In previous posts I have explained How to write a decent book and How to Publish a decent book. Now I want to share the ‘prequel’ to those two events.

Creativity is a process of learning new things, and thinking about them, leaving them for a while and revisiting them later.

I’ve found an old doc with my very first blog posts, from 2007. I’ve realised that I have wanted to write about creativity for more than 15 years… I wrote other things in the following years, from leadership lessons from sports, to a blog on Autism and Technology I run for 4 years, and different thoughts on fostering creativity in a team (my team). But I needed a long incubation period before I delivered my book Join The Playful Revolution.

Here you can read some of those earlier posts, originally in Spanish. There is some ancient tech in there (and an update too).

It is never too late to create

Creativity is an attitude, rather than an aptitude. We are born with the ability to create and imagine, and if not it is enough to watch children play and draw, but it can hibernate when it is attacked by the virus of correctness, the great enemy of error, a fundamental element in the creative process.

Apparently, age, sex, or socio-cultural level are not obstacles to being creative. If there is a decisive factor in knowing who is creative and who is not, it is the degree of fear of failure. It is necessary to make mistakes many times before finding a valid result, and each mistake is part of the elimination process, that little voice that says ‘not that way’, and that makes us keep looking.

While it is true that age can diminish perception and memory skills, with age there is also usually more experience and cultural background that more than compensates for it. The good news is that creativity is trainable, there are specific techniques (e.g. brainstorming), numerous books and online resources, and it is also something we can practice daily in our usual activities: from trying a new route to work, varying a recipe or finding a way to hang a picture when we do not have a hammer… 

Attitude, ladies and gentlemen. Age, talent or lack of, are not excuses: If you want to you can, and now is the best time to start.

What I need to be creative

1.- An active and curious brain – it is the only essential thing. When we have to look for an alternative ingredient because our guests are coming for dinner in half an hour, and we have forgotten to buy the meat (on a Sunday, when the stores are not open, and our neighbors are on vacation…) Well, an idea is the only thing we need, but right now!

2.- Paper and pencil – the cheapest, most versatile and accessible technology, to remember that happy idea or to think on paper…

3.- A brick – out of the 20 possible uses of a brick… this one was a joke (they say that a sense of humor is for creative people)

4.- A computer – from writers to architects, musicians, visual artists, engineers, scientists… I think it goes without saying…

5.- The internet – as a source of information and as a tool for collaboration.

PDA for creatives (back in 2007)

A PDA, or Personal Digital Assistant, of today is a device with superior features to the first Digital Agendas from which they have derived, and even to those of the first personal computers. It is a handheld device managed by an operating system adapted to its characteristics, such as Palm SO, created by the first PDA manufacturer, Palm, or Windows CE, included in the so-called ‘Pocket PC’. Recently there is a version of Linux for PDAs.

Almost all data input and output is produced through its touch screen, which has been increasing in size and resolution since its inception. The development of handwriting recognition applications, such as those also seen in tablet PCs, has been quite crucial in this respect. At their heart are processors that allow them to work with complex data and multimedia material, and it is increasingly easy for them to communicate with each other and other devices.

An example of a typical mid-range PDA would have a 512 Mhz processor, card slots, Bluetooth, Wifi and the ability to connect other external devices such as a USB stick, keyboard, camera or GPS. A wide variety of applications can be installed which, in addition to the typical organizer and agenda functions, allow you to create and view data in the form of text (.doc, .pdf, etc.), spreadsheets, databases, images, videos, and music. With other applications you can create multimedia content, browse the Internet, view mail, draw, play games and a host of other activities. The premise is, if you can do it on a PC, you have to be able to do it on a PDA.

Some of the things that can be done with a PDA in the field of creativity, in addition to the more typical functions, could be the following:

 ∙ writing notes or ideas, by hand.

∙ making sketches and mind maps

∙ drawing and painting

∙ writing full texts

∙ take pictures

∙ retouching photos

∙ record audio

∙ play audio

∙ compose music

∙ record video

∙ play video

2022 (may) update:

Where you read PDA think ‘tablet’, and we probably can do all that and more. I own a 2018 iPad, with an Apple Pencil, and it is my favorite tool ever.

My top apps are the following:

∙ writing notes or ideas, by hand. – Paper

∙ making sketches and mind maps – Paper

∙ drawing and painting – Paper, Canva

∙ writing full texts – Google Documents

∙ retouching photos – Snapseed

∙ record audio – built in, GarageBand

∙ compose music – Garage Band

I hope you enjoyed a visit to the history of a book.

Remember to play!

The post How to write a book – incubation phase appeared first on Creative Sensei.

Here you can read my retrospective of the process at different time points.

(December 6th update)

Surviving a crowdfunding

The team at Creator Institute had a full pre-sale process with templates you had to populate in order to make the pre-sale process simpler. They did it over a crowdfunding platform called Indiegogo.

It was a whole month of anxiety, promotion and calls. It was also a month of catching up with people, meeting new people and learning to articulate the essence of my project. And I was really humbled by the response I got. In addition, I came out with a stronger intent of seeing the book message grow.

