BOOKS
Winner of a 2021 Silver Nautilus Award for Creativity and Innovation
Welcome to the Syncreate experience, your guide to navigating the creative process. Syncreate is both a noun and a verb; it’s about the synergy of co-creation; it embodies the spirit of collaboration. We’re excited that you’re taking this journey with us. Based on our own experiences as artists, educators, and coaches, we felt inspired to write a book to help others understand and have better facility with the process. We’ve spent many years researching, discussing, and thinking through the creative process, and developed a framework for moving through it from ideation to completion, from inspiration to finished product. We hope it will help get your artistic juices flowing. Think of it as an approach to creative project management that can be used by anyone from students to artists and individuals to organizational teams.
How Do We Syncreate?
Consider this book your ally as you move deeper into the adventure of creativity. Through our years of helping others complete their imaginative projects, we have found that the most common barriers to completion arrive with the following questions:
Where do I start?
What do I do next?
How do I finish?
The Syncreate approach tackles each of these questions by breaking the creative process down into three main components: Play, Plan, and Produce. The stages of Plan, Play and Produce can help us to achieve our macro-level or big picture goals as well as our daily, micro-level activities. Whether we’re talking about the project as a whole or the incremental steps we’re taking to get there, we need to plan and play before we can produce, both on a small and on a large scale. This is an iterative (and re-iterative) process, all the way through.
Consider this book your ally as you move deeper into the adventure of creativity. Through our years of helping others complete their imaginative projects, we have found that the most common barriers to completion arrive with the following questions:
Where do I start?
What do I do next?
How do I finish?
The Syncreate approach tackles each of these questions by breaking the creative process down into three main components: Play, Plan, and Produce. The stages of Plan, Play and Produce can help us to achieve our macro-level or big picture goals as well as our daily, micro-level activities. Whether we’re talking about the project as a whole or the incremental steps we’re taking to get there, we need to plan and play before we can produce, both on a small and on a large scale. This is an iterative (and re-iterative) process, all the way through.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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Charlotte Gullick grew up in a very rural town in Northern California, among the redwoods and the heavy rains of Mendocino County. She is the first in her family to graduate from college, and she holds a BA in English/Literature, a MA in English/Creative Writing from UC Davis, and a MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the Institute of American Indian Arts. Charlotte writes fiction, memoir, and nonfiction and is Chair of the Creative Writing Department at Austin Community College
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Melinda Rothouse is a creativity, career, and leadership development coach and consultant, as well as an educator, facilitator, and public speaker. She is also a singer, songwriter, and bass player with many years of training and experience as a performing musician. Her other creative pursuits include contemplative photography and writing.
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Dreux Carpenter (illustrator + content and editorial collaborator) is a Graphic Designer/Art Director and Writer with a BA in Art and an MFA in Writing and Consciousness. He sits on the Board of Directors for Writers’ League of Texas. Dreux currently resides in Austin, TX with his wife, daughter, dog, and two and a half cats.
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Learn more about the authors at syncreate.org/book
VIEW THIS VIDEO FOR A PREVIEW OF THE BOOK:
ADVANCE PRAISE
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"Developing better right-brain functionality can be incredibly difficult without some kind of easy-to-follow process. Enter "Syncreate," a simple but sophisticated twelve-chapter guide for individuals, teams and communities who want to more successfully steer their creative journey."
—Hugh Forrest, South by Southwest (SXSW) | Chief Programming Officer, sxsw.com "Syncreate is a clear and nicely organized gem of a book, from multidisciplinary talented and experienced guides and role models. You will become creatively empowered, individually and in community. Highly recommended." —Ruth Richards, M.D. Ph.D., Author of Everyday Creativity and the Healthy Mind: Dynamic New Paths for Self and Society "The syncreate process looks at everything important: the individual, team and community process of creativity in a practical, yet poignant manner. It would be hard for anyone to finish this text and not play, plan and produce." —Diana Rivera, MA, PCC, PhD, Creative Empowerment Coach and Facilitator, creativeempowermentcoaching.com |
A Mindful Approach to Team Creativity and Collaboration in Organizations:
Creating a Culture of Innovation
Creating a Culture of Innovation
Amazon Bestseller
This book explores how mindfulness and contemplative arts practices can help to foster team creativity and collaboration in organizational settings. Such a mindful approach to creativity offers new possibilities for facilitating organizational creativity and innovation. The book describes a model for team creativity and collaboration that emerged from my research into the perceived effects of a mindfulness and contemplative arts workshop process on team creativity and collaboration.
The model includes five elements:
⦿ Individual-Level Mindfulness
⦿ Trust and Authentic Communication
⦿ Team Cohesion and Collaboration
⦿ Creative Ideation and Insights
⦿ Leadership: Creating a Culture of Innovation
Combining theory and practice, it also presents a series of mindfulness and contemplative arts exercises to accompany the five levels of the model. This book is a useful resource for students, coaches, consultants, facilitators, and organizational leaders seeking to understand and foster creativity and collaboration in teams and organizations. From acclaimed publisher Palgrave Macmillan, it is the first book in a new series, Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Collaboration in Organizations, edited by Roni Reiter-Palmon, Ph.D.
The model includes five elements:
⦿ Individual-Level Mindfulness
⦿ Trust and Authentic Communication
⦿ Team Cohesion and Collaboration
⦿ Creative Ideation and Insights
⦿ Leadership: Creating a Culture of Innovation
Combining theory and practice, it also presents a series of mindfulness and contemplative arts exercises to accompany the five levels of the model. This book is a useful resource for students, coaches, consultants, facilitators, and organizational leaders seeking to understand and foster creativity and collaboration in teams and organizations. From acclaimed publisher Palgrave Macmillan, it is the first book in a new series, Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Collaboration in Organizations, edited by Roni Reiter-Palmon, Ph.D.
Editorial Reviews
From the Back Cover
From the Back Cover
“The perfect book for leaders interested in integrating mindfulness and contemplative arts into the structure of their organizations. Dr. Rothouse’s experience as a musician and long-time meditator gives her approach a deeply authentic quality that can inspire cohesion and collaboration in teams.”
- Steven Pritzker, Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Encyclopedia of Creativity
- Steven Pritzker, Co-Editor-in-Chief of The Encyclopedia of Creativity
“This book is an essential addition to the rapidly growing field of organizational creativity… it will be immensely valuable to scholars and organizational leaders alike, enabling leaders, coaches, and facilitators to build a culture of collaboration and innovation within their teams.”
- Scott Barry Kaufman, author of Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization
- Scott Barry Kaufman, author of Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Melinda J. Rothouse, Ph.D., a leadership and creativity coach, consultant, educator, and facilitator based in Austin, Texas. She helps individuals and organizations tap into their innate creativity for greater insight, impact and innovation. She is also a musician and photographer, and leads workshops and retreats on mindfulness and creativity.
Brief Video Introduction from Melinda
OFFICIAL BOOK LAUNCH TRAILER
5-Star Reviews from Readers:
A Must-Read Book for Anyone Involved in Organizational Systems
"Dr. Rothouse has written a must-read book for anyone involved in any kind of organization system be it a corporation, non-profit, professional firm, or community group. She has constructed a seamless template based on progressed models that inspire the reader to re-vision what is possible in personal and group development through the employment of creativity and mindfulness. This is a potentially paradigm changing work that is dynamic, accessible and inspirational. Dr. Rothouse makes masterful use of theory, research, and her own vast and varied experience to create a pathway that any organization might successfully use to improve leadership and the development and fulfillment of team members. She includes easily implemented exercises in each chapter than enrich the reading experience with a sense of dialog and personal interaction. This book sparkles and hums with enthusiasm, common-sense, and potential for positive change."
-- Karel James Bouse, Ph.D./Ph.D. Author, Educator, Spirituality-based Life Coach
A timely and relevant roadmap to inspire collaboration and creativity in people and organizations
"As technology accelerates our world at an unsustainable pace, there is an urgent need for both traditional wisdom and basic practices that will help us to mindfully maintain connection to ourselves and others so that we continue to thrive as humans. This book beautifully answers this call and serves as a relevant and practical roadmap that we can all learn from. Whether you’re an emerging leader looking to grow your impact or a development practitioner who is seeking innovative ways to inspire and bring out the best in others, you will find value in the theory, relatable stories and tools shared in this book."
-- Michelle Poole, Coaching 4 Good Co-Founder
Academic and pragmatic both--a wonderful combination!
This impeccably researched and eloquently written book is a gem through and through. One facet worth highlighting is the exercises at the end of the chapters. The author generously takes us through their context and purpose, offers very specific instructions for implementation, and suggests questions for discussion and debriefing. This makes the book particularly pragmatic for coaches, consultants, and group facilitators like me--I’ll definitely utilize many of Melinda’s offerings.
-- Jennifer Leigh Selig, Ph.D., Co-Author of Deep Creativity: Seven Ways to Spark Your Creative Spirit
EXCELLENT TEXT!
"This was a really interesting and though-provoking read. Dr. Rothouse proves in this text that creativity is deeply personal and contemplative and must be honored as such. Her exquisite and seamless combination of personal experience, research and practical tools are grounding. If you are a scholar in the field, this would be a great text to consider. At the same time, it's just an engaging read for anyone interested in learning more..."
-- Diana Rivera, Ph.D, Founder of Creative Empowerment Coaching
"Dr. Rothouse has written a must-read book for anyone involved in any kind of organization system be it a corporation, non-profit, professional firm, or community group. She has constructed a seamless template based on progressed models that inspire the reader to re-vision what is possible in personal and group development through the employment of creativity and mindfulness. This is a potentially paradigm changing work that is dynamic, accessible and inspirational. Dr. Rothouse makes masterful use of theory, research, and her own vast and varied experience to create a pathway that any organization might successfully use to improve leadership and the development and fulfillment of team members. She includes easily implemented exercises in each chapter than enrich the reading experience with a sense of dialog and personal interaction. This book sparkles and hums with enthusiasm, common-sense, and potential for positive change."
-- Karel James Bouse, Ph.D./Ph.D. Author, Educator, Spirituality-based Life Coach
A timely and relevant roadmap to inspire collaboration and creativity in people and organizations
"As technology accelerates our world at an unsustainable pace, there is an urgent need for both traditional wisdom and basic practices that will help us to mindfully maintain connection to ourselves and others so that we continue to thrive as humans. This book beautifully answers this call and serves as a relevant and practical roadmap that we can all learn from. Whether you’re an emerging leader looking to grow your impact or a development practitioner who is seeking innovative ways to inspire and bring out the best in others, you will find value in the theory, relatable stories and tools shared in this book."
-- Michelle Poole, Coaching 4 Good Co-Founder
Academic and pragmatic both--a wonderful combination!
This impeccably researched and eloquently written book is a gem through and through. One facet worth highlighting is the exercises at the end of the chapters. The author generously takes us through their context and purpose, offers very specific instructions for implementation, and suggests questions for discussion and debriefing. This makes the book particularly pragmatic for coaches, consultants, and group facilitators like me--I’ll definitely utilize many of Melinda’s offerings.
-- Jennifer Leigh Selig, Ph.D., Co-Author of Deep Creativity: Seven Ways to Spark Your Creative Spirit
EXCELLENT TEXT!
"This was a really interesting and though-provoking read. Dr. Rothouse proves in this text that creativity is deeply personal and contemplative and must be honored as such. Her exquisite and seamless combination of personal experience, research and practical tools are grounding. If you are a scholar in the field, this would be a great text to consider. At the same time, it's just an engaging read for anyone interested in learning more..."
-- Diana Rivera, Ph.D, Founder of Creative Empowerment Coaching
