Creativity Story Tip 1

I thought I would put down some ponderings (whilst drinking my coffee in the morning), in a new series this year. I’m calling it ‘Creativity Story Tips’.

Not polished “how-tos.”

Not productivity hacks.

Just honest stories from the messier middle of creative work, each one wired into a small invitation for other creatives working in technology and education.

Here’s the first.

So here’s Creativity Story Tip #1 for 2026: Attend a conference that isn’t in your field.

Years ago, I was at the end of a big edtech conference. You know the feeling.

Same messages. Same promises.

New tools, familiar language.

I felt flat. Uninspired. A little disconnected from why I’d come in the first place. So I wandered.

Same convention centre. Different floor.

A medical conference was wrapping up, and in those last quiet hours, when the energy shifts and the guards loosen, I slipped in unnoticed. What happened next still surprises me.

It was a tsunami of sparks.

Not because I understood everything, but because I didn’t.

I listened to surgeons, radiologists, researchers talking about spatial thinking, imaging, simulation, risk, empathy, training under pressure.

My imagination woke up.

That accidental detour became the seed for the work I’ve done over the past decade in augmented reality, spatial computing, and how emerging technologies can serve learning, not just novelty.

It reminded me of something we forget when we stay too comfortable in our own lanes:

Creativity doesn’t come from trying harder.

It comes from crossing borders.

So again, here’s Creativity Story Tip #1 for 2026: Attend a conference that isn’t in your field.

Not to steal ideas. Not to force relevance.

Just to listen. To notice. To let your nervous system and curiosity lead for a while.

You never know which room will quietly change the direction of your work.

Hope this helps, or resonates with some one.

More stories soon.

Paul