Creative Placemaking: Eight Tools to Strengthening Communities
What is Creative Placemaking? “Creative Placemaking” is a multi-disciplinary approach to community development that combines urban studies, environmental planning, sociology, architecture, design, and the arts to revitalize communities around vibrant gathering places. Placemaking revitalizes communities by addressing social challenges through inclusive spaces that provide a forum for gathering. It involves collaborating with artists, residents, local […]
Overcoming process-blindness: A roadmap for arts organizations
As organizations grow, they often develop the problem of prioritizing process over product. The more they mature, the more focused they become on rules, procedures, and documentation — losing sight of the product-focus that got them started in the first place. Why does this happen, and what can team leaders do about it? Three main […]
Solving Complex Challenges — Adaptive Leadership for Creatives
Adaptive Leadership offers a path through uncertainty for creative problem-solvers in a world facing unprecedented hurdles. What is Adaptive Leadership? Adaptive Leadership is the art of mobilizing people to address tough challenges and thrive in the face of uncertainty. First introduced at Harvard Business School by Ronald Heifetz four decades ago, the practice is more […]
The Art of Economics: How Creativity & Markets Interact
Economics and the arts may seem like distinct fields, but they are deeply intertwined. Today’s creative professionals can enhance their work by understanding this dynamic relationship and how it shapes our world. 1. Shaping human behavior Economics is not just numbers and graphs. It is about human psychology and sociology. Economics can provide insights into […]
Five Innovation Lessons from Duke Ellington, Jazz Legend
Duke Ellington was a prolific jazz composer, pianist, and bandleader who revolutionized the field with his pioneering approach. His journey offers valuable insights into the nature of innovation. Here are five lessons: Innovation comes from experience: Duke Ellington learned by doing, not studying. He figured things out independently and was fearless in breaking the rules. He […]
Three leadership lessons from Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat was a visionary artist who rose to fame in the 1980s and made an indelible mark on the arts and culture that continues to shape our world today. Basquiat’s life and work reveal many lessons about leadership. Here are three – – Be yourself: Basquiat did not conform to the expectations or norms of […]
3 Ways Arts Leaders can be Torchbearers of Change
Creativity knows no bounds. More than ever, the global art world is calling for creatives to lead a new era – digital, vibrant, sustainable, diverse, and equitable. The new year invites creative leaders to unleash their imaginations to lead projects that resonate with diverse communities, foster meaningful connections, and spark transformative change. Here […]
Five Leadership Lessons from Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein was a renowned American composer, conductor, pianist, and educator who led a remarkable life full of achievements, challenges, and inspirations. Here are five leadership lessons from his complex life — Be curious: Bernstein had a lifelong thirst for learning. He crossed the established musical boundaries of his time to explore and connect diverse genres […]
3 Simple Ways to Enhance Creative Teams
Starting a new creative venture can feel pretty scary, right? Your team can be a secret weapon against all the uncertainty. So, how do you make your team super strong, successful, and collaborative? Let’s break it down in three easy ways! 1. Cross-Functional Projects Diversity is a superpower. Different ideas and perspectives are needed to […]
Growing Digital Communities in a Decentralized World
We are spending more and more of our lives online. According to the latest available data, the average person spends about 6:50 hours per day on screens connected to the Internet outside work requirements. Gen Z alone spends over 9 hours per day. While the mix of a person’s digital footprint is a blend of […]