As a regular feature on Get a Creative Life we will be presenting interviews with very interesting people we have met who are living creative lives. We believe you will be fascinated and inspired by their stories. We have learned a lot from them and we think you will too.
Our first interview is with Jan Welborn-Nichols of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Jayne met her when she attended Jan’s Creativity Forum. Jan is lively, engaging, entertaining. We came away with thought provoking ideas about the nature and process of creativity. She graciously agreed to be our first interview and share her thoughts and her own story. Jan’s career has ranged from opera singer to the field of marketing and creative services. She is in the business of helping people and organizations succeed through the use of creativity.
Here are highlights from our conversation with Jan:
The idea of living a creative life is about using this way of thinking to enhance your professional and personal life. Creativity is not about casting off what you do well. It’s a process of perception that you bring to what you already do well…
So often when we are faced with a certain problem we say, "How can I?" or "I gotta!" or "this has to change now!" We are not clarifying the intention or stating it as an invitation. An invitation to creative thinking says "In what ways can I…" and by using that phrase, the intention follows…
You have to come to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to "get" you. This goes back to the idea that creativity often goes against cultural expectations. Not everyone is going to appreciate that you are daring to be uniquely yourself.
Finding your authentic voice and giving expression to it, is one of the most creative things that any of us can do … Creativity opens the door to endless possibilities and authenticity allows us to claim the potential that is uniquely ours.
Jan’s Tips for a Creative Life:
- Take time to goof off -though time for reflection sounds more respectable.
- Resist being available, accessible yes, but always available, no.
- Naps are the source of all creativity (at least mine).
- Imagine a "what if" scenario once a day.
JB: What you are doing right now?
JWN: Since 1995, I’ve run Market Arts, a creative services firm. We are a company of writers, graphic designers, visionaries and pragmatists who develop cool marketing tools for print, web and multi-media Our clients are primarily professional services firms, not-for-profit organizations healthcare and technology companies.
In September, 2003, I started the Creativity Forum. It began as a monthly interview program that takes place before a live audience at the IT Zone in Ann Arbor. Each conversation focuses on the practical application of creativity as it appears in the lives of very different people; some of the region’s most interesting and accomplished individuals
Our guests have included the cosmologist Fred Adams, comedian and former writer for the Tonight Show Chili Challis, hi-tech thriller author Tom Grace and Todd Mundt, former host of his own nationally syndicated NPR program, current Chief Content Officer for Michigan Media. To see past program listings and the 05/06 line-up visit (www.creativityforums.com).
The talk show (okay, I call it that even though we’re not on the air – yet) is modeled upon the sincerity of Oprah Winfrey, the spontaneity of Conan O’Brien the straightforwardness of Charlie Rose with a little Jon Stewart thrown in for good measure. In essence, it’s a schizophrenic experience (laughs), but it’s a lot of fun and I’ve met a tremendous number of very interesting people that the audience also seems to enjoy.
The Creativity Forum also offers workshops and creativity games to help individuals and organizations discover their innate ability to think in new and more productive ways.
Our primary focus is the practical application of creativity. We help people realize that logic, reason and analysis are wonderful tools and we rely on them daily; but when the environment changes, so must our habits of thinking. There are times when changes in the environment (technological evolution, rising costs or falling revenues, for example) demand that we shift our habits of thinking from ‘what now’ to ‘what if, the point of entry to practical creativity. Practical creativity is based what you already know and do well. We simply show people tangible and repeatable ways to shift their habits of thinking in order to have a fresh insight, solve a problem or adapt to change.
When clients come to Market Arts, it’s rarely because they want creativity. They simply want to get something done: a web site to support the sales process for example. Everyone gives great lip service to creativity, and the phrase ‘think out of the box’ has become ubiquitous. Even though most people are very enthusiastic about the idea of creativity, they are not enthusiastic about embracing the use of it. I have an idea about why this dichotomy exists. It’s called the "Theory of Uncomfy Feelings."
When you make the transition to thinking in ways that are non-habitual, it generates a sense of uneasiness. Asking yourself to momentarily suspend established habits of thinking and enter into the realm of "what if" can feel (you guessed it) uncomfy simply because it is unfamiliar. Creative thinking requires us to momentarily set aside what we ‘know’ in order to make room for the consideration of unlikely things. We live in a world where we’re paid to know the answers and get things done. So of course we praise creativity but find the dynamic tension of needing to know and creativity’s demand that we suspend knowing, a barrier to its use.
It’s also interesting to note that when you suspend habits or slightly shift your perception of things you have a bit of an identity crisis. That’s because you are shifting the fundamental perception of who you are in the world and how you get things done. That’s why the actual application of creativity is very challenging to implement in the business setting.
The purpose of the Creativity Forum is to raise awareness of creativity as a very practical tool that can be practiced and called upon repeatedly. Through the web site, the workshops, the talk show and a book in development called Conversations with Creative Minds, (based on interviews with the talk show, guests), I hope to call attention to creativity and put it on an equal footing with other methods of thinking, analysis, reason and logic.
JB: I like your idea of practical creativity. That fits with our theme on GetACreativeLife.com. I see you as someone who is making your living being totally who you are.
JWN: (Laughs) We’ll continue to promote that perception!
JWN: Yes, that is the reality. You’ve used the word authenticity several times which I find of great interest because, standing out in the world (competitive differentiation) arises from a sense of authenticity. The challenge is helping companies get comfortable with the idea that what differentiates them emerges from the human, not simply the facts or the deliverables. Yes, you have to have quality controls. Yes, you have to do what you say you will do when you say you will do it and you have to have control processes in place. But, what sets each of us apart is our authentic voice; how we approach what we do, no matter how complex, or mundane. That’s the differentiating factor.
