Any creative, strategic, or transformative task, at its core, is about finding patterns and connecting dots. The dots represent the ingredients, the constraints that shape your final creative decisions. It is up to you to connect those dots into a beautiful, coherent picture that you can then execute upon.
Being at the Florida Creativity Conference (FLCC), I got to drink from a firehose of ideas—in the best way possible—and also collect a whole set of new dots. Rarely does such an outsized amount of creativity, learning, and idea exchange happen in one place at one time, but that’s exactly what unfolded at this “best-kept secret” of conferences.
It was an experience to savor, both as a presenter and an attendee. As a presenter, I thoroughly enjoyed delivering my sessions and was blown away by the engagement and reception from the incredible community. The most engaged audience is a curious one.
As an attendee, I got to learn new ways of thinking and concepts from across the board, experience play, challenge old notions, and be a child again. And yes, broaden my lens on how I perceived creativity itself. Turns out, being around smart, creative people who’ve dedicated time to the practice of creative thinking has a cool side effect: you get new ideas to play with and new dots to connect.
Because creative thinking is indeed a practice, a built capability, a way of life. And few places or events embody this spirit better. The breadth of creative knowledge on offer here is quite unparalleled. You’ll leave with a completely rewired mind.
So, what’s next? Well, it’s up to letting these newfound ideas breathe; letting them sit, marinate, collide quietly with each other and everything else already living in my head. You rarely know upfront where they’ll land or what new picture will form. And that’s the point!
And while that happens, my hope is that FLCC doesn’t remain a best-kept secret for too long.