Now, I ended up exhausted and needed to take a break from the process. 

My learnings on this phase where several:

• I was out of my comfort zone since day one. That feeling didn’t go away, but I developed the habit of doing what I had to do anyway because my purpose was more important than my mild introversion. For the introverts out there: your book probably will aim to educate or entertain to some level, or anything else. You owe it to the readers who can benefit from reading it to make the best effort to reach them, otherwise, you will be doing your book and your audience a disservice. Swallow your introversion and follow the steps without looking back, the crowdfunding is just one step of the path you have chosen.
• The Book Creators program is US based. When they suggest arranging 20’ calls for quick interviews, it is ok for US based interviews. When they suggest ‘catching up’ calls of 20’… well, that timeframe doesn’t work in Spain or other mediterranean, latin or more relational cultures. You just don’t come out of the blue and keep it short. So, for those introverts, or from more relational cultures, I suggest it may be better to start catching up with people as soon as you start the book project. You may mention in passing what you are up to, opening the door to more detailed explanation closer to the time. Then you will be able to keep it shorter than 60-90’. Otherwise, you will need to allocate a lot of time to crowdfunding month. Some other people did a longer campaign, but I was so tired I just wanted it to end.
• I chose the program because it was in English, but my backers happened to be mostly Spanish speaking. Many of my international co-authors struggled with something similar. I managed by translating my campaign page, and providing digital only perks, to avoid the international shipping. Also, I moved the translation of the book to the top of my priority developments (I already have a first draft).

To sum it up, give yourself enough time to reconnect with people way beyond it is required.

Ruthless editing

When I finished my first draft, I was happy I had put it all out. Over 50K words of content that had to be polished.

Four months after submitting the first draft, I started the revisions. As soon as I started reading the acquiring editor’s comment the pride wore off. Another humbling moment. This was going to be a piece of work.

I went into procrastinator mode because I didn’t want to face it. Eventually I got started. Adding details, explanations that have been left unfinished and transitions between ideas. And starting to break sentences down too: five line sentences are a little too much. I ended up with near 60K words, and I had not yet created the most practical part, with detailed techniques and session blueprints, nor bibliography.

They told us to be ruthless in the editing, and I followed through. I have managed to silence the editor mode while creating but this was the editing stage. I thought I would be using the scissors… but ended up using a chainsaw cutting down 35% of the content. 

I have a special place in my heart for all the editors and beta readers who had to read through my earlier versions… They are the heroes of the final product. Although the book could be better, I think it is readable, and that is thanks to all the editors and beta readers’ contribution. And we are talking about more than ten people…

My learnings on this stage:

• I wrote my first draft trying to put everything I had to share about the topic. The editing process was a practice of putting the reader at the center. I wanted a better and useful experience, thus, I removed non essential principles, theories, techniques and stories. I hope it is less comprehensible but more actionable.
• It takes a village to create a book, and having a coach with you is amazingly helpful
• Writing a book is a challenge, and a big commitment, but having a team behind you who have worked out the process, frees you to focus on your book and topic. You save endless hours of finding out what to do and how to do it. Plus, as a deadline writer, I benefit from having a clear calendar of the process. 

Pre-publishing stage

This part is a little more fun. You send parts of the book out to gather early praise. You share three cover concepts with your backers to gather some feedback, do copy editing revisions, proofreading, layout design, choose final title and cover, choose amazon categories… And you start to see the final product. You start feeling this become real. It is an exciting time.

In this stage you are going to be transitioning from writer of a book project to a published author status. You toy with the “what next” theme. But what is clear is that you are just starting the journey to reach your audience.

Being published is a huge milestone in itself. But if you aim to impact readers, you need readers, and that means marketing. And as a self published author, the responsibility is all yours.

In the Book Creators program, they cover this from day one, starting to document your journey in social media from the get go. But from now on, it is a critical task, regardless of what you think of it.

Published!!

(April ’22 update)

Compared to the long-term effort of writing and revising the book, publishing (as for ‘uploading’ to stores) was  easy.  The publisher New Degree Press has set it all up so you just have to follow the steps.

Brian Bies shared a video with all the steps to publish on Amazon, Kobo and Ingram, so our books will be distributed all over the world. The video takes about an hour to watch but if you want to stop and do the steps, it may take between 2 and 3 hours, to take it slow and steady.

To be able to publish across platforms in just one sitting, we needed some preparation in advance. We prepared author profiles, researched categories and filled a table with title,  pricing, and other details. By the afternoon you decide to publish you can do it all in one go by copying and pasting. They simplified the process for maximum reach and effect.

The only tricky part is the categorization in Amazon, but they have you covered on that too. If during the writing process we had a developmental editor, for the revision and publication we are paired with a MRE that holds your hand until the very end.

What next? Life as a published author

Fact: most self published authors sell between 250-300 books over time. 

With this reality check, we have to accept the fact that unless you do something differently, we are not going to get rich by selling books. I will talk about non-fiction here.

Marketing-wise, former book Creator authors have made more money from workshops, speaking and coaching opportunities they received because of the book, from people and organizations who wanted to put the content into practice or learn more about it.

