Creative Curiosity
What is Creative Curiosity?
The Creative Curiosity Event is a hands-on, collaborative session designed to introduce and cultivate curiosity within IAG's design community. Part of the broader Creative Intelligence Program, this event helps participants understand and explore curiosity through interactive activities and discussions. By connecting with others and fostering a growth mindset, participants develop their curious and creative mindsets, enhancing their overall creative intelligence.
Challenge
How might we uplift Creative Intelligence within individuals at IAG to grow curious mindsets, enable out-of-the-box thinking, and foster deeper connections into creativity?
Context: Creative Curiosity Events are designed for IAG employees to provide them with awareness and skills in design and Creative Intelligence, focusing on key elements such as curiosity, connectedness, conflict, and confidence. Since their inception in 2018, these events have seen a tenfold increase in demand. The events are crafted to foster a shared interest in design, enabling employees to practice and apply design thinking in a highly engaging and interactive environment. The Creative Curiosity Event specifically aims to define and explore curiosity, helping participants build confidence and a common mindset around this essential component of Creative Intelligence.
Objectives:
Create a shared understanding of curiosity defining curiosity and gathering a collective understanding from the audience.
Connect IAG employees, and foster a curious mindset of being open, taking into imagination and connecting through empathy.
Conduct research and testing to co-create and refine the concept of curiosity within the Creative Intelligence framework.
Provide hands-on, interactive sessions for employees to practice design and build a strong Design Community.
Role: Creative Intelligence & HCD Lead
Visual Designer, Thought Leader, Facilitator, Experience Creator, Creativity Advocate, Researcher, Quality Gatekeeper, Relationship Alchemist, Knowledge Nurturer, Coach.
Timeline: September 2018 – September 2021
Things I designed: Frameworks, Interactive Prototypes, Workshops and Co-creation Sessions, Feedback and Metrics Mechanisms, Design and Content Library, Templates, Community Events, Handbooks and Tools.
What is the DNA of Creative Intelligence?
Creative Intelligence requires mastery of the 5C’s – context, curiosity, collaboration, conflict, and confidence. These elements empower individuals to understand, interpret, and act with imagination. The 5C’s facilitate engagement in the creative process and are modular, providing flexibility to adapt to the user's needs and the problem at hand.
Curiosity | Exploring the unknown, seeking to understand and getting into a space where you surrender to uncertainty and you’re in flow. You are exploring and gathering inspiration. It inspires us to create.
The Design Solution
The approach to developing and delivering the Creative Curiosity sessions was systematic and collaborative, involving several key phases:
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Topic Prioritisation: The Design Community's in-person offerings shifted to a virtual format due to COVID-19 restrictions. Expression of interest surveys came back with Creative Curiosity emerging as the top topic priority.
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Existing Research: Leveraged initial insights from the broader Creative Intelligence initiative.
Desk Research: Conducted extensive research on curiosity, examining its characteristics, its relationship with creativity, and its role within the framework of Creative Intelligence.
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Synthesis: Collated and synthesised data from the discovery phase to identify the core elements of curiosity, including its definition, the traits of curious individuals, and methods for cultivating curiosity.
Framework Development: Developed a framework, such as the Infinity Loop, to illustrate the continuous interplay between curiosity and creativity.
Core Message Formulation: crafted the core message from the research on curiosity to inform and shape the offering.
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Experience Design: Structured and co-created an interactive experience that included activities, discussions, and collaborative exercises to engage participants and foster a deep understanding of creative curiosity.
Event Templates: created a template to use for future Design Community Event sessions.
Participant Journey: Designed communication strategies and engagement plans for participants before, during, and after the event, including takeaways and surveys to gather feedback.
Core Team Ways of Working: Established ways of working for core team when creating and delivering any future Design Community Events.
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Implementation: Executed the event with a focus on creating an engaging and interactive environment.
Feedback and Iteration: Collected participant feedback to refine and improve future events, ensuring continuous growth and adaptation of the Creative Curiosity sessions.
Impact
The Creative Curiosity Event increased participants' awareness and application of design and Creative Intelligence principles in their daily work. The event fostered a strong sense of community, encouraging collaboration and the sharing of ideas. Participants reported applying these principles in their daily work, enhancing their problem-solving skills and fostering a more creative and connected workplace.
Outcomes
Boosted Confidence and Curiosity
Participants of the Creative Curiosity Events reported increased confidence in their creative abilities and a greater willingness to explore new ideas. Enabling individuals to approach challenges with curiosity and a growth mindset.
As the first event on Creative Curiosity within the Creative Intelligence Program, it served as a prototype for learning and growth, with participant feedback essential for future development. The success of the event led to a surge in demand for future sessions, demonstrating its value and effectiveness.
Increased Awareness and Skills
The event provided a workbook with tools, information, and tips on breaking down curiosity and building confidence, enabling participants to continue their learning post-event, fostering a more innovative and creative mindset.
“I want to thank the team for creating and facilitating this exceptional (Creative Curiosity) session. It was so much fun. I loved the energy, it was interactive and the content was spot on. As a participant, I could see that a lot of thought went into the design and one of the best learning experiences I ever had. This is a session that should be rolled out to all Strategy and Innovation team members. Thanks team for a great session.”
Participant | Creative Curiosity
Curiosity + Creativity Loop
This is a framework that describes the relationship between curiosity and creativity. It visualises a key concept in Creative Curiosity that there is no output without any input and there is no limit to creativity. The framework triggers reflection and discussion with participants during the event and is a tool used post event.
Enhanced Community Connections
The event sparked a movement, increasing interest and demand for Ci events, fuelling a culture of continuous learning and creative exploration within the organisation. The event strengthened the design community within IAG, encouraging collaboration and the exchange of ideas. A supportive network where individuals could share insights and inspire each other was created.
Value exchange with participants
Delivering the event created a clear win-win; attendees approached their daily work with more curiosity and creativity, fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.
“The energy that the hosts brought, the authenticity of how they communicated, the professionalism of the content and the presentation (looked brilliant by the way, love the graphics and images!), the value in what was shared, and the actionable things we could take away and apply to all aspects of our lives.”
Participant | Creative Curiosity
Reflection:
I learned the immense value of fostering a culture of curiosity and creativity within the organisation. Engaging participants through interactive sessions not only enhanced their understanding of curiosity but also built a stronger, more connected design community. The positive feedback and increased demand for future events highlighted the importance of continuous learning and adapting our approach to meet the evolving needs of our community. This experience reinforced the significance of curiosity as a catalyst for innovation and growth, both personally and professionally.