One unique feature about Valutivity is its collaboration between Leadership and creativity, via The Consulting Arts. This page is a compilation of some creativity and innovation resources we've used through the years--for both sides of the company. These are in alphabetical order, not in order of importance, quality or applicability.
Cameron, J., & Bryan, M. A. (1992). The artist's way: a spiritual path to higher creativity. New York, NY, G.P. Putnam's Sons.
- Excellent resource for individuals or groups who are struggling with idea generation or writers' block--an important issue, considering how critical corporate communications are.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. HarperCollins Publishers. Link
- Every business team should understand the principles of flow.
Dente, Christine (2017). Lifelines; see her website.
- This singer songwriter has been one of my music coaches.
Fujimura, Makoto (2023). Theology of Making; Slow Art; see his website
- This bicultural (Japanese American) artist is also well-known as a speaker about creativity.
L'Engle, M. (2016). Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. Convergent Books. (Originally published in 1980.)
- This resource may be more useful for religious based non-profits looking to align decisions around creativity to their mission.
Jones, M. (2006). Creating an Imaginative Life. Trafford Publishing.
- Michael Jones, iconic New Age pianist who recorded Pianoscapes, is also a well-known business speaker. He consults at the intersection of leadership and creativity.
Maeda, J. (2013). STEM + Art = STEAM. Source: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/steam/vol1/iss1/34/
- STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art*, Mathematics). *Art: Introducing creativity into STEM.
- At the time this article is written, John Maeda is the Vice President of Design and Artificial Intelligence at Microsoft. He is the former president of the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
Matthews, M. (2023). "The dark side of creativity." Psychology Today.
Sprague, Billy (2000). Ice cream as a clue to the meaning of the universe.
- As a folk singer, virtually every song he sings tells a story--you might want to listen to "Kumquat May" or "The Wind and the Wave."
Thier, Jane. (2023). The skills gap is so big that nearly half of workers will need to retrain this decade. These 10 skills are most in demand . Fortune.com.
- Guess what's #1? Creative thinking.
Tufted, E. (multiple). The work of Edward Tufted and Graphics Press LLC.
- Ed Tufte is an American statistician and professor emeritus of political science, statistics, and computer science at Yale University.
- He specializes in the creative side of presenting statistics in ways that influence, including multiple books and a day-long training series.
Von Oech, R. (1986). A Kick in the Seat of the Pants: Using Your Explorer, Artist, Judge, & Warrior to be More Creative. Perennial Library.
Von Oech, R. (2002). Creative whack pack: 64 creativity strategies to provoke and inspire your thinking. US Game Systems, Inc.
- These cards have been a useful and timely resource for a couple of decades. At times, they can provide immediate traction for "stuck" teams and creators.
___________
Keywords:
bookshelf bibliography creativity STEAM STEM innovation business statistics
Photographs: ©️2023 Karen Smith-Will