What is your CQ?

You’ve certainly heard of IQ, and you’ve probably heard of EQ (Emotional Quotient), and maybe you’ve even heard of PQ (Physical Quotient) and SQ (Spiritual Quotient). Here at MARCO we are in the business of CQ – Creativity Quotient. Creativity refers to the generation of new ideas and behaviours. Traditionally, qualities such as loyalty and consistency were valued in the workplace, however, in the current age one also needs to be flexible, adaptable and innovative. We believe that activities that stimulate the ability to discover new possibilities through play and the arts will increase your CQ and in turn improve enjoyment and effectiveness in your work and personal life.

Creativity Confidence Courses

Come and enjoy a workshop of creativity with your colleagues for a fun, laughter-filled day of surprises.
Many organizations offer team building revolving around physical challenges and risk-taking. The Creativity Confidence Course will provide the same benefits of communication, co-operation, trust, and stress-release within a safe, nurturing environment while still being exciting and challenging.

Often in our contemporary society and work environments, we forget how to have fun, laugh and let things go in order to move on in a productive manner. Expanding confidence in your creative ability, and a group’s capacity to be collaboratively creative has many applications in every work and life situation.

Activities at a Creative Confidence Course can include movement, games, painting, collage, clay, drumming, and drama but you don’t have to be an artist, a dancer, a musician, or a performer of any kind. What is paramount is the enjoyment and discovery through the process, without being concerned with the artistic quality of the product. For example, movement exercises can help with understanding body language and releasing stress, art-making can help to make discoveries and to express things that can’t be put into words, drumming together can help to unify a group. Also you can create something tangible that can be taken to the office or home as a reminder of what you have learned and to reflect on for future growth. We will amaze you at how we can inspire and stimulate your imagination and creativity!

The sessions are run by highly-trained professional facilitators, using internationally recognised and researched techniques and processes. You will learn and experience creative techniques for stress and tension release, problem solving and brainstorming, conflict-resolution, co-operation, building group collaboration, improved communication and trust.

Creativity for Well-Being

The use of creativity for increased well-being has been recognised in Europe and the United States since the 1930s. It is coming into much greater prominence in the 21st century with the widespread interest in holistic health practices and the recognition of the crucial role creativity plays in mental and physical health, both in individuals and the wider community. Practitioners of creative therapies specialise in all kinds of arts modalities including dance, drama, visual arts, poetry and music. A substantial body of research shows that the use of the arts for therapy has a strong preventative function and is an effective means of creating change and empowerment in people of all ages, abilities, cultures and social groups.

Creativity benefits all of us. From the most stressed-out executive to the child with cerebral palsy; from an isolated older person, to people living with chronic illness – reconnecting with our own creative source is a healing, invigorating, joyful experience. Children know this instinctively but as adults we often lose touch with it as we go about our busy daily lives. Whether you are seeking relief from stress, or looking for clarity in making significant decisions, making space for creative expression will change your life for the better. At MARCO, we believe everyone has the potential to be creative – it’s just a matter of doing it. In fact, we think it’s essential for optimum health and well-being for all of us (and there’s plenty of research backing us up on this).

The Facilitators

Amanda Levey (MA Arts Therapy, ATR) is a registered psychologist and a registered movement-based arts therapist. Her training and roots are in the Halprin Life/Art Process, the world-renowned programme integrating movement/dance, visual arts, performance techniques and therapeutic practices. As well as maintaining a private practice and being a trustee of MARCO, Amanda is co-director of the Masters of Arts in Arts Therapy at Whitecliffe College of Art and Design.

Carrie Skinner (MA Arts Therapy) is an arts therapist with a background in fine arts and design. She practices a ‘studio art therapy’ approach to working with clients of all ages and abilities. In this approach, focus is placed on the importance of the art making process; the methods, materials, and characteristics of the arts and the art-making remains central to all facets of the work.

Why Creativity?

A recent New Zealand study reported in the New Zealand Herald (2/8/07) found that work stress is linked to increased rates of depression and/or anxiety. The Department of Labour reports that the Health and Safety in Employment Act is designed to make New Zealand’s workplaces as healthy and safe as possible, an important part of which is managing stress in the workplace. At its most extreme state, prolonged and excessive stress can lead to burnout which is a state of emotional and physical exhaustion. Burnout reduces motivation and productivity, leaving the person feeling increasingly hopeless and powerless, and it takes a very long time to recover from this state.

There are many ways of learning to cope with stress. Many studies indicate that people who use creativity of some kind as an outlet for stress reduce the stress in their lives. Research also shows that creative people are constantly on the lookout for new and valuable ideas and thoughts for new approaches and solutions. So creativity not only serves as an outlet but also helps a person deal with stress due to this search for new ideas and approaches. An important factor in creativity is flexibility, or the ability to abandon old ways of thinking and initiate different directions. Studies show that creative expression may accomplish many of the following: create a feeling of balance and order, give a sense of control over the external world, make something positive out of a loss, bad experience or depression, maintain an individual’s integrity, resolve conflicts, and make the relationships between thought, feeling and action clear.

Practical Information

The Course can be tailored to suit your group – please ring to discuss the size of the group and your needs and preferences. Groups may chose to bring a particular theme or issue to explore, or might just come to experience and discover new ways of understanding about how to make work and private life more playful and creative. All materials are provided.

Follow-up sessions can also be provided for individuals of your group who would like to focus on learning more about a modality that they have found particularly useful.

To discuss and book your MARCO Trust Creativity Confidence Course please contact MARCO Trust on 09 623 6208 or email info@marco.org.nz.

MARCO Trust - The Centre of Creativity for Well-being

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