me.

The above photo can be found at http://www.davlinswoods.com/Pictures/SPP0105.jpg