Creativity is often looked at as something that only tortured artists and authors can access. However, if Alex Raffi, partner and Creative Director for Imagine Communications has a say, creativity can be utilized and obtained in any profession regardless of stereotype.

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Alex Raffi established his Creative Courage program a few years ago to help individuals, businesses, non-profits, schools and other organizations to think differently about creativity.

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The issue for Raffi was clear: many people who do not work in “creative” industries mistakenly believe they are not creative. He believes that people discourage themselves from reaching their full potential because of these mental restrictions. In Raffi’s Creative Courage workshops, he addresses creativity as it relates to problem-solving and how to help people from any industry pursue their own creativity for the benefit of their business or organization.

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“A good example is during a meeting, you’re trying to find a solution to a problem, but something pops into your head that seems irrelevant – maybe an episode of Gilligan’s Island, that’s your subconscious telling you or hinting you at another solution,” Raffi said.

 

“We usually don’t follow those because we decide that’s not relevant information but if we explore these ideas that seem at the time not relevant and decide to share them, then others figure out why you went there.”

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Fostering new ideas through a creative courage program.

Though it may seem odd to apply creativity into situations with a deadline, these kind of time-sensitive boundaries are important to the professional, creative process in order to establish great ideas.

 

“We have the ideas, we just don’t know where they are. We have to think deeper,” Raffi said. “If you want to grasp how amazing your subconscious is, think about dreams. You create the dream – you’re the architect. On top of that, you’re watching the dream. How are you surprised there’s a monster in the closet? You put it there.”

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Other than his inspiring and motivational job description, Raffi is responsible for reaching out to as many people as possible that are interested in the Creative Courage program to expand its reach. He has presented his program to Zappos, Orange Coast College, UNLV, American Marketing Association Las Vegas Chapter, Pugsley Simpson Coulter Architects and the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting among other organizations.

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“My workshops helps people solve problems and come up with ideas,” Raffi said. “I create a perception of the creative process that is accessible. It sounds very romantic. You delve into the things you love and get inspired.”

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Inspiring clients to think like a child.

After his fellow staff members pushed Raffi to create his creativity program, one of his main demographics was school classrooms.

 

“I come in and talk creativity for kids,” Raffi said. “Kids are the most creative creatures on the planet. When you come to think about it, creativity is almost like a superpower.”

Kids are the most creative creatures on the planet. When you come to think about it, creativity is almost like a superpower.

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This youthful look at creativity is one of the main things that Raffi wants to inspire in all his clients. By taking something as structured as a business and allowing for innovative development from a new perspective, growth can often be seen in a new way.'

 

“A business is like a child to clients. It’s very important and you’re telling their story to a mass audience,” Raffi said. “It requires a lot of questions and building relationships and data exchanges to create a strong understanding of the needs and values of the business – a lot of times, they don’t know what that is.”

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Though Creative Courage is constantly accelerating, it took flexibility and a new business perspective to maintain clientele.

 

“The market died and we struggled, but we started giving free advice to businesses with no strings attached,” Raffi said. “People started coming back for more and hiring us. Things have been progressing greatly.”

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Nurturing employees to think outside the box.

As of now, Imagine Communications has gained a client list of over 70 businesses to help fulfill their creative potential.

 

“Imagine communications is a full-service marketing firm,” Raffi said. “We basically do everything they [businesses] need either in-house or outsource. Our job is to find valuable solutions for clients.”

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The trust that is built between the client and Imagine Communications is one very important aspect of the organization. Often, the idea of searching deep within for these creative interpretations of a professional approach is something that takes time and dedication.

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“Finding ideas is difficult sometimes so they need help,” Raffi said. “At the end of the day, people are banging away in cubicles and they are struggling for great, new ideas. That’s where we can help”

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At the end of the day, people are banging away in cubicles and they are struggling for great, new ideas. That’s where we can help.

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Just as any dedicated employee, Raffi looks to find inspiration in everyday operations so that businesses and organizations can go above and beyond the boundaries. With his professional take on thinking outside of the box, employees are asked to take ideas they would have previously ignored and apply them to their profession.

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“The most challenging aspect of a marketing firm might be convincing a client that your ideas are right for them,” Raffi said. “It’s usually difficult for them to put their company out there the way you see it from an outside perspective. You’re not building a product; you’re creating ideas and concepts. Our job is to find solutions or values to clients that is attractive to the customer.”

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Seeing the light beyond the curtain.

As for the future of Imagine Communications and Creative Courage, there are several expansions of the program, such as a possible Ted Talk sequence. Additionally, Raffi is working on a book on the Creative Courage program. The ongoing image throughout the book is a stage with a red curtain with a little light creeping through.

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“The metaphor is that our perception of our own creative limitations is like the distance between myself and where the curtain stops,” Raffi said. “We live in the space between us and the curtain. We have to see the light beyond the curtain. When genius happens is when the light creeps through and takes you on the other side of the curtain,” Raffi said. “We are trying to make the space between the curtains wider.”