Your goals may be different, but the direction you take should be informed by your intentions for the book and the type of impact you aim to achieve.

In my case, I’m not so fuzzy about the specifics, but I need some monetization that will probably be reinvested into translation to Spanish, audiobook and marketing to reach more people. So if you know any possible sponsors, let me know!

New Degree Press runs a few marketing workshops after publication, so you get some help along the way. They just created a Discord channel for authors of all cohorts to meet and support each other.

With all this in mind, I will be defining my next steps. I will keep you posted.

Book writing and publishing conclusions

As my final conclusions I am impressed buy the whole setup of the program that takes you by the hand it brings a lot of professionals to help you out. You learn from speakers, you meet other authors, you help other authors and you are helped by all the others. You have a community of like-minded people creating networking opportunities.

If I had the opportunity to write some other book with the Creator Institute program again I would do it (even though price has gone up, it is still a good and affordable deal). I would recommend it to anyone who has a book in them but doesn’t want to be dealing with the whole editing-publishing process on their own and who wants accountability and community. There are not many programs like these from zero, even without the idea for a book to publish the book, even to selling books.

Stick to shorter number of words if you want to be meeting deadlines more easily and simplify the editing process (25.000 words draft better than 50k).

Start building an audience as soon as you start the program. If you are an introvert or from a very relational culture you may need extra time (two or three times) or longer  periods (in months or weeks) depending on the time you can devote to crowdfunding. Also, if you are a foreigner and your people don’t speak English or your topic is not of general interest. 

But, this is a marathon, so don´t stress yourself over this. Some deadlines can be stretched, some life events may and have to take over… Just set your goals aligned with your lifestyle and modify them if big things happen – I would suggest you can change gear, but keep the engine going, so eventually, you reach your destination. But this is a very personal choice. (I needed a break, or I would have broken down).

Just trust the process, show up and do the work. All I can say is that I’m a happy published author now.

The post How to publish a decent book appeared first on Creative Sensei.

Why you should create your own visual material to think, create and communicate

Visual communication is growing at every minute. And there is a good reason for it: we understand images 60.000 times faster than language. That means, if you are a content creator, a team leader or a business person, that you will have a few things to share and the sooner, the better.

But what if you are not visual, can´t draw, or you are not artistic? Fear not. It is about ideas not art. We are going for symbolic representation here, and you will see, that means very simple shapes. You will be able to benefit from even the most basic skills that require only that you are able to write single letters. 

You can see the process of drawing the above diagram and listening to the explanation here:

Here you can find a visual thinking primer that shows you how to start without drawing:

When you use visuals to present your ideas, people will be able to follow along, understand you better and faster, and when there is a need for a consensus, it will be reached faster. Images are powerful.

But you will understand it better with examples of what you can do:

• Before you have a message to share – learn (visual summaries)
• To come up with a message to share – ideate (brain dump -mind maps)
• Simplify your message – visual vocabulary
• Tell your story – visual elevator pitch
• Share your message – social media material
• Engage your people – live meeting facilitation

How to use visual summaries or sketchnotes for learning

Before you have a message to share, or when you are thinking about a theme, you may want to do some background research. While you do, you could start honing your beginner drawing skills by taking notes with a bit of visual spice. At the beginning, you can just use frames to surround chunks of text, and slowly, add a little image here and there, until you develop your very own sketchnote.

Sketchnoting is a term popularised by Mike Rodhe in his book The Sketchnoting Handbook, and it requires more skills than just drawing: listening, synthesising what you hear, then thinking of an image to represent it, then drawing the image. Some people with experience are able to process a message and interpret it visually in real time. That is not the purpose here, where you may be researching to create content for a presentation or social media.

Here is an example of what I drew during an interview to Tyler Hayes, a serial entrepreneur and CEO of Atom Limbs. He was being interviewed by Eric Koester during the Speaker Nights at Creator Institute. I didn´t know anything about him, nor most of the guests, but I kept showing up to learn about new people and topics, while writing my book Join The Playful Revolution. It was a way to feed my knowledge base and stimulate my creativity with a degree of novelty and randomness.

How to organise your thinking with Mind maps

Once you have done some research or filled your brain bucket with ideas, it is time to start harvesting. I love mind maps to perform a ‘brain dump’ of everything I can recall about a topic. I was introduced to them by my English teacher, while helping me prepare to write an essay. What I like about them is that they are an easy introduction to visual organisation of ideas without drawing.

A mind map is a tree-like network of concepts. You start with a main idea in the center of the page. Next you write the main subtopics around it, and connect them to the main idea. For each subtopic, you add a level of detail, and you can keep going with more granularity if you need to. Here is a simple image to show you an example:

When I was thinking about writing a book about creativity, I approached it by systematically responding to the journalists 6 W related to the book: who, what, why, how, when, where. Each of these concepts led me to different topics I could write about, as you can see below:

You can use this framework for any content creation. I have used 6W to help a project manager clarify and simplify the elements of a complex project. If you have to talk about a new technology, an initial framework could be: background, competitors, benefits, costs, and so on. As you see in the picture, you can add some color to it too.

