The Common Creative

Kath Blackham is the founder and CEO of Versa – a digital agency whose mission has ignored tech jargon and instead is all about facilitating conversations between their clients and customers. 

Kath appeared on our radar when we spotted an ABC story about her agency moving to a four day week and doubling profits in the process.

In this inspirational interview, we discover how Kath has used creativity to create the ultimate flexible working environment that not only delivers great work and increased profits but also boosts the mental health of her work force.

As she puts it “my life's work is using my business as a platform to move the needle on the things that I'm most passionate about. And the number one on that list is mental health in the workplace”

Links/References

The Common Creative (Mailing List Subscriptions): http://eepurl.com/hgp0_j

The Common Creative (Website): www.thecommoncreative.co

Kath Blackham/Versa Agency: https://versa.agency

Paul Fairweather: www.paulfairweather.com

Chris Meredith: www.chrismeredith.com.au

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Dani Venn is a three-time Masterchef contestant, founder of Eat It Up Creative (consultancy) and The Wholehearted Cook and the driving force behind a delicious Sri-Lankan style Pineapple Curry, which is available in Coles Supermarkets.

In this super-fresh and tasty interview, we learned that even under the pressure of performing as a Masterchef contestant, Dani unleashes her creativity by applying a playful and almost child-like approach to her cooking. (Her Korean Rice Burgers are still a growing trend!)

But despite a seemingly light-hearted approach to business (and life) Dani’s creative streak is complemented by a commitment to hard work that’s sustained over time.  Or as Paul put it, “Dani is a 10-year overnight success”.

For insights into food, creativity, and helping people move from “pain island to pleasure island”, tune in to this remarkable episode.

Links/References

The Common Creative (Mailing List Subscriptions): http://eepurl.com/hgp0_j

The Common Creative (Website): www.thecommoncreative.co

Dani Venn: www.danivenn.com.au

Eat It Up Creative: https://eatitupcreative.com

Paul Fairweather: www.paulfairweather.com

Chris Meredith: www.chrismeredith.com.au

Dani Venn – Masterchef: https://10play.com.au/masterchef/participants/season-12/dani-venn/pa200218pwcxf

Dani Venn Pineapple Curry (Coles Supermarkets): https://shop.coles.com.au/a/warrawong/product/coles-dani-venn-srilankan-pineapple-curry

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Creative Accounting at a Stretch

When Chris and Paul challenged Camille Woods (accountancy teacher, yoga teacher and founder of www.mondaymind.com) to explain how she has managed to combine two such different disciplines into one career, she said “you have to let your creativity come out”.

In this powerful interview, Camille reveals a range of deep insights about what drives her and how everyone can understand and embrace their own passions. Or as she puts it “when you have a passion, the job is going to happen”

Camille has carved out her own ‘blended career’ which combines her love of accountancy and numbers with a successful yoga school.  It appears to defy convention (surely it would make sense to focus on one!) but her explanation of how they reinforce and support each other is a source of inspiration for anyone who has a passion that’s trying to get out. 

Links:

Subscribe www.thecommoncreative.co

Camille Woods (Guest) www.mondaymind.com

Paul Fairweather (Co-Host) www.pauifairweather.com.au

Chris Meredith (Co-Host) www.chrismeredith.com.au

David Eagleman - The Runaway Species (How Human Creativity Remakes the World)

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-runaway-species-david-eagleman/book/9780857862075.html

David Baldacci (Novelist and Lawyer) https://www.davidbaldacci.com

Franco Mondini-Ruiz https://www.davidbaldacci.com

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Creativity and risk go hand in hand. New ventures often require a step into unknown territory and this uncertainty can be scary. Sometimes those risks pay off and other times... they don’t.

The name elderflower sounds delicate and sweet… so how was it that this flowering plant caused so much trouble for chef Garry Flynn? This week on The Common Creative, Paul and Chris chat to Garry about a business venture that didn’t go to plan and the creative lessons we can take away from misfortune. Plus: the importance of asking that crucial yet elusive “one last question”…

Subscribe to our mailing list http://eepurl.com/hgp0_j
The Common Creative https://thecommoncreative.co
Paul Fairweather (Podcast Co-host) https://www.paulfairweather.com
Chris Meredith (Podcast Co-host) https://chrismeredith.com.au

CREATIVE MASTERCLASSES

Creative Thinking Packed Lunch [Ingenious Leadership]: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/creative-thinking-packed-lunch-ingenious-leadership-tickets-115464241655

Expresso Edition [Story telling | Presenting Online | Online Workshops | Creativity at Work]: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/o/chris-meredith-13801260261

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“Frisson" is the feeling you have when you get up on stage for a first performance or the moment when an inner idea goes public. It's the mid-point between fear and excitement and we’ve discovered it's one of the vital fuels for creativity. 

In this episode, Paul describes how as a teenager and as an adult various teachers told him ‘you can’t sing’. Driven by a need for “frisson”, he persevered. He took lessons, he took risks and finally learned to hit the right notes so that he could sing to his kids.

If ever there were proof that creativity is a powerful force that we all have within us, this is it. Tune in to find out how to harness your "frisson".  

The Common Creative https://thecommoncreative.co
Paul Fairweather (Podcast Co-host) https://www.paulfairweather.com
Chris Meredith (Podcast Co-host) https://chrismeredith.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should the business title CEO mean “Creative Empowerment Officer”? 

Confronted by a gunman who had raided the bank branch where she worked, our special guest Lexi Airey realised that, in her short life, she hadn’t had a chance to experience life to the full.
So, she declared that she would never work in a bank again and took a job glassing the bottom of boats.

