A self-directed education is a wonderful and productive thing. Sometimes, though, it can be difficult to know where to aim your educational focus. To offer a bit of help with this, I have put together some resources around a particular topic to get you started. In this first “Career Opportunities Course of Suggested Study” I am focusing on creativity and innovation, two very important topics for any careerist.
Career Opportunities Course of Suggested Study
Creativity and Innovation
We all have in us the ability and the necessity to create. Whether we are working on the next great technology or the next great recipe, creativity allows us to combine old knowledge with our own experience and create something new and wonderful. In order to “build the career you deserve” you need to explore this creativity at every opportunity and in every way. Deny your creativity and you will lose it. Honor your creativity and it will honor you back with great ideas, innovation solutions and idea that no one has thought before.
Questions to Consider
- Why do we create?
- How do we create?
- Is every job a creative job? Why? Why not?
- Can creativity lead to a better life and career? How?
- Is creativity the gift of a precious few or is everyone creative?
- Can you set aside “creative time” in your calendar?
- What would you create, if you took the time and energy to do it?
Resources
- The Accidental Creative with Todd Henry – Blog | Podcast | Book
- Killer Innovations with Phil McKinney – Blog | Podcast | Book
- The War of Art by Steven Pressfield – Web Site | Book
- A Whack in the Side of the Head by Roger van Oech – Blog | Books
- Goosing Your Muse with JoAnn Braheny – Blog | JoAnn’s Creativity Book Recommendations
- Video: Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity from Ted.com
- Video: Tim Brown on creativity and play from Ted.com
- Video: Charles Leadbeater on innovation from Ted.com
- Video: Gever Tulley teaches life lessons through tinkering from Ted.com
- Book: Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking
- Book: Feel the Fear . . . and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers
- Book: Flow – The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
- Book: If You Want to Write – A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland
- Book: Jumpstart your Brain by Doug Hall
- Book: Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie
- Book: Writing Down the Bones and Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg
*Many of these books are available at your local public library. Save yourself some money and look there first.
Share your thoughts!
What did you learn from this Suggest Course of Study? Do you have questions or comments? Would you like to discuss this with your fellow Career Opportunities readers and listeners?
You can create and continue the discussion on Creativity and Innovation here on the blog by posting a comment, or starting a conversation on the Career Opportunities Facebook page or the Career Opportunities page on Google+. You can discuss this topic in real-time on the Career Opportunities Work Room at Hall.com. This includes a chat room and video conferencing capabilities. Contact career@welchwrite.com for an invite.