How to simplify your message with visual vocabulary

At this point you have a series of topics to talk about, and it is time to simplify your message by synthetising it with the use of images. You need to develop your own visual vocabulary, maybe 5-10 images to represent the most important or frequent concepts you use at work. But don´t get stressed: If you can write, you already have enough skills for the kind of drawing I will share with you.

If you can draw a circle, and an inverted U underneath… you just drew a person.

That was easy. 

Next: a horizontal rectangle and two circles underneath, at each side. It is a car. I know it doesn´t look like one, but you can write CAR underneath too. Or BUS or TRAIN… whatever you want it to mean. Remember, we are drawing to share ideas, not creating art. 

We are looking not just at an image that represents our concept (i.e a bulb to represent ideas), but to do so with the minimum effort sufficient to represent the concept. Thus my simple rectangular car.

But you may think “yes, that is all very nice, but I’m in business and continuity is a thing: how do I represent Resilience?” I’m glad you asked. Normally, since I’m very visual and have been practicing sketchnoting for five years plus, I have a visual library in my head I can draw from. Diversity? I get my ‘person’ with different head shapes (see picture above). Brainstorm?  A cloud with a thunder. But when Carlos Carpizo from Kosmos Arts & Tech requested Resiliency in our visual thinking coaching session… I didn´t know what to draw, just like you may feel when you start and have no library yet.

Solution: go to google, write the term + ‘icon’, and search for images only. In our case, that would be ‘resilience icon’. Alternatively, you can go to https://thenounproject.com/ and write your concept as is (i.e “resilience”). You would be scanning to find an image that is both representative and easy to draw. Then you should practice drawing each of your visual concepts 20, 30 or 50 times, until you feel confident enough.

How to create a visual elevator pitch

Great, you developed your visual library, and now what? Use it… to take notes, to make a point, or even to present your company’s (project, idea) elevator pitch. I assume you are familiar with the elevator pitch concept, where you present the benefits of a product or service and the people who benefit from it in a compelling yet brief manner… enough to fit in the time you reach your floor in an elevator. First you need to refine the message, then you represent it visually.

There is some skill in structuring an elevator pitch. Following Graham Cochrane simple framework for a service, I suggest you some:

• I am (WHO) “a visual thinking coach”
• And I help (WHOM) “tech & bizz people and entrepreneurs”
• WHAT “communicate their ideas effectively by using visual skills”

Another example is my summary of my vision to develop Design Thinking. I distilled the necessary skills you need to practice regularly, then added the principles I embed in every practice session. It was a process that took some time, and lead to the creation of my Creative Coffee sessions I share in my book Join The Playful Revolution. The skills were empathy, collaboration, storytelling, visual language and creativity. The principles: play and humor.

Case study: a Visual Thinking coaching session with a tech company 

Kosmos Arts & Tech is a social company that builds on art and technology to bring job opportunities to youth at risk of exclusion in Mexico and USA. They hired me to help them with communicating the companies values to their clients: young people between 17-23 years of age undertaking their training program.

Before our practical session, we exchanged emails where I asked them:

• Their elevator pitch: Who they are, what they do, why they do it (so I got a bit of context)
• A list of frequently used terms so I could prepare in advance.

Later in the session, I first gave them a primer in visual thinking, to learn basic skills, and then we moved onto practicing with their company’s specific vocabulary:

This was their list:

• Home
• Community / Anti-selfie (thinking of self only as evidenced by the % of selfie photos)
• Belonging 
• Mindset
• Emotion
• Perspective shift / New perspective
• Curiosity
• Critical Thinking
• Creative Thinking
• Resiliency

Finally, we moved onto finding a cohesive way to present their project.

Kosmos Arts & Tech elevator pitch is:

• What they are: Kosmos is a positive space where technically savvy disadvantaged young adults can learn new skills, at the intersection of tech and art, yielding life ready professionals.
• How they do this: Technical Skills training are hosted under artists’ workshops or art centers where we transversally braid intentional art interactions into the core program of skill capacity development. We want our students to have the opportunity to learn how to learn. By teaching a base skill  we provide the technical basics, however our model of intentional interactions develops enabling sub-skills that will position them to have the skills and base knowledge they need to learn how to learn.

• Why they do this: Opportunity should be for all. We believe art is a key component that is very underestimated in the tech industry. Through art interactions we push our students to think outside the box, to explore different possibilities and horizons and to just experience and let their imagination flow. This way we develop competencies such as curiosity, critical & creative thinking, collaboration, communication and compassion. 

To develop their final image, I focused on their Why, where art (represented by the palette) is the foundation over which they develop (and mix) their set of competencies (colors and attributes).

How to create Social media material with your simple drawings the easy way

Finally, another use for your brand new visual vocabulary and drawing skills is to create images to share your project, message or brand in social media. 

To streamline my process I use my iPad (2018)   with an Apple Pencil (generation 1) and the apps Paper (free) and Canva (also free). That is the oldest iPad that will allow me to use the Apple pencil. However, you only need any tablet or mobile phone that will allow you to draw with your finger or a basic stylus. 

