They say every cloud has a silver lining and it’s fair to say that the pandemic is one of the largest cloud’s that has come our way in a long while. And it didn’t stop there, the last twenty three months haven’t only seen a pandemic but also an increase in political unrest, a lack of justice to say the least and further socio-political divisions over race, immigration and economic decisions.
In 1998, American academic Teresa M. Amabile wrote an article that greatly summed up the components of creativity. Interestingly, the pandemic has surfaced all three.
- Expertise
Technical, intellectual, procedural experts are being sought after in all creativity industries. As brands and agencies learn to take new ventures and explore the changing working world, experts in specific niches are required to form the most effective collaborations. Expertise is also required in the world of online teaching which is growing in popularity. - Thinking Skills
It’s safe to say that we have all had to adapt due to the pandemic. How flexibly and imaginatively are people approaching the Covid 19 challenges? What creative projects has this led to? Like all skills, mastery of creative thinking requires practice and encouragement to play, experiment, fail and persevere. - Motivation and a leader’s ability to inspire
It is intrinsic motivation that explains so much of the heroism and innovation we are seeing around the world, fueled by a desire – or sense of duty – to save lives. Problems are being solved precisely because people have an inner passion to apply their talents meaningfully. A challenge needs to be stretching and achievable if it is to instill confidence and to act as a magnet for the diverse talent it will need to solve it. Constraints – like lack of time and money – are more creatively overcome when the goal is certain, particularly when the uncertainty of the context – a pandemic – is itself debilitating.
