Creativity is abstract until we give it a lens. In this conversation with Dr. Robert Cleve, we explore how creativity becomes tangible through what is uniquely meaningful to each of us: art, language, movement, systems, relationships. These lenses don’t limit creativity. They reveal it.

At the heart of creativity is a productive tension: freedom and structure, the unlimited and the bound. Language often becomes the container, shaping the moment when something new emerges—the “I hadn’t thought of this before” spark. Drawing on neuroscience, lived experience, and collective practice, we examine creativity not as a luxury, but as a survival to thrival skill, one that sustains many of us through isolation, uncertainty, and change.

This episode moves beyond individual expression to consider collective creativity: how creativity lives between us, how it’s shaped by social and cultural contexts, and how engaging with others expands our perspective and sense of possibility. When we honor our own creative essence and learn to recognize it in others creativity becomes relational, empowering, and life-giving.

Creativity adds depth, joy, and optimism to our lives. It helps us survive, connect, and imagine what might be.

So how do we become more creative, starting now?

1. Get curious like a student.
   Pay attention to what draws you in. What’s something you’ve always wanted to learn, explore, or understand? Start journaling to notice patterns, questions, and sparks of interest.
2. Embrace imperfection and failure.
   Creativity requires risk. Let go of needing to get it right. In Japanese philosophy, wabi-sabi reminds us that imperfection isn’t something to fix. It’s something to value.
3. Change your environment and notice.
   Step outside. Become aware of your surroundings. New insights often emerge when we give ourselves space to see differently.

Creativity is something we practice. By honoring what’s unique in ourselves and in others, we allow creativity to unfold naturally, individually and collectively in a fabric that weaves relational connection for a self styled verb that conveys an energy and medium for our being

References 

Your Brain on Art 

Neuroartsblueprint.org 

The Interpersonal World of the Infant 

The Crealectic Method

Dr. Robert Cleve 

The Global Creativity Initiative Podcast is a scholarly commitment to sharing creativity and specifically creative process for problem solving (aka life) with all of humanity. Visit our website to learn more about The Global Creativity Initiative. Write to us at [email protected]