I may hand draw my concept in Paper, save as a picture and share it in Social Media as is, like in my sketch about the book editing process (I didn’t show up with scissors to ‘cut’ but with a chainsaw… so much I cut)

Or I may elaborate it more, with details, and color, but still in Paper, like in my word count graph about the same book editing process (now you understand my feeling).

Eventually, I may upload the image to Canva.com to add some more elements to create a more elaborate image, or series, like The Story of a Book example below.

How to engage your team with visual facilitation of meetings and retrospectives

There is one more use for drawing that can make your team and meeting participants happier: visual facilitation. I’m just going to prompt you to run meetings using visual templates aligned with the agenda, whether it is a strategy session, a retrospective or anything else.

If you are running a project planning session, the following template may help you guide the discussion:

1. Goals for the project
2. Potential risks
3. What may give the project or team impulse
4. What may delay the project or team

You can facilitate in many ways but I have used the following methods:

• You asks participants about each point (in order), while you write down the responses on the wall (did I say you need to reproduce the picture in a big panel?)
• Alternatively, you give participants time to write down their contributions on sticky notes, then ask them to clean up duplicates, and come to a consensus

For retros, you could use the boat template, or the star template where the focus is on:

• Things to do more of
• Things to do less of
• Things to keep doing
• Things to stop doing
• Things to start doing

In the case of remote teams, you can use collaborative whiteboards like Miro or Mural with the same frameworks (they both allow for drawing and use of digital sticky notes, as well as uploading images, or using their own templates).

Where to learn more

I hope you are encouraged to start your visual thinking journey, one way or another. Here you have more resources to keep learning.

Verbaltovisual.com

The Sketchnoting Handbook –  Mike Rhode 

The back of the napkin – Dan Roam 

Mind Map Mastery – Tony Buzan 

 At Risk of Greatness – Carlos Carpizo 

For a wider range of creative and playful activities to empower your team, see my book Join The Playful Revolution, if you follow the instructions on the book page, you will access to several resources!

(Some of the above contain affiliate links, which means you pay the same but I get a small amount that helps support this project.)

The post Easy Visual Thinking skills for techies, business and entrepreneurs appeared first on Creative Sensei.

Before you dive in, make sure to scroll down later to grab your copy of the Instagram guide Terri has created for the readers of this blog. I hope you enjoy it!

The Author

Terri Nakamura is a successful entrepreneur, content creator, and award-winning graphic designer. She’s an early adopter of social media and has been a technology influencer, a social media influencer for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and was named one of the 100 most influential tech women on Twitter by Business Insider. Terri recognized the potential of using Instagram as a blogging platform, leading her to write her first book on the subject, Blogging On Instagram: Engagement Writing On One of the World’s Best Social Media Platforms.

Terri lives in Seattle in a 130-year-old Victorian house with her cats Hunter and Grey, and her husband Kahuna Dave. In addition to writing, designing and keeping up with social media, she is co-founder and President of Alki Surf Shop, Seattle.

The Book

“If you are a writer, blogger or social media marketer, you will find blogging on Instagram the most gratifying channel for expression and interaction.”

Most of us see Instagram strictly as a tool for sharing photo or video content but, after blogging for many years, author Terri Nakamura noticed that her blog-style posts on Instagram would consistently deliver increased feedback and engagement. Realizing an opportunity, Terri moved to curate more long-format content for Instagram, finding success and genuine connections along the way.

Blogging on Instagram: Engagement Writing on One of the World’s Best Social Media Platforms is your personal guide to effective engagement writing on Instagram. Meticulously detailed and descriptive, the book teaches how to craft images and captions to foster real interaction; growing your follower base organically while consistently delivering value to fans. Terri brings in research from social media industry leaders as well as the voices of influencers both large and small who love using Instagram to blog. Explore their stories and more as Terri invites you into the world of blogging on Instagram.

Get the book here

Blogging on Instagram: Engagement Writing on One of the World’s Best Social Media Platforms —  (affiliate link, if you use it, you pay the same price but I get a small fee that helps support this project)

The Gift

Here is the generous gift from Terri Nakamura to all readers of this blog. She has created this Instagram guide exclusively for you, to help you make the most of Instagram as a creator. If you find it useful, please spread the word and follow @terrinakamura in her digital homeland (Instagram).

Begoña Pino — © Terri Nakamura giveaway R1

Contact Terri Nakamura

• Web: https://www.terrinakamura.com/
• Instagram: @terrinakamura
• links: https://linktre.ee/terrinakamura
• email: terri.nakamura@gmail.com
• phone: 206.973.7291(Seattle, US)

The post Creators – Terri Nakamura “Blogging on Instagram” appeared first on Creative Sensei.

I had the opportunity to ask Simon Sinek that very question: How do I start a movement? Well, I used different words, but if you have a message you want to share with the world, this wording may resonate better.

Simon was being interviewed by professor Eric Koester at the Speaker Series within the Book Creators program at the Creator Institute. He was sharing insights about his writing process, how he is a ‘pressure writer’ who sometimes gets into a plane to get into a flow and write for three hours.

