This year has tested even the most resilient leaders. Between uncertainty, polarization, and the constant pressure to do more with less, many of us are running on fumes, still striving to make a difference in environments that challenge us at every turn.
What’s become clear is that this moment demands more than brilliance, strategy, and stamina. It calls for replenishment, inspiration, and long-term resilience – the kind that comes only from sustained, intentional, and nourishing practices.
Because creative pursuits aren’t simply hobbies to fill the rare downtime. They are a lifeline – the fuel that enables leaders to draw on their most vital capacities in times of disruption. It’s not an escape from leadership; it’s a way to renew and expand our capacity to lead – to gain greater clarity, generate new ideas and see old patterns from a new lens.
Why Creative Flow Matters for Leaders
Recent leadership research echoes how critical Creative Practices truly are. As Forbes noted, creative pursuits outside of work help leaders innovate and adapt more effectively at work, replenishing what relentless productivity drains. It restores focus, softens reactivity, and reopens access to empathy and insight. Leaders who make space for creative outlets often return to their work steadier, more imaginative, and better able to navigate uncertainty without burning out.
In her TEDx talk, The Case for Making Art When the World Is on Fire, writer and creativity coach Amie McNee captures this perfectly. She reminds us that making art – in any form – is not self-indulgence; it’s how we stay alive, imaginative, and connected in times that push us to shrink.
What is Creative Practice?
Creative Practice can be any activity that pulls us out of autopilot and into our bodies, presence and flow. The actual activity doesn’t matter – it can be cooking, coloring, gardening, dancing or finger painting. It absolutely doesn’t need to be skillful or productive (in fact, so much better if it’s not). The intention is to give your body an opportunity to lead and your mind a much-needed, much-deserved respite. What matters is the state it invites: presence, grounding, flow and, hopefully, joy!
For me, that creative practice — or maybe obsession — has been pottery. Beyond what I shared in Leadership Lessons from the Pottery Studio, clay continues to reconnect me to my body, creativity, and spirit. It helps me stay present, grounded, and imaginative, with renewed capacity to support my clients through leadership and organizational challenges.
Creative Inquiries
I’d love to know:
- What creative practices (outside of work) help you stay inspired, curious, and open to emergence?
- What would support you even more fully right now?
If you’re exploring how to stay grounded and imaginative in your own leadership — or want to bring more creativity and resilience into your organization — I’d love to be part of that conversation. Let’s connect and explore what’s possible together!
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