“I’m just not that creative” is a phrase we hear all too often. It’s a harsh misconception that creativity is the trait of only artists, musicians, and in our offices – the marketing team.

What if we can look at creativity like a skill to learn, a process to discover and a muscle to grow?

Introducing, the Festival of Creativity 2020: Creative Disruption!

The Festival of Creativity aims to spike people’s curiosity and expose them to ideas, experiences, and ways of thinking outside of ‘business as usual’ business. We want to explore playfulness and creativity through ways that can be applied to real world problems.

“The festival was born out of a belief that all humans are creative, a desire to help people rediscover their individual creative capacity capabilities and to integrate creative thinking into their work and life,” said Dr Alex Smith, Partner at Lightbulb. “My ambition for the festival is to expand our individual and collective creative capital which is the lifeblood of our society and economy.”

Over four virtual sessions across four weeks, a group of creative thinkers will share their experiences in how you can harness the power of creativity to disrupt the status quo.

Kicking off the series is the University of Canberra, diving in to how stories can be used to understand disruptive situations and how you can create strategies for responding to them.

“Every story is a process of finding ways to imagine how to survive the threats and opportunities of the new situation, the disruption,” said Professor Ross Gibson, Centenary Professor of Creative & Cultural Research at the University of Canberra.

The Canberra Innovation Network is tapping into ‘lean methodology’ to help you harness creativity through innovation and turn your creative inspiration into a reality.

“Entrepreneurial people often need to wear many, if not all the hats in their business,” said Britt Nichols, Creative Engagement and Events Manager at Canberra Innovation Network. “We’re going to show you a super helpful idea exploration and planning tool for creative projects, which you can do even when you aren’t feeling ‘it’.”

Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres will explore how understanding the language and processes of art can help you to create exciting new possibilities in your work, from crafting compelling communications to pitching innovative projects.

PwC believes that creative disruption evolves through harnessing diversity of thought and experience. In their session you’ll look at how to create and shape environments in which diverse, creative teams can come together and thrive.

“Creativity is the gateway to innovation, agility, and resilience – everything a business needs to be fit for the future,” said Ellie Fraser, Collaboration Designer at PwC. “It’s about being flexible, understanding big challenges in new ways, and harnessing the diversity of experience and thought in our teams and networks.”

“If businesses want to thrive in a world where we don’t always know what’s around the corner, creativity belongs at the board table. It’s a strategic business asset that belongs in our high-level strategies, business priorities, and the mindsets and behaviours of our leaders as much as it does in the graphic design of our promotional material.”

Explore how creativity can disrupt the status quo, break down old habits, and reimagine what’s possible at the Festival of Creativity 2020: Creative Disruption.

Thursday 3rd September at 2:30pm | How to use Stories to Create Plans in Messy Situations
Thursday 10th September at 2:30pm | Where Innovation & Creativity Collide
Thursday 17th September at 2:30pm | The Art of Looking
Thursday 24th September at 12:00pm | Building Creative & Disruptive Teams

This collaboration between the Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres, Canberra Innovation Network, University of Canberra, PWC and Lightbulb exists to explore the social, economic and cultural benefits of creative practice.