How sometimes he finds a problem, tries to solve it and then share it, in the form of a book, like the problem with trust he reflects on Leaders Eat Last. And how, some other times, he can be talking about some ideas, finding answers to several questions in a book, like in the Infinite Game. I was very fond of the not really competitive environment he described as worthy rivalry (where the opponent helps you be better), as it elicit some particular image I had to depict on my notes:

I was writing a book about creativity and play at the workplace. Well, I had handed in the first draft a few months earlier and was on my way to revision. But during the interview I was granted the opportunity to ask him a question. I felt very honored and a little anxious then. I had been following Simon’s work for years, from the Golden Circle in Start With Why, to his lessons from Leaders Eat Last.

What happened when he spoke made me change course on the book. Now I want to share with you the story I share in the introductory chapter of my book Join The Playful Revolution as he disclosed the secret to starting a movement:

What do you believe in?

Simon Sinek is a leadership expert and the best-selling author of Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last. His 2009 TEDx Talk “How Great Leaders Inspire Action,” with over fifty-five million views, introduces the concept of the Golden Circle. This refers to the way great leaders communicate in a very different way from everyone else, be that Apple or Martin Luther King.

The three elements of the Golden Circle are: why, how, and what. At the core of the approach is starting with why: the company’s purpose, cause, belief, and the reason for it to exist.

In a recent conversation with Simon, I asked him how to start a global playful movement.

“I’m trying to bring more playfulness to the workplace to spark more creativity and innovation, while bringing happiness as well. So, how do you start to create a global movement?” I asked.

Simon paused for a moment to assess the question and then responded.

“I’m a great believer to start with the place that you are good at. I was good at speaking my idea before I was writing about my idea.”

He suggested you pick your preferred format and go with it to hone your thinking: blog, video, podcast, consulting, speaking, etc. Then, he provided an example of how he developed the concept of the Golden Circle, described in detail his book Start with Why.

“I treated it like a science experiment. I didn’t claim to be right. I didn’t claim that I had all the answers. When people would say, ‘will it work in this industry?’ My answer was, ‘I don’t know. I’ve never worked in that industry. Let’s try.’”

He continued, “I was very honest about that. I’m looking for the opportunities for the theory to fail, so I can improve the theory. What ended up happening was that the people who believed in my work gave me entry and tinkered with me. They let me tinker on their companies or their organizations.”

As Simon explained, his format of choice was speaking and he was talking about his ideas in order to refine them, but over time he noticed a shift.

He said, “I stopped talking about what I did and started talking about what I believed. Then, I was more and more being introduced to people who believe what I believe.”During the conversation, I was nodding at his every word. I could not be more in tune with him, but what he said next changed the focus of this book entirely.

“Stop telling people what you want to do and start telling people what you believe in. When you’re talking right now, you don’t really care about innovation. It’s a side effect, it’s a benefit that’s relevant to some people.”

Mmm, that came in as a knock, because I had just written a book about innovation, or so I thought. As soon as he started saying it, I smiled as if my mask had dropped. He could read right through me.

And he carried on.

“You’re in sales mode trying to throw spaghetti against the wall, hoping some of it will stick.”

He got me! I think I blushed a little and there was no place to hide.

He kept reasoning, “but talking about the thing that you believe… You believe in play. You believe that play is really important and we’ve forgotten the joy of play. It turns out that if you can embrace play, it brings all kinds of things: more happiness, it reduces stress, and drives innovation.”

Yes! He articulated it in a much nicer way. I had verbalized something different, but he put the focus on where my heart was, not my words.

“If I’m talking about play and then somebody smiles and goes, ‘you’re right.’ They’re more likely to invite you to figure something out with them. You have to practice talking about the thing you believe, and then saying yes to the people who believe what you believe, and saying no to people who don’t,” he added.

This is why I included this story, to share what I believe in the hope it may resonate with you.

Simon gave me one more example:

“In the early days, when I lived paycheck to paycheck, I didn’t have any money. I needed every client, it was really hard time. I remember word was starting to spread about a thing called “The Why,” and I remember somebody got my phone number. They heard about my work through somebody else I’d worked with, and they got to the phone: ‘I heard about you from [whoever]. Convince me why I should hire you?’ And I said, ‘Don’t.’ Because anybody who said ‘Convince me,’ I knew it was the wrong mindset. I needed somebody who said: ‘I heard what you do, I don’t think it’s perfect, but I think you’re onto something. I’d love to talk to you.’ I said yes to that, even if it paid less money. And so I was very diligent about choosing people to believe what I believe because they were the ones more likely to help spread the idea.”

I Believe

I believe in Play.
I believe that Play is really important and we’ve forgotten the joy of Play.
I believe Play is essential to spark the creative genius of every human.
I believe Play is a great collaboration environment.
I believe we need creativity to solve global problems.
I also believe we need Play to remain healthy and happy.
I believe Play can bring joy back to the workplace.

What do you believe in?

Note: some of the links are affiliate links. That means you pay the same but I get a little money to help support this project (thanks!).

