Conference gets creative with workshops in Sarasota

Florida Creativity Conference will be held at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee and Florida Studio Theatre By Thomas Becnel Staff Writer, Sarasota Herald Tribune

Will Luera, right, director of Improvisation at Florida Studio, pictured with FTS Improv performer Adam Ratner, will learn a workshop during the 2018 Florida Creativity Conference [FST photo]

Speakers and listeners interested in ideas and imagination will gather in Sarasota next weekend for a series of talks, workshops and improvisation programs that are part of the 15th annual Florida Creativity Conference, which focuses on education and the arts, business and personal growth.

Session titles include “Professional Play,” “Collaborative Leadership” and “Creating Purposeful Spontaneity.” Also “Meditative Mandalas,” “Polarity Thinking” and “Mining Your Treasures: Memoir Poetry.”

Hedria Lunken Saltzman, co-chairman of the conference, expects 100 to 150 people from across the country.

“There’s a whole creativity community,” Saltzman says. “We don’t pay anybody; it’s all volunteer. People want to be here. They want to be together. They want to present. They want to spread this to the world.”

Speakers and moderators this year will include Lee Kitchen, an advertising innovation manager at the Walt Disney Company, and Nate Jacobs, founder of the Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe in Sarasota. Also Kitty Heusner, the educator who founded the Creativity Conference in Sarasota.

On Friday and Saturday, daylong programs will take place at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Bradenton. On Sunday, sessions will be at Florida Studio Theatre.

In recent years, FST actors and teachers have participated in the annual conference. Leading the way is Will Leura, director of improvisation.“He’s been wonderful,” Saltzman says. “Last year, he did our opening. This year, he’s doing an improv program.”

Sessions by Kitchen will include “Unleash Your Inner Creative Super Hero” and “Party Your Way to Great Ideas,” along with “From Fins to Wins — Turning Those Circling Sharks Into Your Biggest Advocates.”

Fans of the conference often focus on positive thinking, flexible approaches and innovative ideas. Also inspiration, interactive learning and nontraditional settings.

Saltzman joined the creativity community when she returned to college at the age of 47. She lived in Rochester and found her way into the Creative Studies program at Buffalo State.

“It changed my life,” she says. “I learned about being open to things and everything that goes along with creativity.”

Saltzman went on to write a book called “Square One at 51.” Ten years ago, she went to her first Florida Creativity Conference. Later, she became a presenter and co-chairman of the weekend event.

The annual conference is always timed for the end of the winter tourist season.

“Who wouldn’t want to visit Sarasota in March?” Saltzman asks. “We have people from Canada. We get a lot of people from the creative community in Buffalo.”

Florida Creativity Conference

The 15th annual conference welcomes professionals, educators and authors to Sarasota this weekend. The three-day program will offer workshops at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee, and Florida Studio Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave., Sarasota. Admission for the full weekend is $350, or $175 a day, with discounts for educators. Admission for college and high school students is $50. 941-504-4112; flcreativity.com

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Example of Bio #1: Marcia Berkey

Marcia after many years of teaching at traditional universities and corporate training, now teaches full time online in the IT department for South University. She has a wonderful time living and learning and applying the many concepts learned from everywhere. She has presented a variety of e-Creativity sessions for both education and business. Marcia also consults on Word, PowerPoint, Access databases, and Excel spreadsheets.

Example of Bio #2: Jane Goldwasser

Jane Goldwasser is President of New Directions Consulting, Inc. a qualitative research company specializing in new product development. In her spare time, she is on the Board of Directors of a newly re-aligned Girl Scout Council and chairs both their Fund Development and Board Development committees. She is a CPSI alum who, having completed the Integrating Creative Leadership program, has put it to work in leading both PACE sessions and in working with CPSI Youthwise™.

Example of Bio #3: Art Emrich

Art is certified as a Master Practitioner and Trainer of NLP and Hypnosis by the 4 major hypnosis organizations in the US. His practice includes (a) medical referral clients who experience distress not relieved by traditional treatment, (b) the mental game of sports success (such as tennis, golf, and baseball), (c) academic excellence for peak performance in study and testing, and (d) enabling creative solutions for the challenges of life. Art is the HEAD Coach and Founder of U-Solutions LLC in Sarasota (the “U” stands for unconscious, where the most creative solutions reside).

Example of Workshop Description #1: Christine Alexander

Join Chris for a day of exploration through improvisation and theater games…no acting experience required! In this safe, small group setting, you will have opportunities to be both on the stage and in the audience. Through the experiences, discussion, and your reflections, you will find new insights into communication, relationships, and yourself. This is a wonderful opportunity to allow your inner voices to speak to you and to discover the possibilities that come from living in the NOW.

Example of Workshop Description #2: Jane Goldwasser

This is a workshop for people who have dreamed of starting a business, solving one of society’s great problems, or pursuing any dream that has remained elusive for years. Often the biggest challenge to undertaking an audacious, wonderful goal is leaving the security of the known to go out into uncharted territory. If you have such a dream, join Jane Goldwasser for a day-long opportunity to translate this wish into a detailed plan for action. Use Jane’s D.A.R.E. model – D. (Decide), A. (Analyze), R. (Reality Check), E. (Execute).

Example of Workshop Description #3: Ann Bracken

Do you find yourself saying you don’t have enough time? You can’t squeeze in enough space for fun or creativity? What if you could make time expand or contract at will? In this workshop, based on the book Creating Time by Marney Makridakis, you will use journaling to kick-start your ideas and create an art-inspired time-tool to help you flip your day so that you and time can become partners in your creative work.