The Data Spark

Approaching our work, no matter the type, with a creative spirit is not reserved only for those we think of as artists.

Our creative impulse usually starts with a small spark - a flicker deep in our mind that we may or may not immediately notice.

Eventually that spark turns into a conscious idea.

The idea is then fleshed out with further thought.

The thoughts become words.

The words become actions.

This is the creative process.

Creativity permeates everything we do...or it can if we allow it.

Creativity in any art form is found in how the artist works within the constraints or confines of her chosen medium.

Take painting as an example. A painter works with canvases, brushes, and paints to deliver a final product that started in her mind, traveled to her hands, through her brush, and onto the canvas.

Creativity when working with nonprofit data is similar.

A nonprofit data artist works with records, tabs, and fields to deliver a final product that started in her mind, traveled to her hands, through her keyboard, and onto the screen or out of the printer.

Approaching our work, regardless of what kind of work we do, with a creative spirit is always a good approach. And it starts with a small, sometimes imperceptible, spark - a data spark.