Why talk about creativity? How it all started.

I’m going to be posting about creativity, decision making and business growth, three interconnected topics that shape how businesses can succeed. Let me start by sharing a bit of background.

As a scientist and ex-management consultant, I felt that I had fairly good analytical skills. But when it came to combining ideas to create something original, I often felt stuck. I started to think about creativity and how it can be developed.

Several years ago, I met Peter, our neighbour two doors down. Peter’s wife was in a care home with dementia and we’d sometimes meet up for a chat as he was quite lonely. Before retiring, he had been an art professor at a local university, so he was the perfect person to talk to about creativity.

We discussed how analytics and synthesis were really two sides of the same coin. That to create art, you need to be deeply analytical. His insight changed how I saw creativity and problem-solving. Sadly, Peter died of a stroke a few years ago.

Around the same time, I began working closely with an art director and creative director in our marketing agency and asked them how they had learned creative skills. I also started reading and exploring the creative processes that our clients use in their marketing.

Looking back, my interest in creativity started more than a decade ago. It’s taken this long to formulate my thoughts into a series of posts.

I don’t think this would’ve happened if it hadn’t been for the opportunity to talk to Peter and see how he worked.

Whether he was photographing flowers in his garden or painting, he always started with a deep curiosity and careful observation to understand his subject fully before choosing the best way to create something meaningful.

In business, creativity is most useful when it's applied to problem solving, decision making and growth. Those are the three areas I’ll focus on in my posts.