Creative Education Foundation

Get ready to explore the power of ! The Florida Creativity Conference returns March 13-15, 2025, at the inspiring Ringling College of Art and Design in beautiful , Florida. Our Call for Proposals opens next week! Whether you're an experienced presenter or a first-time speaker, this is your opportunity to contribute to our vibrant community of creative thinkers. We can’t wait to see you there!

Elevate your business with the Creative Leadership Fellowship, proudly sponsored by Travelers Insurance!

This unique opportunity is designed for entrepreneurs and business owners who are either from Hartford or have a strong commitment to the Hartford community.

Fellows will engage in CEF’s Creative Problem Solving (CPS) for Business Leaders training, featuring both virtual and in-person sessions, and receive a FourSight assessment to uncover personal and team strengths and challenges. Led by Najja Bouldin, Founder & Principal of Phoenix INNOVATION Group, this program will empower you to launch a strategic implementation plan for a key business challenge or opportunity. Complete the program and receive a $1,000 stipend to support your business growth.

Join us for an info session on August 21 at 7 PM via Zoom. Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUqd-yhqT0sGdJhxg4bXTFw0IYHQNn0bJqn

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

We're thrilled to announce the Creative Leadership Fellowship, presented by the Creative Education Foundation, sponsored by Travelers Insurance, and in partnership with ReSET (Social Enterprise Trust) and HEDCO / Business Resource Center. Designed for entrepreneurs and business owners either from Hartford, Connecticut or who have a commitment to the Hartford community, fellows will participate in CEF’s signature Creative Problem Solving for Business Leaders training. This training includes virtual and in-person sessions, and insights into personal and team dynamics, strengths, and challenges. At the conclusion of the program, Fellows will launch an implementation plan for a particular business challenge or opportunity they face. A $1,000 stipend will be given to participants who complete the full training. For more information, to nominate someone, or to apply, visit www.CreativeEducationFoundation.org/fellowship

Our next Unexpected Connections features special guests Jonathan Vehar and Cathi Brese Doebler, authors of the book How to Make Meetings Not Suck, and long-time supporters of the Creative Education Foundation. Jonathan and Cathi will guide you through the mindsets, skillsets and toolsets for running meetings, along with an introduction to various techniques. This highly interactive event is free and open to anyone. Unexpected Connections is a space to enjoy connections, conversation, community, and insights. Register to save your spot: https://bit.ly/4cAZLUd

The Creative Education Foundation is deeply saddened to share the news of Bea Parnes' passing. She was 102. We will be sharing more details and a fuller tribute in the coming days. Bea was a true champion of CEF. Please join us in holding the Parnes Family in your hearts during this difficult time.

The involves is a proven method for approaching a problem or a challenge in an imaginative and innovative way.

During Stage 1, Clarify: ➡️ Identify the goal, wish, or challenge, ➡️ Describe and generate data to enable a clear understanding of the challenge, and ➡️ Sharpen awareness of the challenge and create challenge questions that invite solutions. Learn more about CPS and how the Creative Education Foundation can help you harness your natural creative ability and apply it purposefully to problems, challenges, and opportunities: CreativeEducationFoundation.org

We are pleased to present CPSI 2024 photographs! 📸

Click the link to access the CPSI 2024 gallery onionstudio.com/proofing/cpsi-2024 if you see something you would like, you can contact Dylan Buyskes Onion Studio, Inc. at [email protected] to purchase your copy. Photographs are available for $5 for personal and $25 for commercial use, but if you want a bunch, Dylan will work out a deal with you!

