FACT
CEO’S select creativity as the most important leadership attribute (60% – IBM study)
FACT
80% of employees feel that unlocking creativity is valuable to society, yet only 1 in 4 people believe they are living up to their creative potential – Adobe
Archetypal Creativity
For decades I have heard the notion that everyone can be creative. When I look into my little boy’s eyes I know that inherently this is true. The challenge I have experienced is that the notion of ‘creativity’ has either been viewed as too ‘fluffy’ or conversely ‘laced’ with so much science jargon that the ‘magic’ dissipates. I was fortunate to be introduced to the ground breaking work on Archetypes and my love of ‘creativity for everyone’ had arrived. From the seminar works of Jung to Joseph Campbell through to the Carol Pierson and Margaret Mark, Archetypes find the soul of your character through tapping into universal feelings and instincts. Archetypes give meaning to creativity as it gives the human context for a force that is often vast, ancient and abstract.
For centuries, creative individuals have discovered the right Archetypes by hunch and by genius. With Archetypal creativity you can discover the Archetypes we naturally gravitate towards and the ones where you can build and improve upon. As the context is universal, you can be confident that “everyone can be creative”. So, go on – catch the creative wave that will change your world!
In conjunction with OPIC (a pioneering Organizational Psychologist Consultancy) we have teamed up to develop ACE (Archetypal Creativity Evaluation). After trialing with over 400 executives, the diagnostics went through a process of statistical validation is to crush the “I am not creative” barrier. The motivation that underpins ACE is the notion that we are all creative, we have just either forgotten the ‘magic’ or worse succumbed to the ‘devils advocate’ that resides in every workplace. By undertaking the ACE survey you will obtain an insight into your strengths or weaknesses and determine your dominant creative personality/archetype. Archetypal creativity is about the roles people can play, hats they can put on, the persona’s they can adopt. In giving creativity a face, we have also tried to give it a personality. It is about developing the Archetypes of your team to maximize its influence.
Archetypes
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Caregiver / Nurture, Understand, Build Cares for others, helps people. Caregivers are altruistic, helpful, and willing to sacrifice their own interests for others. The Caregiver leads from the heart and with compassion. The Caregiver is the foundation of “human powered innovation” and is at the heart of creativity in business |
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Jester / Playfulness, Clever, Experimentation Enjoys a good time. To lighten people up and live for the moment. Jesters are irreverent and witty, but they have a specific objective: to question thinking, traditions, habits, processes and anything else that is simply accepted by others without thinking. Jesters make people take more and get them to think, leading often to change.Jesters are generally liked and even when their role as a change agent is not understood they are given license to make their willing and irreverent comments; they are often intelligent but use humor to disarm others through the creative process. |
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Innocent / Curiosity, Freshness, Observation Retain or renew faith. To experience paradise. To be happy. A more simple life. Tend to see things in terms of ‘Purity, goodness and simplicity’. Innocents often live in a world where ideals replace reality. Innocents believe in the fundamental good in people, they are caring, strong on emotions and have strong values. |
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Hero / Bravery, Momentum, ‘Stretch’ Act courageously. To prove one’s worth through difficult action. Making a difference in the world where there is perceived injustice. Natural tendencies to rescue, to get others out of trouble, empathetic, compassionate. Heroes engage in fights like warriors, but for them the fight is only a means to an end rather than an end in itself. |
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Creator / Reinvent, Re-express, Associative Thinking Try and craft something new. From creating to influencing society with something seen as of value. Creators have the power to surprise and delight through their creations; they tend to be focused and purposeful; their contributions are positive and add to the enjoyment of others. |
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Outlaw / Revolution, Rule Breaker, ‘What if’ Break the rules. Break free from society’s constraints and seek to revolutionize thinking. Even though Outlaws break the rules they do not accept – they do this to achieve a positive outcome. They are considerate, and not naturally aggressive; they are purposeful and resourceful and will stick to their goals and find ways of achieving it. |
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Explorer / Related Worlds, Parrallel Universe, Cross Pollination |
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Lover / Relaxation, Visualization Find and give love. To attain intimacy and experience pleasure. To be in a relationship with the people, work, experiences and surrounds that one loves. ‘Lovers’ are high in passion and idealism; they act on the basis of emotion rather than reason. Lovers work best in an environment that allows full expression of emotional, mental and physical wellbeing. Self esteem is derived from the sense of being appreciated and this drives their behavior. Lovers are most effective where they feel they have trust |
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Ruler / Project leader, Director Exert control or authority. To create a prosperous and successful project, teams, company or community. To be successful. Rulers lead from a position of power; they tend to be dignified, authoritative, and experienced (although not always the case). The Ruler gets things moving. Rulers are unlike all the other personas because their main purpose is to inspire and direct other people – developing chemistry getting it done, targeting strategic opportunities and generating innovation momentum. |
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Regular Guy/Girl / Collaboration, Networking Collaborator, Networker. Wants everything to be ok, just as they are (i.e., to be long, fit in). To form a connection with others. Helpspeople to be happy with themselves. The Regular Guy/Girl takes care of business while others pursue higher goals and aspirations. They are reliable, but not boring, capable, but not masterful, they are positive and well set in their roles. When energy or enthusiasm is needed there is not better cheerleader! |
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Magician / Environment, Visionary Affect transformation. Seek to make dreams come true. The Magician adds another dimension, such as excitement or delight; the transformation can be temporary or permanent. The Magician knows HOW, not necessarily WHY |
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Sage / Wisdom, Process, Facilitation Use intelligence and analysis to understand the world. Establish desire to find the truth (from learning to ‘understanding mastery’). Sages can see what escapes others, they have a deep understanding, are insightful and take an important mentoring role. Without this mentoring – the Sage lacks energy and dynamism. |
Typical Project: Building Creative Confidence
A highly interactive experience which raises enthusiasm and awareness around creativity and innovation. We share our learning’s or creativity; creative behavior & skills and creative state. We bring to life the universal world of Archetypes to prove we can all be creative. We fire enthusiasm around the ‘magic’ and build a solid structure for idea generation. People leave knowing they can be creative, have better ideas and confidence around their own ability. Great creative’s get into the right state to ideas and behaving in a way that encourages that state in others. Accordingly, our focus is combining the doing of creativity with the being – tools and techniques with creative state. Creativity helps everyone get more from their lives. We are committed to helping people discover their own personal creative genius. The key is knowing how to look for it. This work stream is a creative call to arms! Are you ready to change the world?
Who is it for?
People who:
- Want or need to release more of their creative potential
- Can benefit from adopting a fresh and innovative approach to their (working) lives
- Can see a relevant application for creativity
- Come from a simple team or a variety of disciplines
Outcomes:
- Raised awareness and common language around creativity
- An experiential de-mystification of creativity
- An understanding of the barriers to creativity and how to overcome them
- A practical tool kit and process for creative problem solving
- An increased energy and confidence around creativity
- The message that creativity is important for the group or company in question