The post How to start a movement and change the world like Simon Sinek appeared first on Creative Sensei.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Fabienne Jacquet, Author of Venus Genius: The Female Prescription for Innovation

02:00 What is the role of creativity and play in innovation?

07:00 How much does diversity impacts innovation?

12:00 How do you use visual communication in your daily life?

20:00 Big lesson: be yourself and change the world

30:00 Next: supporting teenagers on their path from trouble makers to change makers

The Author

While she was by no means predestined for the sciences, Fabienne Jacquet, a natural born rebel, graduated as Docteur d’Etat (PhD) in Organic Chemistry from Institut National Polytechnique in Toulouse, France. Fabienne has a successful career as a scientist and innovator who has worked with prestigious companies including Colgate-Palmolive.

She brings her fearlessness and resilience to all that she sets her mind to, including her own company, INNOVEVE®, dedicated to bringing feminine DNA to the progression of innovation. She is always dreaming up fresh, fun and dynamic ideas in the name of celebrating female empowerment and the evolution of innovative thought.

The Book

Venus Genius: The Female Prescription for Innovation explores innovation from different perspectives: historical, scientific, sociological, cultural and practical — all through the feminine lens.

It addresses the shortage of women in innovation and how important it is to address this as a first step to inclusion. This book reveals that any innovator can acquire the necessary skills to create meaningful innovation.

Venus Genius is about celebrating the duality of the feminine and the masculine in all human beings. It dares us to activate both energies to create innovation that brings true value to our world. To date, the world (and innovation) has been mainly driven by masculine energy, and we can no longer ignore gender.

This book will help you discover that you have latent feminine skills. Wherever you stand on the masculine/feminine spectrum, rebalancing towards the opposite makes you a more centered human being in your personal and professional life.

Contact Fabienne Jacquet

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabienne-jacquet/

Website: innoveve.com (Company Website)

Email: contact@innoveve.com

Get the book

(Affiliate link, a small comision will help support this channel)

Venus Genius: https://amzn.to/3GyUZGM

The Gift: 9 tips to write a book

Here you can download a guide with her 9 tips to write a book. She shares with you her learnings from her book journey:

INNOVEVE_Venus_Genius_writing_book_TIPS

The post Creators – Fabienne Jacquet, from troublemaker to change maker appeared first on Creative Sensei.

I met Ilia while writing my own book Join The Playful Revolution, and he had the not easy task to coach me in the early stages of the process. If you are looking for someone to give your book direction, you will be in very capable hands if you work with Ilia.

The Author

Ilia Epifanov is an author and developmental editor, born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and currently living in Los Angeles. He has a degree in creative writing for entertainment and makes a living helping fellow authors achieve their writing dreams. Ilia has written comics and ghostwritten 30+ romance and mystery novels. With his new sci-fi mystery Crescent Earth, Epifanov speaks to sci-fi fans who want to grapple with the themes of love and loss in a new, exciting way. In his spare time, Ilia likes to take his two Pomeranians to the park and read crime fiction and comic books. He gets his inspiration from long walks with his family and traveling abroad.

The Book

Crescent Earth

“Like most flying saucers you’ve heard or read about, like most UFOs documented throughout history… This one is piloted by a human, a traveler through time.” – Dr. Haywood Williams Frankie Mason is dead.

In Ilia Epifanov’s sci-fi mystery Crescent Earth, the first intentional murder committed by a sentient android creates shock waves that threaten to change how androids are perceived. Rene Robertson is sentenced to labor on a moon base for the rest of time. Most of the human race is satisfied that justice has been properly dealt. Everyone except James Mason, Frankie’s only son. And now Tom, James’ companion, is left with a dilemma. The trauma of witnessing the murder first-hand has left a permanent scar on them both.

James has no way to move on from the terrifying memory… Until they are offered exciting positions on the moon base, creating a career opportunity that will put Tom on the fast track. And even though James is rich and doesn’t need a job, he suspiciously agrees to go. As Tom tries to put their lives back to normal, being in the same location as Frankie’s murderer sets in motion a chain of events as inevitable as they are horrible. But James must have his answers, whatever the cost.

Contact

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/ilia-ghostwrites

Instagram: @ilia_writes

Email: ilia.a.epifanov@gmail.com

The post Creators – Ilia Epifanov – adventures of the future appeared first on Creative Sensei.

1′ – Introduction

3′ – Racial wealth gap

5′ – Universal principles for everyone

7’30” – Book journey of a story teller

13′ – Creative types and money

20′ – Book key lessons

22’30” – Tips to make money matter playful

30′ – Final thoughts

The Author

With over 17 years experience in financial services, she is the founder and financial planner of Your Story Financial, LLC, a virtual, fee-only fiduciary boutique firm committed to helping women and #STEM professionals oversee their financial affairs. At Your Story Financial, they believe everyone has a story, especially when it relates to one’s finances. Shehara helps clients create their financial success story, one chapter at a time.

Originally from Columbus, OH and graduated with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The Ohio State University Shehara reinvented herself. Soon after working as an engineer and taking on various roles, she decided to pursue her purpose in promoting financial literacy and financial planning.

