Dedicated to advancing creativity as a national and global value

Introductions

I'll go first. I'm based in Chicago and have evolved from a Shakespearean actor to a producer to an arts advocate and political organizer to an Internet marketer to a executive education consultant to a community organizer and educator. My "elevator pitch" is "I am a consultant, producer, educator and trainer who can help individuals, companies and communities leverage and amplify their creative assets in order to solve problems, create economic value and trigger civic engagement."
You can check out my work at www.tresser.com. You can read my manifesto in the attached PDF file.

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Tom_Tresser_Manifesto.pdf, 141 KB

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Permalink Reply by Mark McGuinness on October 30, 2008 at 12:22pm: Hello everyone from London, UK. I'm a poet and a coach/trainer for creative professionals and innovative companies.

My creative coaching blog is at www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog

I've recently launched Lateral Action, a site about creativity and productivity, in partnership with Brian Clark and Tony Clark: www.lateralaction.com

Feel free to download and share my e-book 'Time Management for Creative People', which is licensed for free noncommercial distribution (over 50,000 downloads so far): http://media.lateralaction.com/creativetime.pdf; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert Alan Black on October 30, 2008 at 12:46pm: Welcome!

How is the free downloading working for you? I recently uploaded my book, "America Needs You!" - a case for making creativity a national priority and why creatives make good civic leaders. But I didn't offer it for free.

Tom Tresser
Chicago
tom@tresser.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert "Alan" Black on October 30, 2008 at 12:49pm: Welcome Mark

Thanks for sharing links to much of your great work you are doing.

How about motivating most to all employees to be more creative?

Alan; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert "Alan" Black on October 30, 2008 at 1:12pm: it takes all types of marketing and some good luck some times.

I sell and give away materials. Both have benefitted me. The direct contact seems to be the most valuable factor in either case.

Alan; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mark McGuinness on October 30, 2008 at 1:20pm: Thanks Tom. The free download has worked wonders for me, it got my ideas out there, make me lots of new friends, and brought me work.

That's not to say free is always the best option - sometimes people value something more if they pay for it, plus it's plain uneconomical to give away EVERYTHING for free! :-)

Tom Tresser said:
Welcome!

How is the free downloading working for you? I recently uploaded my book, "America Needs You!" - a case for making creativity a national priority and why creatives make good civic leaders. But I didn't offer it for free.

Tom Tresser
Chicago
tom@tresser.com; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mark McGuinness on October 30, 2008 at 1:24pm: Thanks Alan. I have a pretty broad definition of 'creative professionals'. To me, it's basically anyone who uses their creativity professionally. My clients include insurance brokers and VCs as well as creative industries people.

Having said that, I think motivation is something that's drawn out rather than put in by a trainer/manager/coach, something I've been writing about this week: http://www.wishfulthinking.co.uk/blog/2008/10/29/motivate-creative-...

I agree that a mixture of free/paid content is the best way to go, and there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting.

Alan (Robert Alan Black, Ph.D., CSP) said:
Welcome Mark
Thanks for sharing links to much of your great work you are doing.
How about motivating most to all employees to be more creative?

Alan; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert "Alan" Black on July 15, 2009 at 8:14pm: What are your latest thoughts on this question?

Alan; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert "Alan" Black on July 15, 2009 at 8:20pm: When I took over the coordination of CREATIVITY CHAMPIONS all of Tom Tressor, the founder's, forums and messages were then shown as my personal messages.

No I am not from Chicago.

I am from Detroit.

My acting background is in amateur improv groups, clowning school and some amateur stand-up comedy.

My career has been very eclectic focused on creative fields: architecture, interior design, graphics & signage design, cartooning, freelance writing, college design professor until 1984 when I began my full-time focus on being an international creative workplace consultant.

To learn more visit my website at your convenience

http://www.cre8ng.com

Please share info about you.

Alan; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Cathy on July 15, 2009 at 9:03pm: update time:

it's now mid way through 2009....and I am over the 1/2-way point to getting my degree....10 more papers to pass.

but I'm behind slightly and won't be finishing now until July 2011...in hindsight I took quite the wrong paper last year and failed. that in turn meant I had to re-think what I was doing and made a decision to do a double major.

So it's a BA in Asian Studies: History/Politics + Art History. (no languages)

Semester 1 is finished: Exploring Japan; Exploration of the Pacific (from Europeans/Pacific Islanders point of view); Modernism/Design.

Semester 2 starts next week: Maori Art History: Theory & Practice; Mao Zedong, Cultural Revolution, China; Culture & Envirnoment of East Asia.

Next year/s I will have to fit in the compolsy (sp!) General Education papers x 2; 2 more Asian; one more Art History; 2 electives in anything.

I may be going to do a Post Graduate Diploma in a different field than I am currently in...Ethnomusicology. This came about via a paper I did early last year when I managed to wing in the exam a A+ 40/40 for that section so I am going to see the PG advisor in a few weeks time to talk about things.....the electives will more than likely come from that subject :-)..........but right now I can only think of finishing the BA in 2011!!!

any of the people my own age who started at the same time as me at Uni will mostly be finishing their degrees at the end of this year...but I have been doing mine 3/4 time and of course I have had a few fails!

other than....my life is about usual....I've grown older.....though!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Robert "Alan" Black on July 15, 2009 at 10:11pm: Thanks for sharing more about your educational work. Keep keeping on. You will look back with your completed degree soon. Then onto another creative challenge.

Alan; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Cathy on July 15, 2009 at 10:23pm: Alan
I suppose there are always moooooooooore challlllllllllenges but right now I think I'm being challenged quite enough....because as well as University I am still dabbling in crafts (not that I'm creating any) but rather as the Editor of the Auckland Embroiderers guild newsletter and the manager of the Weaving & Spinners yarn shop....both of which require at least monthly attention :-)
take care
cathy

Robert "Alan" Black said:
Thanks for sharing more about your educational work. Keep keeping on. You will look back with your completed degree soon. Then onto another creative challenge.

Alan; ▶ Reply to This