We're thrilled to announce the Creative Leadership Fellowship, presented by the Creative Education Foundation, sponsored by Travelers Insurance, and in partnership with ReSET (Social Enterprise Trust) and HEDCO / Business Resource Center. Designed for entrepreneurs and business owners either from Hartford, Connecticut or who have a commitment to the Hartford community, fellows will participate in CEF’s signature Creative Problem Solving for Business Leaders training. This training includes virtual and in-person sessions, and insights into personal and team dynamics, strengths, and challenges. At the conclusion of the program, Fellows will launch an implementation plan for a particular business challenge or opportunity they face. A $1,000 stipend will be given to participants who complete the full training. For more information, to nominate someone, or to apply, visit www.CreativeEducationFoundation.org/fellowship

As artificial intelligence and natural language processing methods rapidly develop, communication plays a pivotal role in every-day interactions. In this theoretical paper, now out in the Journal of Creative Behavior, the researchers explore the overlap and commonalities between question-asking and prompt engineering. "While seemingly distinct, these processes share a common foundation in essential skills like creativity, critical thinking, and cognitive flexibility," they write. "We contend that prompt engineering, the art of crafting cues for language models, and question-asking, the skill of formulating inquiries, form a symbiotic relationship. Our theoretical contribution emphasizes the dynamic role of creativity in both processes, offering intriguing perspectives on human–machine interactions and advancing our understanding of language models and communication skills." Open access: https://bit.ly/3LYHSEd. The Journal of Creative Behavior, published by the Creative Education and Wiley, is the original and longest-standing journal devoted specifically to .

TOMORROW!!

At our next Unexpected Connections - Wednesday, August 7 at Noon EST - we’ll be discussing how we use Creative Problem Solving in our personal or professional life. CPS can be a fully facilitated process, and the many tools can also be used on their own. What all practitioners of Creative Problem Solving can agree upon, it’s a mindset and a way of navigating through life. What does that look like for you, and what tips can you share with others? This highly interactive event is free and open to anyone.

Unexpected Connections is a space to enjoy connections, conversation, community, and insights. Register to save your spot: https://bit.ly/3WxhA1P

"I am particularly passionate about forging meaningful collaborations between nonprofit organizations, and I believe CEF is well-positioned to curate, initiate, and support such collaborations," says Executive Director Beth Miller in a recent interview with CXO Outlook. "It would be amazing to help lead a shift in the nonprofit sector from a “hunger games” mentality – i.e. competing nonprofits scrapping for limited resources and funding – to an integrated, effective, well-funded, equitable, and well-resourced network of nonprofits that truly move the needle on society’s most critical social issues."

Helping People Unlock their Creative Potential - CXO Outlook Beth Miller is Executive Director of the Creative Education Foundation, which provides personal and professional development in Creative Problem Solving and other deliberate creativity processes. Beth taught writing at Trinity College and Quinnipiac University and is an award-winning writer and hist...

🌟 Take charge of your personal and professional goals with Creative Education Foundation! 🚀 Our programs and workshops are designed to help you become the best version of yourself. Join us and start your journey to improvement today! 📚✨

Learn more by visiting: creativeeducationfoundation.org

What’s missing from your personal ? 🧰 The process isn't just for growth—it's for life! Discover how our and can boost your creativity and potential: creativeeducationfoundation.org. 🌟

We know you’re naturally creative — come hear about how you can be deliberately creative! 🌟 🌟

Join the creativity pros and the founders of “brainstorming”, the Creative Education Foundation, for a fun and interactive introduction to Creative Problem Solving. In just 90 minutes, we’ll teach you some deliberate creativity tools and techniques that you can apply to challenges and opportunities immediately. Register Now! https://bit.ly/3r72q0d

Unlock new ways to solve problems with the Creative Education Foundation! Creative Problem Solving (CPS) helps you approach challenges imaginatively, redefining them to find innovative solutions. Dive into deliberate creativity and transform how you think and act on problems.

Learn more at: creativeeducationfoundation.org

🎉 Exciting News from the Creative Education Foundation! 🎉

The pre-sale is still available, and you can enjoy 40% off this year's rates when you book early: tinyurl.com/2025CPSIFLCC

We're thrilled to offer a special pre-sale for our 2025 signature events: the Florida Creativity Conference in March and the CPSI Conference next July. We can't wait to see familiar faces and welcome new friends! 🌟

Discover and sharpen your superpowers at one of our many virtual and in-person events and workshops.

