Uncover Your Creative Potential and Accomplish More

Adventure Leaders:
Ted Coulson, Applied Creativity, Inc.
Tricia Kochevar, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Teri McCorkle, West Marine Products, Inc.


Vision:

"Until thought is linked with purpose, there is no intelligent accomplishment. With the majority, the bark of thought is allowed to drift upon the ocean of life. A man or woman should conceive of a legitimate purpose in his heart, and set out to accomplish it."
--James Allen

It is more than a year since you walked the labyrinth at Convergence and asked those important questions, questions about your purpose and your path as a creative individual. Now you've begun to understand James Allen's words, as "thought and purpose" have merged and you've begun to re-create your life in a more purposeful and focused way.

Clarity. Balance. Passion. The energy which comes from being "used for a mighty purpose." These are the words and phrases that come to mind. The path you began walking on a labyrinth has unfolded into a rich tapestry of personal growth and change.

At "Living Your Life on Purpose: Creating Openings to New Possibilities," you lit a spark which has now grown to a healthy blaze, creating light and warmth to guide your way and inspire those around you.

Learning Objectives:
  • At the conclusion of this session participants will have examined their roles as working professionals and taken steps toward expanding or "recreating" that role at a level which is more personally challenging and satisfying.
  • At the conclusion of this session participants will be able to recognize the link between their current productivity and the degree to which they are utilizing the best of their creative potential at work.
  • At the conclusion of this session participants will take away specific exercises and ideas which they can both use personally and use to assist others in tapping into their creative potential and finding deeper meaning and connection to their work.
Content:

The content of this experiential session is taken from three sources. The first is a workshop Tricia leads regularly at Monterey Bay Aquarium, called "Bringing Your Whole Self to Work." The second is a set of exercises developed in conjunction with her work leading discussion groups around the book, "The Artist’s Way at Work." The third source is her consulting practice, in which she works with clients on an individual or group basis in retreat format to uncover appropriate "life" choices at times of career change, reprioritization, etc. Teri McCorkle has worked with Tricia as a client while working on redesigning her career and will provide a participant perspective on practical uses of the experiential activities used in the session.

 		Content cont'd:

This session is about alignment (aligning who we are with what we do); it’s about human potential (tapping into the best of ourselves, both at work and home, and so renewing ourselves) and it’s about asking the hard questions related to what we would bring to our work roles (questions which seldom bear quick answers). Drawing inspiration from literature, scientific journals, music, visual arts, and history, participants will be guided through experiential activities, discussion and reflective exercises designed to help them unite their vocation (what they do for a living) with their avocation (what they are most passionate about).

This program is meant to be reflective. It gives participants a chance to get off the fast track of absorbing more "answers" to take home and lets them instead ask questions and live with those questions, experiencing the material as participants first, and as innovation professionals second. As presenters we’ll be pulling from multiple realms: poetry, history, science, music, humor, literature, philosophy and business. Excerpts from teachers of each of these disciplines are choreographed against a moving, visual presentation which guides participants in peeling through layers of questions related to career choices, life choices, and the daily choices we make at work.

In our professional roles we are often called upon to lead and inspire others to higher levels of performance. At the heart of true effectiveness is a passion and commitment to our work, a passion that cannot be fabricated through a training class or mandated by corporate objectives. This workshop both strikes at the root of personal motivation and offers us a message of hope: what we offer our clients and coworkers can truly make a difference in both the quality of their lives and in the quality of our organizations. Fundamental to this level of contribution lies personal vision and personal decision: just what would we be at work? This workshop lets participants ask and answer just such questions. As the organizations we support grow and change, so must we evolve in our roles as innovation champions, consultants, change agents.

Experiential Activities:

The list below represents the primary experiential activities around which the program is framed. The first, labyrinth building, provides the cornerstone. In this activity participants learn the use of a seven circuit Indian labyrinth, take roles in constructing such a labyrinth, and use a labyrinth walk as a tool for both problem solving and reflection.
  • Labyrinth Building
  • Myth Making
  • Living With the Unknown
  • The Questing Walk
  • A Five Year Old’s Wisdom: Reaching Back
The workshop is divided into three blocks, each containing supporting activities, discussion and reflection opportunities. These blocks are as follows:

Block One: Defining your Intention: Who would you be at work?
    a. Reaching Back – activities related to childhood, games, myths
    b. Examining Today – clarifying our current reality, what we bring to our work vs. what we "leave in the car" and identifying our gray areas, questions.
    c. Gathering Hints – drawing on symbol, metaphor and music
Block Two: Quieting the Chatter and Listening for Answers
    a. Phrasing Your Intention – labyrinth building
    b. Preparation – the "Questing Walk"
    c. Walking Out Your Vision – walking the labyrinth
Block Three: Giving Form to Your Intention
    a. Debrief and discussion
    b. Looking forward – creating a visual reminder
    c. What’s next – a "letter to myself"
Attendee Takeaways:

Program takeaway come in two formats: new ideas and physical reminders and notes. All of the exercises and experiential activities can easily be adapted for use by individuals or corporate groups, and have been tested successfully in both environments. While participants will be experiencing the material first hand and should expect very personal insights, they can certainly adapt these same exercises to lead others in their professional capacities.

Attendees can record their discoveries in the Hidden Artist1s Journal, the program handout and workbook, which will fit nicely inside the Convergence Wizard. The level of personal discovery experienced by each participant will vary, but those who have participated in these activities in past workshops have reported takeaways such as: an enhanced ability to tap into their own creative potential, reconnection with inner drive and passion for work, greater clarity in terms of career choices.

Click Here for a biography of the Adventure Leaders Ted Coulson, Applied Creativity, Inc., Tricia Kochevar, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Teri McCorkle, West Marine Products, Inc.

Click here to read "Labyrinths and Other Journeys" by Tricia Kochevar.

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Innovation Network
451 E. 58th Ave., #4625, Box 468
Denver, CO 80216
Phone: 303-308-1088
Fax: 303-295-6108
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