283 Cultivating Your Ideal Environment
Creativity and problem solving often go hand in hand usually in very unexpected ways, however when given the chance to bend and try things in new and unexpected ways without judging yourself or your abilities you may just find that these two vital skills can shape your strength and identity going forward.
In today’s episode Sarah Elkins and Dr. Cyndi Burnett discuss the importance of creativity and education and how these two things can shape our identities and images of authenticity going forward.
Highlights
Sometimes you need to do things differently than you normally would in order to connect with your audience.
You have to work with people who are different from you, you do not want to be stuck in an echochamber.
Everyone is creative in their own way.
Quotes
“That’s what teaching is, it’s all problem solving. So if you think about creativity as problem solving and not just arts and crafts and who has a nice door, then you’ll understand that all of you in this classroom are creative, otherwise you wouldn’t survive as a teacher.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to stop and say; okay hey we made it through this week, let’s celebrate that! Just finding those small things that we can celebrate in both our personal and professional lives can really help with the overall wellbeing that we’re moving forward through something.”
“I give them a baby plant with a letter that says; This plant represents your wellbeing. If you can’t keep it alive you’re not doing something for yourself. And so if it dies you need to really stop and reflect on what you’re doing wrong that you can’t even keep this plant alive, ‘cause it only takes a little bit of watering once a week. If you can’t do that you’re not taking care of yourself.”
Dear Listeners it is now your turn,
What if you took this challenge from Cyndi and the next time you found yourself judging yourself for something you do or don’t do or something you’re afraid to do or something you have an idea about and you “Should” all over yourself about, I should be happy, or I should be okay with this without implementing this new idea I have. The next time you do that, really question where that came from and just as importantly, if not more importantly, find somebody who will support your idea or who will challenge you to think about your idea and how you can actually implement it. Find the people in your life, your community, that when you say “I have this crazy idea,” they say, “Awesome, how can I help?”
And, as always, thank you for listening.
About Cyndi
Dr. Cyndi Burnett is the Director of Possibilities for Creativity and Education, and the co-founder of the Creative Thinking Network for Educators. Her mission is to empower educators to infuse creative thinking into the classroom. She taught deliberate creativity and creative problem solving for 20 years at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State University. She is also the co-host of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast.
Connect with Cyndi on her LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook!
Be sure to check out her podcast Fueling Creativity in Education! As well as her websites Creativity and Education, and Creative Thinking Network!
About Sarah
"Uncovering the right stories for the right audiences so executives, leaders, public speakers, and job seekers can clearly and actively demonstrate their character, values, and vision."
In my work with coaching clients, I guide people to improve their communication using storytelling as the foundation of our work together. What I’ve realized over years of coaching and podcasting is that the majority of people don’t realize the impact of the stories they share - on their internal messages, and on the people they’re sharing them with.
My work with leaders and people who aspire to be leaders follows a similar path to the interviews on my podcast, uncovering pivotal moments in their lives and learning how to share them to connect more authentically with others, to make their presentations and speaking more engaging, to reveal patterns that have kept them stuck or moved them forward, and to improve their relationships at work and at home.
The audiobook, Your Stories Don’t Define You, How You Tell Them Will is now available!
Included with your purchase are two bonus tracks, songs recorded by Sarah's band, Spare Change, in her living room in Montana.
Be sure to check out the Job Interview Storytelling Course as well to make sure you nail that next interview!