Since 1993, the Creativity Workshop has been
taught to people in businesses of all kinds from all over the world, from
CEOs to scientific think tanks to small business owners, working
in specializations as diverse as finance, IT, marketing, PR, industrial
design, accounting, and public relations.
The Creativity Workshop offers a series of tools that help participants
develop their creative, collaborative, storytelling and writing skills,
as well as their self-confidence. To this end, the workshop concentrates
its experiential exercises in the following areas:
1. Getting over fear of creativity Getting over fear of creativity and gaining belief in one's ideas.
We do exercises which help students get over 'blocks' which make them
afraid to express themselves, say the wrong things, paint a bad picture,
take a stupid photograph, write a foggy paragraph. The workshop works
against self-censorship in the early stages of development so that critical
analytical skills can come into play later and more forcefully. To this
end, we use techniques of free form drawing and writing, the importance
of playfulness, as well as visualization and meditation exercises.
2. Collaboration The Creativity Workshop believes that by sharing work in intimate
groups, participants learn self-confidence and respectful listening towards
others which is vital to any collaborative process. The Creativity Workshop
involves several modules in which collaborations, ranging from 2 person
teams to a whole class are explored.
3. Map making Every project has a process or 'way'. The Creativity Workshop
teaches individuals how to track their processes by making journey maps
of its steps and the on-going progress of their work. The maps help participants
see where they are in their projects and where they can go with them.
4. Free form writing and automatic drawing
These exercises help participants find innate ideas and develop them without
fear. The workshop also teaches imaginative editing techniques and idea
framing.
5. Storytelling Storytelling is vital to getting your ideas across. Be it visual
or literary, it is one of the most direct and human ways to share our
ideas convincingly.
6. Expanding and changing perceptions How we see is important to what we see. We teach a variety of
exercises aimed at altering perceptions physically (through cameras, cut
out shapes, kaleidoscopes, telescopes, microscopes) and emotionally (through
fairy tales, memoir writing or inter-generational interviews), which assist
participants in looking at projects from many different angles.
8. Using your environment We teach participants how to use their natural surroundings to
generate ideas for the workplace. Exercises to be done in local cafes,
libraries, cafeterias, woods and mountains show that inspiration can come
from the most usual and surprising of places.
9. Time In our busy, multi-tasking world we seldom feel we have enough
time to try something new or have creative fun. We teach participants
how to ‘stretch time’ and use 15-minute blocks to do satisfying
creative work on an on-going basis.
10. Self-Nurturing We spend so much of our time encouraging and supporting others
that at times, we forget to nurture ourselves! The Creativity Workshop
teaches the importance of self-nurturing, play, and curiosity and not
always knowing the ‘right’ answer. Failures after all can
be the catalyst for the most astounding successes.
10.Tax-Deductible Your workshop expenses may be tax-deductible if they are for
your professional development.
Check with your accountant
The Creativity Workshop has been taught to people in business all over
the world from small business owners to corporate leaders. Please see below :
Client
list APJ Search Consultants
Acoustiguide Corporation
Artissimo
BBC
Bayer AG
Berlitz International
Bouvier Kelly Inc.
Breathing Space
Breslow Partners
Briggs & Stratton
Bristol - Myers Squibb
Cardinal Health
Caterpillar
Cerebellum
ChartercomOne Eleven Interactive Inc.
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
Colgate - Palmolive
Cornerstone Research
Cross Country Travcorps
EDS
ETH Zurich
Ecoute Ton Corps Inc
Equinox Interactive
GPC Consultores SC
Garnet Hill
Global Insight
Go2net
HBO
Heller Ehrman
IKEA
I-traffic
Johnson&Johnson
JET Programme
JPMorgan Chase
Johnson & Johnson
KFAssociates
L'actualité
L'Arche Belfast
LPK
M&T Mortgage Corp.
M. Heale CPA
M.S.391
Mukora
Negotiation Mastery Inc.
One Eleven Interactive Inc.
Oracle Corporation
Panorama
Pfizer
Procter & Gamble
Providence Center for Women & Enterprise
Schultz Consulting
Scott & White Memorial Hospital
Sloan Kettering Hospital
Sprint PCS
The Walt Disney Company
The Connection for Women and Families
The Nature Conservancy
The Resource Exchange
The4 [creative network]
Welch Design Group
Zimmerman Financial Group, RIA What people in business
say about the effect of the Creativity Workshop
The new millennium needs bold, creative men and women who can
turn their dreams into reality... Shelley Berc and Alejandro Fogel show
how you can do this through their challenging and inspiring creativity
workshops...even a simple first contact will prove what these two talented
teachers can do for your own gifts.
