Creativity Workshop Activities

words are passed like gifts in the group

One of the best ways to explore creativity is through building. Simple low fidelity prototypes can allow us to transform simple (and at times complex) ideas into something physical. In doing so we inevitably open a space for continuing to explore, reevaluate and iterate.

Any creative endeavour can generate a certain amount of anxiety. The first step is always the hardest… has anyone not heard that before?

In his book ‘Being Creative’, Michael Avatar suggests that we draw inspiration from the Zen Buddhist idea of the 'beginner's mind' - where everything is beginning. In a beginner's mind there is possibility, openness, curiosity: all qualities that are useful for an exploration of creativity. This activity is a short, grounding ideation and exploration that taps into the beginner's mind.

Become immersed in your user's life. Break out of your designer bubble and immerse yourself in the environment you're working to create solutions that feel both fresh and relevant.

Want to experience a fun, ever-change game? Bring a round of Calvinball to your next meeting - with a football, deckchairs, rackets, boomerangs, a deck of cards, a hula hoop, pens and paper (anything!) . . . and anyone can change the rules at any time.

If curiosity and empathy can be a driver of creativity, there is no reason why they need be restricted to the observation of others. A range of technologies increasingly allow us to track, monitor and in doing so discover things about our own behaviours. Much of creativity is centred on making visible the invisible and for this reason spending time experimenting tools which allow us to do this may help us reflect on the potential for digital tools to be part of our creative toolbox.

Group game with two random words together as a new invention the group creates one yes, and statement at at time.

Keep your creativity game strong with daily, colorful exercises. 

The first step to unleashing creativity is to build a more creative culture. Devoting daily time to a creative warm-up is an easy way to get started.

Squigly bird online

Partners quickly form a sound & motion "sculpture" in response to a word that gets tossed to them, then word association continues.

Word association in a circle that comes back to the first word