Creativity is "a principled engagement with the unfamiliar and a willingness to approach the familiar in unfamiliar ways.”  

(Glăveanu & Beghetto, 2021)  

C&I offers pathways to build and operationalize creative courage, which provides faculty, staff, and students opportunities to develop the essential building blocks of creativity–both mindsets and practices. 

A full-size version of the image above is available on the C&I website. 

Navigating ambiguity is the mindset that allows us to remain open to different possibilities and options while resisting the urge to prematurely resolve uncertainty from novel, complex settings and experiences. When we become better at navigating ambiguity and staying present in discomfort, we can avoid the tendency to take the first adequate solution and stop looking for more possibilities (Runco, 2023).   

In its September 5, 2025 issue, The Catalyst named cSpace a “gem on campus.” Amongst the building blocks, paints, pastels, fabrics, and felt, it’s the place to be creatively free. Performance and perfection can be put aside. Instead, the space invites you to play, incubate and iterate ideas, fail into something unexpected, and linger in curiosity. On September 15, before Block 1 wrapped up, we celebrated the 100th participation waiver for cSpace signed this academic year! If you have not come by yet, we would love to welcome you in.  

For Everyone (students, faculty, & staff)

Want a quick, creative break?

Drop-ins take place on the second Monday of each block, from 3–4 p.m. Come by the C&I building on the northwest corner of Cache and Weber at any point during this time to explore a creative process. In this block’s session “Feel and Felt,” participants navigated ambiguity in tactile, playful ways.  

Access to cSpace anytime you like? 

By taking a tour and signing our participation waiver, you get Gold Card access to the C&I building where cSpace is located and can come anytime you like. Tours happen every Monday from 4–4:30 p.m. If you cannot make it on Monday afternoons, email Evelina and she will arrange a tour at a time that works for you.    

For Faculty & Staff 

The C&I workshop series introduces a wide range of creativity exercises suitable for anyone teaching a course at CC. At each workshop, participants will practice the exercise, place it in a creativity framework, and discuss how it might be adapted for specific learning outcomes. Please RSVP using the links below for the workshops you want to attend so that we can provide dietary and accessibility accommodations.   

Thursday, Oct. 9: Block 2 Workshop: Flexibility with the Unfamiliar 

Come explore C&I’s definition of creativity as “an engagement with the unfamiliar and a willingness to approach the familiar in unfamiliar ways.” This workshop fosters creative courage for facing challenges by leveraging mindsets to explore the unfamiliar. Utilizing various hands-on exercises and strategies, such as LEGO® bricks, we'll uncover how to navigate disruption to transform the unfamiliar into opportunities for innovation and discovery. 

Thursday, Nov. 6: Block 3 Workshop: Assessing Creative Assignments 

In this session, we will share examples of assignments in various disciplines that highlight creative processes and present some options for assessment. If you have an assignment or assessment method you would like to share, we welcome your participation in the session. 

For Students 

Come play with ideas through creativity sprints: short, messy, and fun ways to build creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Every second Friday of each block, students in all disciplines can be part of the Creative Courage Community.  Come to one or attend all of them. Sign up today to reserve your spot (limited to 22)! 

Friday, Oct. 31: Block 3 sign up 

Friday, Dec. 5: Block 4 sign up  

“At its core, creative confidence is about believing in your ability to create change in the world around you. It is the conviction that you can achieve what you set out to do. We think this self-assurance, this belief in your creative capacity, lies at the heart of innovation.”   

(Kelley & Kelley, 2013)  

Contact:

Evelina Fisher, Program Coordinator

Kris Stanec, Director