As we currently experience uncertainty and overcome both physical and mental battles of isolation, we thought.

• What makes us happy? and how do we have fun when we are faced with uncertainty?
• Are we aiming to keep our minds active, how and what does it look like?

Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is Intelligence having fun”.

This rings true, when we think back to the creative intelligence of Australian engineers like,

• Arthur James Arnot and colleague William Brain who in 1889, constructed the indispensable Electrical Drill.

Or

• Professor Graeme Clark, who in the 1970s developed the first Cochlear implant (bionic ear) which is implanted into the head to electronically stimulate the auditory nerve.

Without these men’s creative intelligence, tools such as the electrical drill and cochlear implant would have never existed.

Creativity

Defined as an act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. It is generally characterised by how we perceive the world, make connections and seamlessly generate solutions for a real outcome.

Intelligence

There are many ways to define intelligence, including one’s capacity for logic, self-awareness, creativity and the ability to learn and problem solve. Intelligence is an individual’s perception of retaining knowledge and applying it to adaptive behaviors within a specific environment.

You don’t need a degree to be creative and intelligent. Your individuality is the start of your creativity and intelligence.

So, we asked our staff as the world faces isolation how they would endeavor to enhance and thrive on personal creativity and intelligence:

Rod – Mechanical Engineer: “I accept that the current pandemic has placed many restrictions on how we work and how we live our lives. It is likely that these restrictions will persist for an extended period of time and may permanently change our culture. A lot of technology already exists that allows us to work remotely, and to be able to collaborate with colleagues and clients. Email, Skype, Zoom, TeamViewer, SMS and phone technology already enhance communication in our daily lives. Personally my plan is to be more flexible, adopting these and other emerging technologies to remain productive, collaborate professionally and socialise with friends”.

Cameron – Operations Manager: “To keep stimulated and ensure that my family remains connected and interactive at home, we have insisted on regular exercising for all in the family. We only venture out when food shopping or for exercise.

Our children remain connected to their friends and relatives through social media. Family activities have increased especially the more traditional activities like board games and family interactions around the dinner table. Our garden is also looking better than it has in recent years and the dog gets more walks than usual. We are lucky in that we live near some expansive parkland and it is easy to take the dog for a walk without coming into contact with others”.

Staff Member: Another valued employee stated that when they face an issue or roadblock and find their creativity dwindling, stepping away for a period of time, doing a different activity and then coming back to it later is the most important action they may take. When they return to the problem, they are refreshed and they may draw upon their peers and the industry for feedback, ideas and a fresh set of eyes. In the current climate, they make use of online tools to liaise with colleagues, and to access industry reports and information.

Olivia – Receptionist: “I like to draw inspiration from sources around me, by reading, researching and viewing images. In this time of isolation, where we cannot venture out for inspiration, I especially make use of social media platforms. If you have the patience to sift through and find some good pages, there really are some amazing people, stories, innovations and artworks. Once I have some seeds for thought and influences I can draw upon, I completely clear my space and mind and often find creativity flows from that as I already have some ideas in my sub-conscious”.

While we encourage and support people to use this time of isolation to better themselves and to discover their own personal creativity and intelligence, it is also important to remember that rest and relaxation are also extremely beneficial for our health. It is our hope that during this challenging period, all of our customers, staff and their families find comfort and some joy in the simple things; and that eventually when we all come through this on ‘the other side’, we are re-vitalized, energised and hopeful for what the future brings.

It is true what they say, “We are all in this together!”