What skills are needed to develop creativity and teach for creativity? In this episode of Fueling Creativity, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist, former teacher, President of Figure 8 Thinking, award-winning author of The Creativity Leap. Natalie helps leaders of all kinds apply wonder and rigor to amplify business value and growth.

“To explain creativity as ‘toggling between wonder and rigor to solve problems is an example of the way I’m hoping to simplify and make creativity a lot more accessible.”

- Natalie Nixon

Tune in to learn Natalie’s unique definition of creativity and what that would look like in a learning environment. She breaks down her 3i Creativity Model, which increases the capacity for creativity through inquiry, intuition, and improvisation, along with how you can apply this model to your students’ or kids’ education. Natalie also sheds light on the role of the nervous system, and even daydreaming, in nurturing your intuition and creativity.

“In my opinion, a really great teacher is someone who can explain why 1+1=2 in five different ways, just because we all will get it differently, we all will understand it differently.”

- Natalie Nixon

Resources Mentioned:

The Creativity Leap: Unleash Curiosity, Improvisation, and Intuition at Work by Natalie Nixon

A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger

The Book of Beautiful Questions by Warren Berger

Article about cognitive flexibility

Eager to bring more creativity into your home or classroom? 

Access various creativity resources and tools & listen to more episodes of The Fueling Creativity in Education Podcast by visiting www.CreativityandEducation.com.

What to learn more about Design Thinking in Education? 

Do you want to build a sustained culture of innovation and creativity at your school?  Visit WorwoodClassroom.com to learn how Design Thinking can promote teacher creativity and support professional growth in the classroom. 

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About Natalie Nixon:

Meet Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist and the president of Figure 8 Thinking, LLC. Natalie is a global keynote speaker, author of the award-winning book, The Creativity Leap, and has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, LinkedIn’s Hello Monday podcast, and Seth Godin’s Akimbo podcast. Natalie helps leaders apply wonder & rigor to amplify growth & business value.

Learn more about Figure 8 Thinking

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Download the WonderRigor™ Tip Sheet

Free sample chapter of The Creativity Leap

Upcoming WonderRigor™ Lab online course