The idea of living a creative life is about using this way of thinking to enhance your professional and personal life. Creativity is not about casting off what you do well. It’s a process of perception that you bring to what you already do well. It’s a process of shifting your habits of thinking or world view. You only need to experience the shift just long enough to see a new set of relationships.
Creativity thrives in an atmosphere of variety. One of the things we develop in the workshop is structure. Creativity will not thrive without structure and structure begins with an intention. You need to discover that intention and it needs to be voiced as an invitation. So often when we are faced with a certain problem we say, "How can I?" or "I gotta!" or "this has to change now." We are not clarifying the intention or stating it as an invitation. An invitation to creative thinking says "In what ways can I…" and by using that phrase, the intention follows, like expanding client relationships to earn extra income. I think of creativity like a buffet with a wide array of choices (I’m obsessed with food metaphors). Out of that variety a fresh insight, a shift in perspective and more productive thinking can emerge.
JB: Did you see yourself doing this work early on? have you always wanted to do this?
JWN: Absolutely not! Like everybody it has been a journey with a lot of unexpected turns. What I did know is that I always wanted to command my own destiny. I grew up wanting to be an opera singer and indeed that is what I studied in college. I went to NY to study singing and stumbled into advertising. After about four or five years, I realized that I enjoyed my day job more than the stress of trying to support a performance career. It just wasn’t something I wanted to continue. It’s important to evaluate what’s rewarding to you and what’s worthwhile – because it changes. Looking back I can see that the entrepreneurial spirit was there because of my dad. He was a grocer, a farmer, a horse trader and he bought and sold properties. He was always creating opportunities to earn a livelihood, finally, the decision to launch the Creativity Forum grew out of a personal realization that I wanted to give voice to what I have learned during the past decade of working with clients. It’s only been in the last two or three years I’ve turned my attention beyond writing marketing copy to writing books.
To answer the question "How do you construct a life that includes creativity and that has meaning in the face of earning a living?" If I really know the answer to that we would both be on Oprah right now! I think it starts with clarity and knowing what you want to do. There’s also a value in not knowing and not being so full of knowledge that there is no room to consider "what if" situations. You need an awareness of what you want to do, a structure to act upon the awareness, and a willingness to see each day as a world of unexplored possibilities
You also have to be flexible because the world does intrude on the best laid plans. For example, I have a commitment to work on my book at a certain time every morning, but sometimes a work deadline takes precedence. I practice being happy with incremental progress. I believe in having high expectations, but if you expect too much of yourself you can be overwhelmed and accomplish nothing. I am a firm believer in chunking, looking at your watch and saying "for 15 minutes I’m going to think about this." Without making notes or taking any action, I’m simply going to think and see what arises. And you know what? Normally, the 15 minutes expands into really productive think-time.
It’s essential to have time for reflection; that’s why I don’t use a Blackberry, don’t check my email every five minutes, and limit access to my cell phone number. While I want to be accessible, I don’t always want to be available. To be creative is to be very connected to the world in a particular way. When you are with people you truly listen, acknowledge their presence, and honor them by not multi-tasking in their presence.
JB: Do you feel like you are fully creatively expressing yourself and if not are you aware of what’s stopping you?
JWN: That’s a very interesting question. People ask me if I still sing and I don’t, not even in the shower. Once I made the decision to start Market Arts and then the Creativity Forum, they became my outlet for performance. The talk show allows me to express the bigger side of my personality. When I was little, I thought everyone should sing instead of talk, that life should be like musical theater. The idea of life as a performance still informs my work
When I was about four years old, my parents would go to a local restaurant where I would dance around the tables and people would give me money. That’s where I got the idea that self-expression could be a profitable thing!
You have to come to terms with the fact that not everyone is going to "get" you. This goes back to the idea that creativity often goes against cultural expectations. Not everyone is going to appreciate that you are daring to be uniquely yourself. I’ve learned that being likeable does not always mean I will be liked – go figure!
JB: What does financial independence mean to you?
JWN: Financial independence means being paid to do work I love. It’s important to live with a certain grace and ease, but I’ve always been more focused on ‘being’ independent without so much attachment to big, big financial rewards.
JB: Have you thought about having passive residual income?
JWN: We are developing client models that generate fixed income. When you are a small business owner money goes back into the dream of the business. In addition to those core business relationships, we’re growing our income potential through the creativity forum workshops and the publication of books
JB: Do you have tips for living a creative life you would like to share:
Here are my practical tips for creativity:
- Take time to goof off -though time for reflection sounds more respectable.
- Resist being available, accessible yes, but always available, no.
- Naps are the source of all creativity (at least mine).
- Imagine a "what if" scenario once a day.
JB: What books have influenced you:
JWN:
By Edward DeBono, Serious Creativity, Lateral Thinking, Six Thinking Hats
By Michael Michalko, Cracking Creativity
By Michael Ray, Creativity in Business
By Harold Bloom, Genius
By Michael Dirda, In Good Company
JB: Thank you so much, Jan!
JWN: You're welcome!
What a wonderful suggestion to ask: "In what ways can I...?" This encourages my mind to find even the most obscure of possiblities, which, in turn, helps give perspective to my line of thought. That is to say, inviting even what seem like off-the-wall solutions to the table can bring the rest of the field into view. From that standpoint, you have a new point-of-view from which to assess your starting point and your goal.
Posted by: Adam Hartz | June 27, 2005 at 04:48 PM