Creative Caffeine

It seems that everywhere you look, you see cracks.

Cracks in the system. Cracks in organisations. Cracks in our economy. Cracks in our personal lives.

These cracks can feel deeply unsettling. When everything feels like it is cracking up, it is very easy to slip into a negative mindset and fixate on what is broken or not working. And in truth, many of these cracks cannot simply be patched up overnight, especially if you are talking about something as large cracks in our economy.

But that does not mean you are powerless. A crack does not have to be a dead end.

There is a line from Leonard Cohen, “Cracks are where the light gets in.” Disruption, difficulty and imperfection can also be openings.

I have a friend who is a rock climber. I honestly do not know how he does it, but he climbs sheer rock faces that look absolutely impossible to scale.

What makes it possible are the cracks. Those small openings are actually vital for him to get up that mountain. They give him something to g...

by Celia Falkenberg

The start of a new year often comes with pressure. Goals. Resolutions. More doing. This year began differently for me. With curiosity. With movement. With a prima ballerina! Her name is Katya Kinski and she became an unexpected teacher of Pilates and creative thinking.

The course arrived as a complete surprise. It was a chance invitation and an extraordinary gift. Her studio in Camps Bay, Cape Town looks over a blue, generous ocean. It all felt like stepping into a dream. I arrived expecting discipline and technical correction. I left with new muscles, new ideas and a wonderful sense of play.

Katya is the real thing. Trained at the elite Perm State Ballet College before joining the Russian State Ballet, Moscow. She has performed on some of the world's most renowned staged and danced principal roles in Swan Lake, Giselle and Anna Karenina. She carries precision in every movement, balanced by an easy smile and a wicked sense of humour. A wonderful combination that ...

Creativity isn’t just for artists and tech startups; it’s the secret sauce that keeps businesses competitive. Today, whether you're drafting contracts in a law firm or analysing financial markets, creative thinking is your best ally. 

But don’t just take my word for it—look at the Paris Olympics. Here are five ways the Games are turning creativity into gold, with lessons that are sure to inspire.

1. AI-powered athlete safeguarding

Imagine being a top athlete, only to be pelted with online abuse after a tough day. Enter the IOC’s AI bodyguard. This digital knight scans social media for abusive messages and flags them for removal. Athletes also have access to a chat service on the Athlete365 platform for quick advice on social media and anti-doping. Think of it as having an AI-powered PA who’s always got your back. 

For businesses, it’s a reminder: Use tech to protect and support your team.

Ask yourself: How might we leverage AI to create safer and more supportive environments for o...

The crumble of black seeds I hold in my palm are supposed to produce the best granadillas in the country. Large, juicy, and sweet with the perfect amount of tanginess. I’m eager to propagate my favourite fruit.

Yet, a year later, I have nothing.

So many seeds but no fruit. Not even a leafy vine.

Was I swindled by the kindly nursery worker at the garden centre?

No. The seeds were truly fantastic.

The problem is… I didn’t water my seeds.

Simple science.

Stuck in the same patterns of thinking and behaviour?

Not experiencing the growth you desire?

You may have a watering issue.

I can relate!

Like with my seeds, the desire for fruit is just wishful thinking unless I water my learning with action.

Learning new things but doing nothing about it is like putting seeds in a pot in your room and forgetting about them. The seeds may draw some water out of the soil, or perhaps someone else may water them, if you’re lucky. The most likely scenario is your seeds will dry out and not gro...

 “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

This probing question is not just for youngsters. In our Creative Thinking Workshops, we hear people in their 30s, 50s or even 70s ask themselves the same question. A sense of stuckness leaves a yearning for more responsibility, new scenery, a new role, a side hustle, or a different career altogether.

They are asking,

“How can I use my creative thinking to design a life where I can thrive at any age?”

I too asked myself this question several years ago as I contemplated a transition out of a long and fulfilling career as a professional architect. I had spent two and a half decades studying and practicing architecture. It had been a satisfying journey but I was ready for a change.

Could my training and experience in design thinking help me craft a new path? Can life can be approached like an architectural design problem?

The answer was a definitive 'yes.'

I found many of the practices and principles I learned as an architect helped me to...

Theodor Seuss Geisel wanted to make reading fun. The children’s books of his time were mind-numbingly ordinary “Dick and Jane” type books. Dick and Jane were two sensible children who did predictable things and always obeyed the rules.

Geisel had other ideas for children’s books, weird ideas. He thought up strange characters doing odd things. He concocted unusual poetic meters and bizarre artwork.

In 1957 he wrote The Cat in the Hat under the name Dr. Seuss (pronounced ‘Zoyce’ like voice – yes, really). The book was rejected by several publishers for being too unconventional. His work was too weird! But when he eventually found a publisher, the book was an instant success. Children loved this strange cat who turns a cold, wet day into a day of fun and mischief. The Cat in the Hat is still one of my favourite books. It’s hard to believe that it was published in the 50s, it still feels so fresh and contemporary.

Too often we hide or supress our weirdness  because people don’t und...

I recently rewatched the thought-provoking 1989 hit movie, Dead Poets Society.

Remember, that iconic film?  Robin Williams plays John Keating, an unconventional English teacher, who inspires his class of boys at an elite conservative school to be courageous freethinkers who seize the day.

While watching the film, it dawned on me how much it influenced my thinking. I can now see some of the fruit grown from the seeds of ideas planted all those decades ago. 

Take a trip down memory lane with me and be reminded of these powerful lessons from the memorable character, Mr Keating. (If you’ve not seen the film yet, what are you waiting for?)

Lesson 1: Strive to find your own voice

“You must strive to find your own voice because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are going to find it all.”

Like all creative thinkers, Mr Keating celebrates the diversity and uniqueness of each of his students. Right from the start he encourages them to break out of the mould and to fin...