Workshop Brief

Participants in this workshop will emerge from it having gained experiential knowledge of several methods for utilizing the analysis of failure as a means to drive successful processes of creativity and innovation. It is important to understand that although this new knowledge will originate with the investigations of functional failures and how the understandings gleaned from them can positively and expansively guide different types of decision-making, participants will also gain useful and useable knowledge from other types of failures as well. These will include failures that are aesthetic, cultural, psychological, historical, technological, environmental, egotistical and economic.

Participants will gain skill sets necessary to develop their own creations and business endeavors. These skill sets will also enable them to engage in broadly informed criticism of the artifacts, systems, and communities around them to inform processes and methods for inventing successful new things, processes and experiences. They will also learn to be effectively self-critical in a manner that unleashes rather than inhibits the potential for creativity and innovation.

Ideal Workshop Candidate

This workshop encourages the participation and active contributions of a broad cross-section of people who have professional and/or academic experience as designers, engineers, managers, small business operators, creative or journalistic writers, marketers, educators, fine artists and musicians. The unifying base of knowledge that applicants to this workshop should share ought to be derived from at least two years of academic or professional experience in their current pursuit, and from significant experience in either or both of these arenas collaborating with or managing the activities of others. The workshop is ideal for graduate and PHD students and experienced artists and business people.