Dr. Kirpal Singh, Writer, Professor, Singapore Management
University, Singapore
I have attended at least 10 creative seminars and this creativity
workshop is far above the others in its inspiration, positive spirit and
techniques for nurturing creativity. As the present and former President
of companies in photography, music, and sound creations, nurturing creativity
in myself and the culture of these organizations is critical to their
and my success.The Creativity Workshop changed me forever and moved me
forward in managing my creative companies, but more importantly in my
personal determination, commitment and creativity in my own projects.
This workshop is important for anyone who wants to better understand,
develop and celebrate their creativity in their personal or business life.
Barbara Roberts, President and CEO Acoustiguides, New York
Shelley and Alejandro created an atmosphere where everyone from
student, to business professional, to published novelist felt equally
comfortable creating and sharing stories, drawings, experiences. I've
explored other places and workshops that make me feel good while I'm there,
that provide activities that I know I really should make time for when
I go back to the real world. But yours is the first to provide methods
and exercises I not only want to use but feel compelled to use, in fact
have already used. I need to mention what I think was one of the key ingredients
of the workshop: the other attendees. I found them to be amazing, inspiring,
fascinating people. Something about this workshop draws truly incredible
people and they added immensely to my experience. I suppose much planning
has gone into these workshops, but the leaders were so focused on the
group that everything seemed to happen naturally. I'll confess that I
expected to take some time getting over my inhibitions and cynicism, but
that wasn't necessary.
Kelly Hevel, Planning Manager, Pfizer, Inc., New York
Too often in the workplace, a fear of being judged, of "failure,"
or of appearing "foolish" to others stifles our most creative
thinking. The Creativity Workshop showed me how to first examine, then
overcome my personal insecurities so that I am contributing with more
freedom, boldness and confidence than ever before.
Barbara Bazaldua, Director of Editorial, Disney Consumer
Products, Anaheim, California
"It showed me new ways to be creative to meet the
multiple business needs."
"What totally impressed me was just how much I feel that we accomplished
while at the same time coming away feeling refreshed."
"What impressed me was the creativity that was brought out in us.
It was an incredible time for us all."
"After the workshop my brain was so refreshed. My senses were sharpened."
" I feel like our team and the individual relationships are stronger
and deeper after this experience."
Lia van Braaten and the members of the Global Design Division,
Procter & Gamble, Division Retreat
Because I write for a living, I had forgotten how to write for
fun. I learned how to get to that "fun" part of writing again
at the workshop -- writing without rules or consequences -- letting words
and ideas spill out -- taking off the handcuffs I've been wearing in my
corporate life.
Amy White, VP Internal Corporate Communications, Cardinal
Health, Worthington, OH
The Creativity Workshop is one of the best ways to discover a
new city. Exploring our creative spirits each evening opened my visual
and kinesthetic senses for the following day. Nancy Welch, President, Welch Design Group
Shelley and Alejandro allowed the wheels to start turning for
me. I've been talking for years about writing "my book " but
it was all talk and no action. Since returning from their workshop I have
a file that is filling rapidly with ideas and the backbone is starting
to take shape. For me, the benefits of their guidance include increased
confidence. I’ve learned valuable techniques to get me through writer's
block. It’s no longer something I fear as I've gained some practical
tools to work through it.
As if those benefits weren't enough, I also met some great people at the
workshop and had a lot of fun. Hats off to Shelley and Alejandro for their
wisdom, patience and guidance.
Diane Pick, President of Negotiation Mastery, Inc., New
York
I came back so energized and excited about the prospect of really
creating something. Thank you so much for your encouragement and sharing
so generously of yourselves.
Kathleen A. Paris, Ph.D., Sr. Consultant, Services for
Planning & Improvement, Office of Quality Improvement, University
of Wisconsin at Madison
The contents of many workshops are often misrepresented when
marketers attempt to hook as many participants as possible; however, yours
was faithful to every word of its description. Your planning, experience,
talent, and dedication blended to create a wonderful flow. I left inspired
and energized.
Steve Adams, Small Business Owner, Texas
Any Questions? Call us at: 1 (212) 767-9815
Creativity
Workshop We can help you learn to be more creative.
Carmel January
15 - 20, 2009 New York June
12 - 15, 2009 Crete June
29 - July 7, 2009 Florence July
14 - 22, 2009 Carmel July
26 - August 1, 2009 Oaxaca August
6 - 14, 2009