Getting together to get creative

Undoubtedly, this island is full of creatives. Artists and artisans of all kinds, yes, and also so many people who enjoy lifelong learning and getting together to find creative solutions to care for the community.  

I listened to an interesting podcast this week that promised how to harness the power of your mind to ignite creativity and innovation. How to break free from feeling stuck, reframe challenges and bring creativity and connection into every area of your life. Doesn’t that sound great? 

With life feeling a little grim this week – my daughter was down with the flu, and all manner of destruction happening around the world – I sorely needed the motivation to stay positive and get into a creative mindset. I was able to tap into that creative space in several ways. I shared a walk with a fellow executive director and we came up with a few great ideas to support professional development among nonprofits, and in another meeting with a board member and staff, we started hatching a plan for building new connections and participation in our organization. I’m excited to work together and implement these plans this year. 

In case you haven’t heard, Community Lunches are now being hosted on Tuesdays, 12 – 1:30pm at the Community Church. Lunches are free and open to all, and provide an opportunity to build connections and nurture the feeling of community and belonging. I’m willing to wager some creative ideas may ignite there as well. Lunches will be cooked and served by volunteers. If you’re interested in helping out, please email Hilary Canty at CommunityLunch@orcascrc.org.

One of the strategies for encouraging innovation mentioned in the podcast is to create teams of people who come from different disciplines and backgrounds, with different interests and strengths, and to reduce overlap. Everyone brings unique perspectives to the group, looking at problems in new ways, resulting in innovation. Sounds a lot like an effective nonprofit board to me! If you’re interested in harnessing your creativity to move our community ahead on Orcas, OICF is hosting a virtual Introduction to Board Service Workshop on Wednesday, February 27, from 4 – 6pm. Please register in advance.