Visit: CreativeEducationFoundation.org

At our next Unexpected Connections - Wednesday, August 7 at Noon EST - we’ll be discussing how we use Creative Problem Solving in our personal or professional life. CPS can be a fully facilitated process, and the many tools can also be used on their own. What all practitioners of Creative Problem Solving can agree upon, it’s a mindset and a way of navigating through life. What does that look like for you, and what tips can you share with others? This highly interactive event is free and open to anyone. Unexpected Connections is a space to enjoy connections, conversation, community, and insights. Register to save your spot: https://bit.ly/3WxhA1P

We're already thinking March! As in Florida Creativity Conference. Today we're visiting The Dalí Museum, where they have been offering Creative Problem Solving workshops as part of their Innovation Labs series. Pictured: Beth Miller, Roseanne Avella, and Lindsay Y. Burr.

School starts up soon, and the Creative Education Foundation is ready to help unleash the problem solving potential of students and educators! Our teacher professional development training unlocks creative thinking and teaches critical thinking processes that transform into action. Build confidence, resilience, and tolerance for ambiguity that will help both educators and students get through any challenge. More at www.creativeeducationfoundation.org/educators/

As part of the Creative Education Foundation’s continuing mission to train K-12 educators, administrators, and students in Creative Problem Solving, we’re thrilled to be presenting at the Georgia After School Youth Development Conference this September. Our three sessions, presented alongside our partner GUIDE, Inc. — “Boosting Creative Mindsets,” “Being Creative on Purpose,” and “Whose Activity is This, Anyway?” — are intended to transform schools into innovation hubs, and students into creative leaders. The conference, taking place September 10 - 13, provides three dynamic days of research-based best practices; information, tools and resources framed by the Georgia ASYD Quality Standards; and opportunities for networking, collaboration and partnership formation. Youth development and afterschool providers from all across the state and beyond are invited to attend. Register at https://georgiaasyd.org/conference/registration/.

Tomorrow! We know you’re naturally creative — come hear about how you can be deliberately creative. Join the creativity pros and the founders of “brainstorming”, the Creative Education Foundation, for a fun and interactive introduction to Creative Problem Solving. In just 90 minutes, we’ll teach you some deliberate creativity tools and techniques that you can apply to challenges and opportunities immediately. Register Now! https://bit.ly/3r72q0d

Is curiosity the driving force behind creativity, or does creativity spark curiosity? Just out in the Journal of Creative Behavior: https://bit.ly/3y8xDtt "The aim of the present study is to extend empirical research and explore the potential bidirectional connections between creativity and curiosity as dynamic and time-evolving constructs within individuals," write the authors. Founded by the Creative Education Foundation in 1967 and published in partnership with Wiley, the Journal of Creative Behavior is the original and longest-standing journal devoted specifically to

As part of our continuing efforts to support organizations in greater Buffalo (the home of Creative Problem Solving) with donations of gently-used events materials, we’re thrilled that Sampson Squared Enterprises are able to make use of many yoga mats. Their mission is to empower individuals through yoga, mental health awareness, and self-healing. We believe in a profound connection between mind, body and spirit while fostering a compassionate community where everyone can find balance and peace. (Photo credit Buffalo News)

🧠✨ Ready to Supercharge Your Creativity? ✨🧠

Imagine solving problems faster and better every day! 🌟 Join the gurus and the original legends at the Creative Education Foundation for our "Being Creative with a Purpose" virtual workshop! 🚀

In just 90 minutes, you'll discover mind-blowing creativity tools and tricks to tackle any challenge. 🛠️💡

Don't miss out on this fun, interactive session to unleash your inner genius! Register now, and let's get creative 🎉🧠 https://bit.ly/3zxddL5

While CPSI magic was taking place at our annual conference, our amazing Wings were also working behind the scenes. In addition to all they do during the conference, the Wings also gave of their time to do a little house cleaning of our own. As a result, we were able to donate lightly-used and much-loved “event stuff” to deserving organizations through the Buffalo region: The Collaborative Community Mission, Sweet Charlotte's, Stitch Buffalo, MISSION: IGNITE Powered by Computers For Children, Tennyson Court Senior Care Community, Kevin Guest House, West Side Community Services, Quale's Nest Handcrafted Basketry, Buffalo Prenatal Perinatal Network- BPPN, and Daemen University.

