Everyday Creative

Everyday Creative

by Mykel Dixon
Released August 2020
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9780730383734

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Upend your personal status quo and reclaim your natural creativity in every single action you take

Everyone claims to value creativity, and businesses are clamouring for disruptive thinking and innovation. Yet we often feel creatively stifled at work, because business processes seem to leave no room for real originality. In this climate, it takes a heroic effort to reclaim our status as independent thinkers, to bring meaning and joy to our work lives and to make lasting changes that will bring value to everyone around us. In Everyday Creative, culture and creative leadership expert Mykel Dixon reveals what’s holding us back from our full creative potential and explains how we can reclaim our original, vibrant selves.

Is your ability to think differently hindered by an unconscious view that creativity doesn’t belong in the boardroom? It’s an all-too-common mistake, but the truth is, creativity is fundamental for business growth and personal fulfilment. If you want to survive in the digital era, you need to pursue your own creative sensibilities and foster creativity in your team. This book shows that original thinking can shake things up, becoming the source of our competitive advantage and a key driver of sustainable success.

  • Recognise your own unconventional talent and creative potential
  • Transform yourself into a more vibrant and resilient human being ready to lead the world in the fourth industrial revolution
  • Cultivate dynamic team environments where people feel safe to explore dangerous ideas
  • Instigate a high-level cultural and strategic pivot toward more creativity in your company

Everyday Creative is about creative leadership and the courage to seek, nurture and liberate original thinking. Read this book to learn how to make the essential skill of creativity accessible to all people, regardless of role, title or department.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. About Mykel
  3. A Story
  4. Introduction
  5. How To Read This Book
  6. Part One Preparing The Canvas
    1. Chapter One An Identity Crisis
      1. Compelled to close the conference
      2. Blame Tay Tay
      3. School’s out
      4. Unhelpful stereotypes
      5. Battle scars
      6. Any good news?
      7. The six creative identities
      8. Notes
    2. Chapter Two The Obstacle Is The Way
      1. Problem #1: Disengagement
      2. Problem #2: Disconnection
      3. Problem #3: Disillusionment
      4. What if I told you there was another way?
      5. A new demand for creativity
      6. A global shift
      7. The robots are coming!!!
      8. The opportunity
      9. From conflict to creativity
      10. Notes
    3. Chapter Three A Radical Rebirth
      1. You’ve got to be original
      2. Originality is intentional
      3. Finding your originality
      4. To the lighthouse
      5. A robotic reminder
      6. Notes
  7. Part Two Developing The Practice
    1. Chapter Four The Courage To Seek
      1. From contempt to curiosity
      2. Firefox vs Safari
      3. Surrender the script
      4. Making work work for you
      5. Born to seek
      6. Resistance to rumination
      7. The real danger
      8. How to be more curious
      9. The gift of Vuja De
      10. Notes
    2. Chapter Five The Courage To Feel
      1. Feeling is the new thinking
      2. Experience is everything
      3. Barriers to feeling
      4. Harness the feels
      5. A few figures to consider
      6. A final consideration
      7. Notes
    3. Chapter Six The Courage To Make
      1. What it means to make
      2. F.E.A.R.
      3. The risks of mitigating risk
      4. The antidote
      5. Begin again, again
      6. A final thought
      7. Notes
    4. Chapter Seven The Courage To Give
      1. A spirit of generosity
      2. Belief #1: We worry that our ideas will be corrupted by others (eek!)
      3. Belief #2: We worry that we’ll be exploited by others (ouch!)
      4. Belief #3: We worry that our ideas are worthless to others (sigh!)
      5. It’s not us, it’s you and me
      6. Scenius
      7. Give like an improviser
      8. Look for the not obvious
      9. Humble yourself with gratitude
      10. Notes
  8. Part Three Making Your Masterpiece
    1. Chapter Eight Little Things
      1. Five flavour enhancers for the fabulous
      2. Notes
    2. Chapter Nine A Big Thing
      1. Notes
  9. A Final Thing
  10. Where To From Here?
  11. Gratitude
  12. Sources
  13. Index
  14. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Everyday Creative
  • Author(s): Mykel Dixon
  • Release date: August 2020
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780730383734