🔥 Kickstart Creativity Card Deck Review
Creativity approaches to get those sparks in your brain started.
🤔 What’s in the deck?
What you get when you dig into Kickstart Creativity
In this deck you get 50 total cards. There’s a quick start guide included that fits in the box; it’s not super robust, but it does talk about the different types of cards and how to use (well, one way) the overall deck.
You’ll get three types of cards
Card types are separated by tabs and are also color-coded for you.
→ Action cards (Red)— these show approaches to play with a surprising method that brings joy while stretching your creative brain.
→ Perspective cards (Green)— these help reveal a fresh mindset. Look at things through different lenses.
→ Intention cards (Blue)— these dig a little deeper into value and meaning.
On each individual card, you will see
→ A large illustration color coded to the type of card with the name f the approach and a quick short descriptor in the bottom left-hand corner.
→ On the other side, you will get a paragraph at the top about the intention with three main themes or highlights about the approach underneath.
💡What I think.
My overall thoughts about the quality, content, themes, and more.
First off, these cards are large (about 6 by 4 inches) and wonderful quality! They come in a really sturdy and beautifully design box.
There’s an abundance of methods and thoughts in this deck that can spur ideas for me as a facilitator. They are not necessarily facilitation cards, nor do they spell out how to conduct a specific workshop activity. These are a way to spart inspiration for you to integrate some creativity into your own approaches as a facilitator—that could be through activities or just mindsets that you bring to the experience.
😍 My fav cards.
So many amazing ideas in this deck I had not thought about before!
Action Cards
Wander — helps us get up and walk away to uncover new things. It gives some insight into what to observe if you wander; be open to what’s around you—creatures, characters, curiosities, and marvels.
Question—this one is all about welcoming questions into your life. It shows us that questioning helps us narrow down ideas and even put ourselves in fresh new spaces.
Perspective Cards
Serendipity — helps us discover things we weren’t necessarily looking for — it’s a delightful surprise. Beyond the “happy accident,” this card suggests approaches like cataloging the odd and weird and looking for patterns.
Movement — stretching, moving, or even sweating can kickstart creativity. There are many ways to use this and integrate it even into workshops.
Intention Cards
Wabi Sabi — focuses on accepting imperfection. This Japanese concept leaves us with three lessons: Nothing lasts. Nothing is finished. Nothing is perfect. How can we then use this in our creative work? How can you open up for imperfection in your sessions that you facilitate?
Play — no surprise that this is one of my favorites! It’s about recognizing that play is also important and powerful for adults, not just children. There are some great approaches to this, such as pulling a red action card from the deck and combining it with an activity that feels playful to you.
👩💻 How do I use this as a facilitator?
Let’s learn how to put these cards into action.
Facilitation Mindsets — Many of these help you bring mindsets or approaches to your facilitation methods. Take the Wabi Sabi card, for example. Embracing the concept of imperfection in a session can manifest in many ways. My Miro Board Improv sessions do just this — they are Wabi Sabi at their core.
Thought Starters — You can mix and match or use one card to help creative conversations unfold around a topic.
Activity Inspiration — Take a card as an inspiration for a full-blown activity, grow it, shape it, or use it as your spark. There are so many in this deck you can turn into activities:
→ The Remix Card is one I’ve used in my workshops to help people start with an idea that inspires them and transform it somehow — remix it!
→ The Generosity Card has some ideas about writing a note of thanks; this could be an excellent check-out activity for a team to show appreciation.
→ The Awe Card suggests recalling a moment you were awestruck. This could be a fantastic ice melter, check-in, or check-out.