We know you’re naturally creative — come hear about how you can be deliberately creative! Join the creativity pros and the founders of “brainstorming”, the Creative Education Foundation, for a fun and interactive introduction to Creative Problem Solving. In just 90 minutes, we’ll teach you some deliberate creativity tools and techniques that you can apply to challenges and opportunities immediately. Register Now! https://bit.ly/3r72q0d

The Creative Education Foundation (CEF) is pleased to announce the 2024 Ruth B. Noller Research Grant awardee, Andra Toader, PhD. The Ruth B. Noller Grant supports paradigm-shifting with high potential for impact in the field of , studies, and creative thinking. Ruth was widely known for cultivating the scientific understanding for creative thinking. She is most famous for the creativity formula Cƒa (KIE) – the interaction between Knowledge, Imagination, and Evaluation generates Creativity.

Andra’s research fits into three streams — creativity and creative problem solving; organizational and team cognition; and business ethics and leadership. Her work on team creative problem solving has shed new light on the role of cognitive diversity for creative teams. Her research has also highlighted the role of leaders in creating ethical teams, especially on the pernicious effects of unethical leadership role models in perpetuating unethical organizational cultures. Currently, she is incorporating complexity and system-based principles in her work on organizational teams and leadership, as well as investigating the fundamentals of individual and collective cognition that support individual and collective creative problem solving.

THE PROJECT:

The framing of creativity has been largely positive: Creativity enables the creation of useful novelties that benefit the human species. However, researchers have started to draw more attention to a “dark side” of creativity. These researchers contend that creativity offers a cognitive and behavioral flexibility that predisposes a creative person to bend the rules in situations where they might have something to gain. In other words, creativity can be used for perpetuating immoral or illegal behavior and various injustices, so long as it is in the person’s favor to use those skills for their individual, egotistic benefit.

Andra uses a complexity-based lens and examines factors which might tempt the creative individual to behave unethically. Specifically, this research asks: In which circumstances are creative individuals more likely to behave unethically and where will creativity aid individuals to make more, not less, moral decisions? Specifically, she examines the environmental and personal moderators and mechanisms of the effects of creativity, with a focus on moderators which predispose the creative individual to behave unethically (temptations) and moderators which predispose the creative individual to behave ethically (constraints).

The findings of this research will strengthen the literature by helping it move from a unidimensional and somewhat contrived focus on the “dark side” of creativity to a more nuanced understanding of the temptations that creative individuals face in the their work as well as the internal and external resources that they draw on to manage those temptations.

How might organizations encourage and support employee creative behavior to fuel innovation? "This investigation, grounded in self-determination theory and social cognitive theory, proposes a model where deliberate practice impacts behavior through the mediating effect of harmonious entrepreneurial passion and is further amplified by the level of perceived innovation importance," write the authors in this research paper, now out in the Journal of Creative Behavior. Founded by the Creative Education Foundation in 1967 and published in partnership with Wiley, the Journal of Creative Behavior is the original and longest-standing journal devoted specifically to . More at https://bit.ly/3XR4IVu

🎉 We are thrilled to extend a massive thank you to our outstanding sponsors: FOURSIGHT, Creatives On Call, Sensory Spectrum, Inc. & The Spectrum Discovery Center, and Voltage Control! Your generous support is instrumental in making the 2024 CPSI Conference a success.

Your contributions empower us to push the boundaries of and , providing an inspiring platform for all attendees. We truly couldn’t achieve this without your invaluable support. Here’s to unleashing creativity and driving innovation together!