Summary: Todd Henry joins me at the whiteboard for Session #14. Todd is the founder of The Accidental Creative and the author of his namesake book, "The Accidental Creative - How to Be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice" (affiliate link). Todd works with entrepreneurs and companies to help bring creativity to life in an on-demand world. Todd and I discuss the following items on this episode Your sign-off statement on your podcasts is, “Cover bands don’t change the world.” What exactly do you mean by that statement? How did you create that statement? You have studied the elements of creativity for a number of years. When you see people who can “create on demand” as you put it, what are the key similarities you see? Conversely, when you see unfocused and frustrated creative professionals, what brings many of them down? You spend a great deal of time discussing “organizational dissonance” in the book. Why do you feel organizations fall into this situation that can drain creatives so much? Let’s talk about the five elements of your creative framework. Before going into each of them, what should people understand about these elements at the highest level? Focus - How many creatives tell you that focus would kill their creativity? What is your response to this myth (and it is a myth!). Talk about the “Big Three” - Why is three such an important number? How can we get out of the multi-tasking or time-switching quicksand so many of us seem to think is a way of life? Relationships How do we become more intentional about our relationships as they relate to creativity? You refer to the “adjacent possible” in your book and reference Steven Johnson’s book “Where Good Ideas Come From”. Energy - You talk about “creative rhythm” in many of your podcasts and in the book. Why do we focus better when we “sprint” and then “rest” instead of treating our work as a “marathon”? Stimuli - How has our reliance on connectivity strained our ability to observe the world around us? Hours - I constantly face the demands of working vs. resting as I build my own business. If you want to hear more from Todd, sign up for the Making Business Happen newsletter for bonus podcast material. You will also be up to the minute on new developments with Whiteboard Business Partners. If you have a comment for the show, please send that to feedback@whiteboardbusiness.com or leave a voice mail at 563-265-1184. If you like what you are hearing, please leave a favorable review on iTunes.
