Mari Reisberg, therapist, performer, creativity coach, and host of the Sustaining Creativity podcast, brings her many talents to Hacker Valley to help adults unlock their creativity and engage with their inner child. Tackling topics from artistic ruts to technical frameworks, Mari walks through the essentials of reconnecting with creativity and curiosity. Instead of limiting thoughts to the path of least resistance, Mari challenges her clients to get comfortable with the uncomfortable in creativity.

Timecoded Guide:

[00:00] Sustaining creativity & coaching others on becoming curious

[06:35] Defining creativity with new ideas & fresh innovations 

[10:07] Climbing out of a creative rut & expanding your comfort zone

[18:47] Unlocking different levels of creativity in everyday life

[23:59] Tapping into creativity and unlocking childhood memories

Sponsor Links:

Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and Uptycs for bringing this episode to life!

With Uptycs, modern defenders can prioritize, investigate and respond to threats across the entire attack surface—all from a common solution: uptycs.com. 

What is creativity, in your opinion?

There isn’t one way to define creativity, Mari explains, but instead a myriad of ways. Each person has their own individual relationship with the concept of creativity, but Mari considers creativity to be tied to the processes of coming up with new ideas and innovating on those ideas. Seeing life through a creative lens means that Mari isn’t afraid to try and fail, because everything she does expands her comfort zone and tests her curiosity. 

“Creativity is one of those words where, if you asked 100 people, you’d get 100 different answers. For me, my definition of creativity really is around thinking of novel, new ideas. And then, the second piece of the creative process is that innovation process.”

What advice would you have for someone who is trying to find their way through a creative rut? 

The human brain will always choose the path of least resistance. People like to feel safe and comfortable with everything they do, but Mari understands that creativity can only be practiced at the edge of someone’s comfort zone. With one foot in her comfort zone and one foot out of it, Mari has been able to escape her own creative ruts and make active decisions to try the everyday activities in her life with a different perspective. 

“If my desire is to create something new, something different, and I'm continuing to do the same things and expecting a new result, it's not going to happen. How could you try something different every day?” 

Are there different types of creativity, similar to there being different types of intelligence? 

In Mari’s experience, there are two forms of creativity: big C creativity and little c creativity. While little c creativity is an everyday reality, big C creativity is much more performative, curious, and expressive. When someone says they aren’t creative, what they’re thinking of is this second form of creativity. The fact is that anyone can become big C creative, but it requires actively exploring and expanding the skills of creativity. 

“The big C creativity is what everyone assumes is creativity; performing arts, creative arts, I'm doing something that I'm sharing with the world. The small c creativity is that every day creativity. It’s something new, something different.”

When it comes to wanting to build our creative muscles, what are some techniques or frameworks that we should be considering?

Creativity is a practice, not a one-and-done deal. Mari explains that building creative muscles comes from repetition of creativity, such as trying something new everyday, challenging ourselves to think of something from an opposite point of view, and even daydreaming. Explore what would happen if something, even one small detail of an event, was different, and never limit yourself to the idea that you’re “just not creative.”

“There’re opportunities to flex that creativity, but it's about continuing to do it. You can’t do it once and expect a miracle. You keep coming back to it, keep practicing, keep having new ways of trying something.” 

---------------

Links:

Keep up with Mari Reisberg at SustainingCreativity.com

Check out Mari’s podcast, the Sustaining Creativity podcast

Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter

Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter

Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord

Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio