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Episode 134

October 13, 2021

134: Unlocking creative potential through collective drawing with Christopher Bent

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    Intro

    Chris Bent isn’t creative, he’ll happily admit.

    Chris Bent is also the founder of Piccles, one of the best creative platforms I’ve seen.

    If that doesn’t quite add up for you, the answer lies in collective drawing and its remarkable ability to help anyone and everyone communicate through creativity.

    Since accidentally discovering the power of collective drawing, Chris has taken it in his stride and founded Piccles. Now, he helps groups of all backgrounds and interests access deeper communication through non-verbal creativity.

    In this week’s show, Chris shares some incredible stories from Piccles workshops, describes some of the techniques he’s developed to help people access their creativity, and highlights the power of alternative methods of communication.

    Find out about

    • How a self-described non-creative person founded a creative collaboration tool in Piccles
    • The questions we ask that aren’t questions, but subtle challenges or expressions of doubts
    • How drawing can be a tool to bridge the gaps between our thoughts and our expression
    • How Chris sets groups up so they can surprise themselves with their creative abilities
    • The real-world applications of collaborative drawing software – from rock concerts to education to Earth Day
    • Why we often get in touch with our creative side we are when we feel stuck or in a rut – and how to harness that power

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    Our sponsor this week is Facilitator Cards – the pocket-size deck of 60 processes you can use to be more creative and flexible no matter what you facilitate. Check out shop.facilitator.cards and use code WorkshopsWork for free markers for your Facilitator Cards.

    Questions and Answers

    01:41What does facilitation mean to you? 03:07What is Piccles? And what is the story behind its creation? 08:35What was the reception for Piccles like in a healthcare setting? 11:41What becomes possible when a group draws together? 16:41How do you help groups to reflect on specific ideas, draw, and then use it as the basis for a discussion? 21:01How did the room react when someone drew their superpower as loneliness? 22:30How do you then turn these highly personal, qualitative works into a deeper, wider insight? 27:02What makes a good – and a bad – prompt for a drawing activity? 32:37What makes a workshop fail? 38:20Where is Piccles going in the future? What’s your vision? 43:09What altruistic purposes could Piccles be used for? 45:02If somebody wants to try Piccles for the first time but doesn’t know where to start, what would you recommend? 47:08Is there anything you would have liked to share that we haven’t touched on yet?

    Links

    Connect to Christopher

    On LinkedIn