I can not think of a better way to start making the case of creativity being not only an essential part of our existence but in fact a human need, than talking about Maslow and his pyramid of human needs.
The American psychologist Abraham Maslow created what is called the Maslow Pyramid of Human Needs in which he identifies the basic human necessities for survival, well being and motivation. In this diagram, he organized those needs from the most primordial and basic ones such as food, air, sleep, and sex to the most elevated ones such as self-actualization, in which creativity is amongst the factors included in this tier, which was at the very top of the pyramid before Maslow added self-transcendence.
As creativity is a human need we must try to engage with it in every possible way, every day of our life. Engage with creativity doesn’t necessarily mean stand in front of a canvas or sit on the piano, simple steps like a good read or simply listen to some good music are a good start to include creativity in your life.

The Creativity Roots Podcast

The Creativity Roots Podcast - Episode 2

Creativity Roots - Episode 3 - hosted by Ronald Paredes
I closed the previous episode with the claim that creativity makes us better human beings, which sounds a lot like self-help voodoo, since that’s not what we are doing here, in this episode we talk about what is the process taking place in our brain when we start engaging with creative work. I clarify that creativity is not exclusively what an artist produce but also what scientists or anybody in any other discipline or practice can use or do by innovating, by doing things differently and breaking patterns.
I also talk about how these activities that force the brain to step out of the comfort zone, to learn and to make new connections represent a way to keep our brain young and healthy.

Exciting news, our first creative feature it's a powerful piece of poetry submitted by Krystal (Gypsy) Orellano Weldon, titled “I Speak These Words”. She is a Tampa, Florida native, a spoken word poet, writer, and educator. Krystal is slowly transpiring as a creative nonfiction writer, being published in St. Petersburg College’s newspaper The Sandbox, Saint Leo University’s book the Sandhill Review and University of Westminster runner-up winner for the 2017 Mental Health Poetry competition.
I hope you enjoy this episode and help you in your quest for creativity.

Creativity Roots Podcast

Creativity Roots - S1E3 - Brain Gymnastics

Failure can be either a perception or an attitude and it only happens in our brain and later it manifest in our life. 
We must understand how failure was first implanted in our mind as a concept at a very early age, how it works in our perception and how the fear of it is one of the first and strongest creativity inhibitors. To overcome the fear of failure and redefine it's meaning is one of the first and biggest steps in acknowledging our innate capacity of being creative.
Failure is a healthy and necessary part of any process that can not be avoided, the best way to deal with it is to set our mind with the fact that it will happen and that it must be embraced with an open mind. Only that attitude will allow us to learn from it and take advantage of the outcome to develop further.
The song played at the end of the episode is called "Nothingness" and it was composed and performed by the beautiful Empress Ellehcim, a multi-talented Micronesian artist, singer, and performer.

Creativity Roots

Embracing Failure - Creativity Roots - S1E4

Creativity Roots - Episode 5 - hosted by Ronald Paredes
Success is one of the most difficult and challenging aspects of our life. There are external factors that pretend to enforce on us an idea of success that is confusing and wrong, family, friends, partners, society, in general, make us believe that success is determined by wealth, possessions, fame, recognition, titles, diplomas, power and influence, and we grow up thinking these are the rights things to pursue in life, our goals, when in reality these should be the consequences of a life pursuing our real passion working to achieve those things that we really love.

I define success as the level of satisfaction or fulfillment you get from achieving the goals that you, and only you, have set up for your own life, whatever these might be.

It is important to define what is your personal idea of success and happiness and work with discipline and commitment to achieve those REAL life goals.

For the Creator featured this week we go once again with Empress Ellehcim, she introduces herself and explains her source of inspiration for her creative work and perform her song “Listen To My Lion”

Also, you can check our website: www.creativityroots.com where you can find interesting information about products and inventions that were created out of “failures” as a complement to the previous episode of The Creativity Roots Podcast

Define Your Success - Creativity Roots - S1E5

Creativity Roots Summary Episode 1-5 by Ronald Paredes
After reaching the episode number 5 I wanted to make a summary of the topic we touched in the previous episodes to remind ourselves of those things that we know so well but we tend to take for granted, also for those who are landing into this thing and are starting to listen they will find in this a review of what we have been talking about so far.

Creativity Roots Summary Episode 1-5

Creativity Roots - Episode 6 by Ronald Paredes
Conversation with Sabine Ichikawa Ph.D., researcher, conference speaker, developer of programs in luxury and creative industries in Europe & Asia, currently living and working in Shanghai for the last six years.
Currently, Sabine Ichikawa is working on a research that focus on identifying the resources and characteristics that make of the city of Shanghai a potential world fashion and creative center of international relevance.

Check the Creativity Roots website www.creativityroots.com for more information about Sabine Ichikawa and her work.

Sabine Ichikawa Ph.D. - Creativity Roots - S1EP6

Creativity Roots - Episode 8 by Ronald Paredes
Identity is probably the most important aspect of an individual, it is what helps us identify ourselves with the different social groups we interact with, giving us a sense of belonging. 
Knowing who are, where we come from, having a strong sense of identity can help us to be more social adaptable. Lack of an identity can create great conflict that can be of great detriment to our mental and physical health and maybe even make us incur in criminal behavior.
Our identity can be a rich source of material for our creative activities. 

The featured creator for this week is once again Krystal (Gypsy) Orellano with a wonderful piece called “Who I am”
Enjoy!

What is your Identity - Creativity Roots - S1EP8

Creativity Roots - Episode 9 by Ronald Paredes
Conversation with Benj Kinenga Mushila, Congolese visual artist and painter
Check the Creativity Roots website www.creativityroots.com for more information about Benj Kinenga Mushila and his work.

Originally from the Republic of Congo, Benj Kinenga Mushila is a visual artist who regardless of his young age has developed, through consistent and disciplined work, a very mature and distinctive technique of painting. Using mainly oil painting and knives he basically places chunks of color one on top of the other to create impressionist like compositions rich with a very expressive texture, to me it looks like painting with pieces of melted candy. The themes of his painting are usually attached to his African cultural roots, daily life scenes, the market, the walking, the working, and even the struggles.

Find more from Benji in the following links:
 
www.benjkinenga.com
Instagram @benjkinenga
B Kineng'Art @Facebook
Benj Kinenga @Facebook

Contact The Creativity Roots Podcast by mail:
creativityroots@yahoo.com
www.creativityroots.com
Instagram @creativityroots

Benj Kinenga Mushila - Creativity Roots - S1EP9

The Creativity Roots is a weekly podcast that digs deep into our roots to find the source of all beautiful things in human expression. We will demystify the concept of creativity and debunk misconceptions to encourage (you) our audience to dare and take steps into the process of creation with the necessary knowledge and confidence.

Understanding that the capacity of creation is not an exclusive privilege given to a select group of gifted geniuses born with especial talents, but instead a natural and innate human condition that has been overshadowed by our own social, cultural and religious inhibitions.

To go back to our roots in terms of creativity means to rediscover the primal source of curiosity for our environment, the assessment of our available resources and the awareness of our needs not only as individuals but also as members of a social system.

The goal of this series of podcast is to encourage us to go back to our roots of our human condition without the inhibitions imposed by what we understand as civilization. To rediscover that estate of creative innocence, free of prejudice and full of inquiring curiosity that once allowed us to make the jump from instinctive and reactive primates to reasoning, problem-solving humans.

CreativityRoots