After taking two degrees and moving from the UK to Australia, Lexi is now one of the youngest CEOs in the Australian financial services industry (she’s CEO of Gateway Bank). She is also an artist, sculptor, writer, and stand-up comic.  

This episode is littered with powerful creative insights from someone who oozes creativity from inside one of the most structured industries in Australia. 
If you’re keen to understand ‘the opportunity of constraints’ or what ‘happy accidents’ can mean for your career, tune in and find out!


Lexi Airey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexi-airey-10ab351/
Gateway Bank: https://www.gatewaybank.com.au
Amy Mullins (TED Talk “The opportunity of adversity”): https://www.ted.com/talks/aimee_mullins_the_opportunity_of_adversity?language=en
The Common Creative: https://thecommoncreative.co
Paul Fairweather (Podcast Co-host): https://www.paulfairweather.com
Chris Meredith (Podcast Co-host): https://chrismeredith.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Fairweather (AM) - the guest on this episode is a business heavyweight and a retired Major General in the Australian Army (Reserve).  He is also Paul Fairweather’s big brother.
Despite what may seem to be a background I’m highly structured and disciplined environments, Michael reveals that there is a streak of  creativity running throughout the army - from the everyday ranks (who have learned to create new flavours with their rations via the use of spicy sauces) through to the officers whose selection for army depends in part on their  creative skills,  through to the Centre for Army Lessons Learned who are charged with encouraging the army to change and adapt to new circumstances.
Michaels tip for incorporating more creativity in business? Communicate - Communicate by Listening, sharing feelings, and expressing  the ideas that will help to  move things forward.
Michael Fairweatherhttp://www.mfa.net.au
Australian Defence Forcehttps://www.defence.gov.au
The Common Creativehttps://thecommoncreative.co
Paul Fairweather (Podcast Co-host)https://www.paulfairweather.com
Chris Meredith (Podcast Co-host)https://chrismeredith.com.a

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Build a Bridge - Episode 6 of The Common Creative
Many of us harbour a secret desire to create something or do something a bit different but “life” seems to get in the way. In this episode, Chris shares a story about how he discovered how to unlock his secret passion for photography via a ‘moment of clarity’ while motorcycling across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The lessons for creatives everywhere are:
Allow the mind to wander - whether on a motorbike, swimming in the sea or gazing out of the window of an aircraft.  In a semi-meditative state, the mind goes to new and exciting places and it’s vital to allow time for ‘mental wandering’ and to recognise the power of the ideas that are generated
Make it till you make it.  The barriers to achieving the next goal are in the mind. Lack of money, time or talent are often excuses rather than the underlying reasons that a new idea or next project doesn’t happen.  


Links
Atomic Habits (Julian Clear)https://www.amazon.com.au/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/1847941834
Make it till you make it - Chase Jarvis hhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chase_Jarvis
Chris Merediths Photography Websitehttp://www.christophermeredith.com.au
The Common Creativehttps://thecommoncreative.co
Paul Fairweather (Podcast Co-host)https://www.paulfairweather.com
Chris Meredith (Podcast Co-host)https://chrismeredith.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Chillis" - Episode 5 - The Common Creative

Chris and Paul share a passion for chillis - and not just because they enjoy the flavour. Chris’ consultancy business is called Chilli Sauce and Paul has been painting chillis for many years. Inspired by this passion, Chris and Paul explore the impact of chilis on creativity and discover some surprising lessons:

• In order to create ‘new new’ ideas, it’s important to break the hard-wired “rivers of thinking’ which exist inside the brain. A jolt - such as the heat of a chilli or the stimulus of an exciting idea or a new person can help the brain cut across its rivers of thinking, form new connections and hence new ideas
• Just as the right amount of chilli (but not too much) can make a good dish into a great dish, so business needs to incorporate the right amount of creativity in order to innovate and grow. Too much chilli or too much creativity will explode the taste buds and a successful business idea!
• Chilis are a meme for exchanging ideas.   In business, great ideas are super-spicy and invite storytelling and sharing. Small tweaks to a business formula are like vanilla flavoured food - pleasant but  at risk of being forgotten
• An idea isn’t an idea until it's been shared and ‘bought’ by someone else.  (For artists, it means work doesn't become an artwork until someone else has bought it)

Links/notes

Edward De-Bono

http://www.debonothinkingsystems.com/tools/lateral.htm

Chilli Chopsticks Paintings (by Paul)

Watercolour Tabasco ( by Paul)

The Chilli Pepper and the Columbian Exchange

http://sageshistoryblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-chili-pepper-and-columbian-exchange.html

The Common Creative

https://thecommoncreative.co

Paul Fairweather (Podcast Co-host)

https://www.paulfairweather.com

Chris Meredith (Podcast Co-host)

https://chrismeredith.com.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Common Creative Episode 4 “Shampoo”

What is the role of creativity in the cut-and-thrust of the business world?  In this episode, Chris Meredith shares a story about his experience as a junior brand manager in charge of a shampoo brand. Despite having a  creative idea to boost sales the idea was squished by the all-powerful Marketing Director who explained that ideas like that are not what we do around here.

The creative lessons  for business are:

Sometimes without even knowing it, businesses kill creativity.

For creativity to work effectively, it pays to start out by understanding the existing rules (“How we do things around here”)

Once an idea has been created, gain traction by allowing colleagues to explore it and play with it. (Play is an important tool for creatives)

Don't get too attached to your own ideas.  Once a team gets to play with an idea, it will alter and change - so don’t be defensive and protect the original concept.

Links/References:

Silvikrin Shampoo

https://www.wella.com/international/about-wella/silvikrin

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