February’s global CreativeMornings theme is DIVERGENT.
As we emerge out of the darkest of winter and head into the accelerated brightening of each day, there is an opportunity to reflect on the shifting sands around us – culturally, socially and emotionally. Our CreativeMornings theme for this month is DIVERGENT, which invites us to think and act differently, to think in ways that may challenge traditional systems or take action that may threaten the status quo.
Divergent thinking is one of the most important skills involved in creativity and innovation. It asks us to make intellectual connections between random ideas and, in doing so, create something anew. Divergent thinking invites silliness and the absurd – which are, after all, the seeds to the best ideas.
For instance: how many ideas can you come up with when asked to combine your cell phone and a water bottle into a new product?
As important as it is to generating new opportunities, divergent thinking can also be risky – for those new ideas may be threatening and may be perceived as going against the norm.
When have you experienced divergent thinking? How has it fuelled your own creativity and new ideas? Have you ever experienced resistance from others to your own different way of thinking?
Join us on February 26, 2021 when we dive deep into the theme of DIVERGENT and invite you to celebrate your own divergent ideas with us!
February 26, 2021 Event: Chef Ben Kramer “Ingredients for a Creative Life”
We have invited Chef Ben Kramer to be our speaker this month, because his entire culinary career clearly illustrates a DIVERGENT and non-traditional path.
He introduced new ways of approaching institutional cuisine in his development of Diversity Food Services, a social enterprise, for the University of Winnipeg. He has been involved in creative culinary events such as Winnipeg's Table for 1200 and Raw Almond. His commitment to social justice through the work on his newest venture, Made with Love, enhances food security at a time when the social divide keeps increasing. His CreativeMornings talk, “Ingredients for a Creative Life,” will consider his own creative process, using food and service as a canvas for divergent thinking.
