Time to evolve.
Doesn’t September feel more like the New Year than January? September is the time to complete projects, clear out the old, harvest the fruits of your labours, and prepare the ground for the new. If we are tuned in to the cycles of nature, then we will want to create order and balance in our lives, to align with the energy of Equinox this season.
Last Spring I wrote in my Half-Time Pep talk on Artful Leadership Amidst Turbulence, that we are living in the midst of a seismic shift that calls for us to mitigate fear, face facts, nurture relationships, collaborate and find new opportunities for growth. This is the time to experiment, learn, grow, and create. In short, it’s time to evolve and many of us are being called to bring things into balance, and redefine the way we live and work.
I’ve been taking my own advice and have been experimenting on a few fronts. I’ve been wanting to develop podcasts and webinars to deliver content through new platforms to create multiple streams of income, and decided the best way to learn is by doing — in a safe environment.
Global Conversations
To accomplish my goal to evolve as a communicator, I launched Global Conversations, an initiative within The Creative Skills Training Council, (one of my communities of practice) to interview thought leaders and host conversations that matter to our community. We love talking about our praxis and there is a richness on the calls, not possible to achieve via email.
The initiative serves three purposes. (It’s always good to have three reasons to do anything.)
- Develop my skills in interviewing, hosting conference calls, and creating podcasts.
- Enhance connections with the CSTC community through real-time conversations, not just email.
- Knowledge sharing around our praxis
The discussions were recorded, and at first were available only to members, so I felt pretty comfortable hosting. It turned out members love the conversations about our praxis and we’ve decided to make them available online for the public.
We use Calliflower.com for the conference calls. It’s a free service, and while not completely user-friendly, it does have some desirable features: No clicks when people arrive on the call or leave, and you can make multiple recordings on the same call. The quality of the recordings is excellent, and they provide you with a link to the recording so you don’t have to worry about emailing large files.
Listen to CSTC Global Conversations with:
- Robert Denhardt, director of the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University
- John Cimino, president and CEO of Creative Leaps International,
- Bob Eckert, partner New and Improved, LLC,
- Cynthia Duval, founder, the Pacific Ethnographic Research Center
Upcoming Events
Come to your Senses through Music and Art.
October 3 and/or October 31, 2009 Vancouver BC
Listen to music and paint what you hear. Inspired by Kandinsky. No artistic experience required. Click here for details.
Alchemy Of Leadership: Going For The Gold
I’ll be speaking about art, design and transformation at the upcoming HealthCare Leaders’ conference, October 20, in Vancouver, BC.
Fall Leadership Seminars at Royal Roads University, Victoria BC:
Solution Finding: Leading with Creativity
Nov 5–Nov 6, 2009, Attend 1 or 2 days.
Creativity is a core competency for leaders and managers and one of the best ways to set your company apart from the competition. Becoming a skilled solution-finder will make you indispensable in today’s marketplace. This workshop will help you develop the full spectrum of creativity skills, including practical tools and techniques that use both sides of your brain. Details.
Putting Passion to Work: Potent Leadership
Nov 19, 2009
You will leave the workshop with practical tools and processes to help you develop Creativity, Collaboration, Artistry, Reflection, Diversity, Decision-making and Solution-Solving skills that contribute to personal and organizational transformation. Details
Recommended reading for my courses at RRU
One more thing…
Have you got a solution for sustainable arts funding in your community? I’d like to hear from you. Please post your ideas here:
Thank you!
Happy Creating,
Linda Naiman
P.S. If you need coaching for creativity, leadership, team development or finding balance in your life, I can help. Please contact me for a complimentary 30 minute phone conversation.
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