In 2004, she changed careers and began working with a global financial institution. Five years later in 2009, she became a financial advisor with a national broker-dealer firm and began assisting professionals, business owners, married and single women with their financial futures. After seven years with that broker-dealer firm, she launched her own firm to continue to promote financial literacy and stay true to her vision to provide financial planning regardless of one’s age or accumulated assets.

In addition to helping clients achieve financial success, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, hosting line dance parties, reading a good non-fiction book, watching historical documentaries, and spending time with her husband.

The book

Did you know that Black wealth will fall to zero by 2053 unless we do something about it?

Shehara Wooten’s In the Meantime: Own Your Financial Narrative highlights people who have succeeded by creating their own definition of financial freedom. Systems exist that have excluded the Black community’s ability to achieve wealth. However, despite the challenges, readers can be inspired by the stories of others who have succeeded “in spite of.”

You’ll learn the power of values and tenacity and gain insights on personal finance while hearing about innovative and inspiring people, such as:

• How O.W. Gurley, the founder of “Black Wall Street,” was ahead of his time
• How to determine your values so you can create a path for financial success
• How various entrepreneurs are creating their own definition of financial freedom
• When you embrace the principles of In the Meantime, you can make a change for yourself, your family, and the generations to come.

You can find the book here

(Affiliate link)

In the Meantime: Own Your Financial Narrative

Contact

contact Shehara Wooten here:

The post Creators – Shehara Wooten, own your money narrative appeared first on Creative Sensei.

We talk about Carlos’s purpose, as well as curiosity, creativity and play. You will meet a very warm business man making organizations more human. If you like what you see, go and buy his book, talk business or hire him to speak and share his message.

The Author

Carlos Carpizo is a former technology executive, now entrepreneur passionate about social innovation. He is a GenXer. Mexican by birth and Texan by choice. Proud parent of two GenZers or iGens. His mission is to increase economic growth and social inclusion for young adults in disadvantaged areas of North America (US & Mexico). Carlos is well known by his friends and family for being a failed artist so they’re grateful he was born in an era where he could put his abilities in the high technology space to good use. His boys, now men, are proud of him for having gotten his OCD and CEO style under control at home. His newfound best pal is his ‘grandpup’ Pookie.

The book

At Risk of Greatness is a book about a movement that is using new approaches to developing 21st century skills and abilities and, with it, a better life for disengaged young adults and communities. In this book, you’ll learn:

• About the importance of art to maintain our humanity in this age of accelerations and its intersection with technology.

• How smartphones are creating a slingshot effect with advanced technology.

• That a success mindset is vital to growth, regardless of your background.

• It’s not mandatory to go to college to achieve success in the 21st century as many alternative paths exist beyond a “traditional education.”

The book At Risk of Greatness will challenge you to think outside of the box when looking at our education systems and consider exciting alternatives to transform your community and the lives of young people.

You can find the book here

(Affiliate links, which means you get the same price but I get a small comision that helps support this project):

At Risk of greatness

Jóvenes en riesgo de Grandeza

Gift

Download a free chapter on curiosity courtesy of Carlos:

Curiosity_Ch7_AtRiskofGreatness_CarlosCarpizo

Contact

Contact Carlos Carpizo here:

Book web: http://atriskofgreatness.org/

Kosmos web: http://kosmosway.com/

Speaker reel: https://www.youtube.com/c/carloscarpizo2021

Phone: +1 682 593 6860

Email: carlos.carpizo@coevolution.online

Twitter: @CarpizoCarlos

Instagram: @carpizocarlos

Facebook: ccarpizo

The post Creators: Carlos Carpizo – elevating humankind through tech and art appeared first on Creative Sensei.

Background

Dr. Falcon is a high performing, versatile, and commercially astute forward thinker offering a career of impressive successes as a Healthcare Administrator,Entrepreneur, and Professor. Currently, Dr. Falcon is an Assistant Professor of Business and Free Enterprise. In2019, Dr. Falcon was awarded the Outstanding Faculty of the year and the Sam Walton Fellow of the Year for excellence in the advancement of the entrepreneurship spirit. In 2020, Dr. Falcon was appointed to the prestigious position of the Dorotha C. Tanner Endowed Chair in Ethics in Business and Economics.

The interview

The book: Lectures and Play. A Practical and Fun Guide to Create Extraordinary Classroom Experiences.

Her book makes a case for higher education professors to incorporate educational games to their traditional lectures in order to enhance the learning environment and yield deeper learning. The book includes a collection of outstanding games, tips, tricks and stories that can be used to teach more than a single subject or principle. 

You can find it here (affiliate link), among other places where books are sold.

How to contact Dr. Silviana Falcon

email: sfalcon@flsouthern.edu

instagram: Lectures_and_Play

linkedin: dr-silviana-falcon-a4597831/

phone: 863.398.3344

Here is a little gift from Dr. Falcon to you -free download:

The post Creators: Dr. Silviana Falcon, making lectures fun appeared first on Creative Sensei.