In April I attended the CREA conference in Sestri Levante, Italy. Sestri Levanti is on the Ligurian Coast, so I visited Cinque Terre for a few days before the conference to get in the mood.
CREA is the annual European gathering for creativity trainers, consultants and facilitators, mostly working with CSP, or Creative Problem Solving. My friend and colleague Martine Vanremoortele had encouraged me not only to attend, but to submit a proposal for a break-out session.
I pitched my Collaborative Story Making Excursion and it was accepted. It was a great honor to be in the program alongside Europe’s leading creativity trainers and facilitators. Imagine the conversations we had over abundant Italian buffets.
Flash mob Sestri Levante
I had such fun playing with my new tribe mates. I participated in my first flash mob (we pointed at the sky in horror, then ducked to the ground), walked the labyrinth in the Villa Balbi, a 17th century seaside villa, and danced all night in my new short blue dress and boots. I attended breakout sessions, learned about CPS, and heard about the cool projects my colleagues are working on.
My excursion was a blast. I led the group through the streets of the village of Sestri Levante, a town on the Ligurian coast. We tuned into our senses, played “What’s that?” and paused to write together. After reading our stories, we finished with a cappuccino by the sea. (Yes, this is my job!)
Dominique, Maile and I getting our cappuccini
I could go on and on about this conference but I’ll stop there. If you have questions about my experience here, please leave a comment and I will elaborate.
Saluting the chefs at the last dinner. Check out the butter sculptures!
wow, that conference sounds extremely cool.
Posted by: Rob Britt | December 06, 2009 at 11:06 AM