In this episode of the Fueling Creativity podcast, Dr. Cyndi Burnett and Dr. Matthew Worwood speak with Monica Kang, Founder & CEO of InnovatorsBox, Author of Rethink Creativity & Have You Seen My Friends?, and Podcast Host of Dear Workplace and Curious Monica. She’s a creative educator who’s transforming today’s workforce with the mission to build a workplace for all by rethinking creativity. 

Listen in to learn how she reignited her love for her job and her life through a simple mindset shift, curiosity, and creativity, as well as how that led her to help others tap into their innate creativity through InnovatorsBox. You’ll gain insight into the difference between voluntary change and forced change and how creativity and the creative process plays a role in solving complex global problems. Plus, Monica talks about the meaning behind her  books, how she approaches creativity within different cultures, and how you can start incorporating curiosity, creativity, and courage into your curriculum.

Monica’s Tips for Teachers and Parents:

1. Before stressing about the curriculum, become aware of how you talk about creativity at home and in the classroom. We tend to embed this image of what curiosity, creativity, and courage are supposed to look like, so pay attention to where your kids think differently, identify the action of them being imaginative and creative, and encourage them to enjoy and explore that feeling courageously.
2. If you’re ready to build this into your curriculum, add that action part into your lessons to let them feel and experience curiosity, creativity, and courage. 
3. Make curiosity, creativity, and courage FUN. If they’re doing it for the grade, it’s not fun. Be intentional about getting to know your kids/students and what’s fun to them.

“The whole reason why I wanted to do this was I felt creativity was inaccessible. I felt, as somebody who was in a space that was traditionally not creative, that it wasn’t for me and I know a lot of people that still feel that way.”

– Monica Kang