Rich Kirkpatrick

Writer, Speaker, and Musician. Rich Kirkpatrick was recently rated #13 of the “Top 75 Religion Bloggers” by Newsmax.com, having also received recognition by Worship Leader Magazine as “Editor’s Choice” for the “Best of the Best” of blogs in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Embrace the Awkward: Create a safe place for tough conversations

Rich Kirkpatrick0545 views

Subscribe to the audio blog on your favorite podcast app: Subscribe To be human is to be creative Here’s something I’m sure of. Creativity is just another word for being human. One example of this is in how we approach the feeling of being awkward. Awkward is a word that comes from where we get the word backward. It is an opposing force, pushing against the grain. We feel more than annoyed. A powerful challenge to the way our brain is used to thinking ensues, testing our wits and composure. The awkward people we live with I imagine the scene at my dad’s wake where two family members trashed the words of the minister after attending the funeral. One was a white supremacist. The awkwardness was his…

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Want to unlock creative genius? My book MINDBLOWN can help!

Rich Kirkpatrick0536 views

Why write a book about the creative process? Most people think creativity or innovation is something only a few have access to. I believe, with the help from brain scientists, researchers, and creative practitioners, that it’s a process we can learn. In fact, there is proof that we are ALL wired to be creative. What we need is a way to unlock this innate human ability. My book, MINDBLOWN: Unlock Your Creative Genius by Bridging Science and Magic, is finally here and shipping. I wrote this book after my experiences with institutions and leaders that were ill-equipped to guide creative ideas into reality. The focus on results over process fails us. What we need is a framework to allow us to be more human. Learn with me how…

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Limitations lead to innovation

Rich Kirkpatrick0388 views

This is an excerpt from my new book: MINDBLOWN: Unlock Your Creative Genius by Bridging Science and Magic. In my book, I write about the creative process and my three steps, The Dream, The Sandbox, and The Story. The excerpt refers to The Sandbox, where we develop our ideas. Subscribe to the audio blog on your favorite podcast app: Subscribe We now have arrived at step two—The Sandbox. This is where we test our creative limits. It doesn’t surprise us that creativity comes with real-world limitations, such as deadlines, human resources, and budget. For some of us, this is the part when you see your creativity soar—forcing us to budget time and resources to maximize our project. This is the spreadsheet part of creativity where we manage…

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Creator vs Employee: Why don’t you get a real job?

Rich Kirkpatrick0614 views

Subscribe to the audio blog on your favorite podcast app: Subscribe Have you ever wondered why work seems meaningful to some and not to others? Perhaps it has to do with how we see ourselves. Are we creators or employees? There are a few recordings that playback in the mind of innovators and creators and they begin early in life. In grade school, the teacher says, “Sit still, color within the lines, and stop daydreaming.” They scolded us for the doodles on the edge of the folder and shamed us for our sensitivity. In the old days, teachers simply put you in the corner of the room. The mission of education, in the mind of a myopic society, aims for conformity and uniformity. Sticking out…

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Why Brainstorming Meetings Suck and How to Make Them Better

Rich Kirkpatrick0784 views

Subscribe to the audio blog on your favorite podcast app: Subscribe If you want to see eyes roll, tell the team you planned a brainstorming meeting. The hope is to practice innovation, foster teamwork, or prop up low morale. Motives, whether sane or desperate, propel such a meeting to the calendar. The effectiveness of these types of meetings is another story, however. Be honest. They suck. Let me jog your memory. The dreaded no-idea-is-bad on the whiteboard turns into three people dominating the meeting while the rest watch the clock, hoping to get to the break room microwave first to warm the leftovers they brought for lunch. After an hour’s work, the whiteboard has the thoughts of these three people, and the no-bad-ideas promise fails. Passing objections…

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