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The Economic Impact of Creativity: Globally and Locally

In The Rise of the Creative Class, The Flight of the Creative Class, and www.creativeclass.org,  Richard Florida investigates what makes world regions creative, productive and competitive, as a result.  Looking beyond traditional economic productivity indices, he characterizes the “3 T’s of Economic Development”: Technology, Talent and Tolerance.  Creative capital drives growth in an idea-driven economy.     

How do we apply this global premise locally?  This week the Ewing Marion Kaufmann Foundation released a report on state competitiveness, looking at several factors.   My state, Massachusetts, landed on top of the list.  I recently investigated relocating a corporate HQ in Boston for a high-growth software company.  It was challenging to choose a location with proximity to affordable housing, universities, suburban bedroom communities and a vibrant town center. Despite the #1 ranking, we're still far from creating a creative renaissance in Massachusetts–- high housing rates discourage newcomers, management training programs are rare and start-up executives

seldom find the time to mentor young talent. 

We can all have an impact on our region’s economic growth, and could do worse than to apply macro principles to our daily practice of attracting, hiring and developing talent in our organizations.    

Checkers Checking Checklists -- Being Busy and Getting Nowhere

Doing is fast.  Thinking is slow.    I feel more productive when I check off one little task on my to-do list, no matter how tiny.    Then I feel anxious because I haven't started my bigger project -- the one that really needs "think time" to be successful.   

The reality is -- most to-do items ARE tiny!  Those of us who love to be busy (or hate to forget details) tack on small tasks like "schedule oil change" along with "develop the concept for the next white paper series" or "brainstorm next-gen product line".   These items are not equal -- but with long lists and busy days, they just become part of the same list.   Although the"list-driven" life feels busy, it stop us from moving forward.

I've started to track my bigger projects in blocks of time in my calendar -- I need to commit to the effort it takes to build something of substance.   When your calendar is viewable, or shared by others, blocking off project time is a necessity -- because others will schedule your time before you can!   I have used the same acroynm for project time for years:  GSD (aka Get Stuff Done).   I once had an admin that thought The GSD Corporation was my most important client, and I never told her otherwise.    It preserved my project time without making me feel guilty or indulgent.   Come up with your own acronym (looks like I'll have to change mine now!).   

No worries.  I'll still remember to get my oil changed once in a while.

Hitting the Restart Button After a Long Project

I do my best work when I get passionate about a project.   The project dominates my thoughts during my waking (and non-waking hours).   I'm not obsessing over it, but always thinking about how to do things differently, how to do them better.

The flip side about being passionate is how to wind down and restart once the project is over.    A week later, my workspace is still littered with notes from the finished project.    Why?

I suspect that it's that I'm still mentally hanging on after the "relationship is over".  My relationship with the project, that is.   

If it was a success, I want to hold on that positive vibe.  If I have mixed feelings about what I learned, I hope the pile of papers will motivate me to to analyze what I did -- and to better my performance next time.   It feels like the denial at the end of a personal relationship.  I'm restless and eager to move on to the next one, whether the project is a good fit for me, or not!    

I'm acting like a jilted lover on the rebound -- and this is all about work...

So when to hit that restart button?   

I've yet to figure it all out, but here's my plan:  set a reminder in my calendar to hit "restart" 3 business days after the project is complete.   No more.   Then I'll clear up the paperwork, clear my mind (with a walk, a trip to the library or other mental un-blocker), do my project post-mortem, and move on.   And I'll be less likely to look for projects that don't fit (on the rebound).

Getting Unstuck -- Taking Cues from the Creative World

You're prepping for a strategy meeting but have no fresh thoughts to add to what's already been done.  An impromptu brainstorming session makes you feel like a newbie comedian at the improv.   We can all get stuck in an idea rut.    Fortunately, having "idea block" in business is not the same calamity as it is for "creative" professions.

Artists, writers and musicians must tap the well of creativity for a living.   What do they do when the well is dry?    There are hundreds of books on the subject.  And they're useful resources for all thinkers -- Michelangelo or not.

Written for writers, useful for the rest of us:   

Natalie Goldberg originated the concept of "timed writing" as a daily practice, which is helpful when you're staring at that blank page.  Her recipe:  set your watch or kitchen timer to 10 minutes each day and write whatever comes to mind (I think her words are "feel free to write the worst junk on earth").   Some days are junk days, period.  But one must consistently work through the junk to find that treasure of an idea.  My favorite of hers is Thunder and Lightning -- I have worn out the audio version attempting to inspire creativity during long commutes.

I'm not a fan of the horror genre, but Stephen King has done an admirable job of deconstructing the creative process.  His book On Writing is thankfully free of fluff, pep talk, and life-affirming statements.   So of course, he's inspiring, because he's not trying to be.

Taking cues from creatives makes sense.   They're under a heck of a lot more pressure than most of us to come up with something new.

A Whiteboarding Accident

A less geeky person might have had a wakeboarding/snowboarding/surfboarding/skateboarding accident.    My aggressive whiteboarding resulted in a broken window.   

Of course, the whiteboard was professional-grade:  six feet long, with a thick metal ledge for markers.   And I am a compulsive whiteboarder.   But the whiteboard was not properly anchored into the wall (great board, bad bindings).

While I was drawing a particularly aggressive diagram, the whiteboard swung off one corner and the corner of the metal ledge crashed into my office window.    We kept brainstorming until it got too cold and I noticed that I was sitting on broken glass.

I think I scared everyone.  Especially when they wrapped caution tape around the door while the window was being fixed.

Thankfully, the most difficult part of whiteboarding isn't broken windows.   It's making ideas work.