15 TED Talks That’ll Kick-Up Your Creativity [Infographic & Videos]

Inspiration - the thing we all want but is so, so difficult to find.

It’s no wonder we tend to wander around aimlessly when we don't a little effort in to finding that ‘ah-ha’ moment. It’s extremely easy to get caught up in the day-to-day craziness that surrounds us and by the time we have a moment to breathe, we have to eat dinner, unwind and go to bed. Who has time to be inspired?

However, it’s so important to find something that infuses a little inspiration into our daily lives to help us become more creative.

In fact, about 60% of the CEOs polled by IBM cited creativity as the most important leadership quality, compared with 52% for integrity and 35% for global thinking.

Yep. That’s right. Spending a little time finding ways to be more creative can actually help you get ahead professionally.

So, what’s stopping you?

With all the resources we have at our fingertips, there’s no excuse to live each day doing the same thing that we’ve always done without trying to think outside-of-the-box.

To inject a little inspiration into your workday, look to TED Talks.

TED (Technology, Education and Design) is an amazing resource for the busy marketer. Their talks typically range anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes and because you can stream them online, there’s no reason you can’t start one up during your lunch hour or while you’re making dinner.

Not sure where to start? That’s ok!

Invaluable identified 15 of their top TED Talks in this infographic. Read all about them, then check out the videos below!

1. Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools Kill Creativity?

Sir Ken Robinson, Creativity Expert, challenges the way the school system is educating children in this TED Talk. His presentation makes a moving, and highly entertaining, case for creating an educational system where children’s creativity can thrive rather than be undermined.

2. Elizabeth Gilbert: Your Elusive Creative Genius

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of ‘Eat, Pray, Love,’ gives a personal, moving and funny talk about how all of us “have” a genius inside of us - rather than “being” a genius.

3. Alexa Meade: Your Body is My Canvas

Alexa Meade, artist, takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. In this TED Talk, she tells about how she selects a topic and then she paints it - literally - covering everything from people, chairs, food, and more in a mask of paint that mimics what’s below it.

4. Andrew Stanton: The Clues to a Great Story

Andrew Stanton, writer, director, and filmmaker, shares valuable insight into what he knows about storytelling and he does it in the unique way of starting at the end and working towards the beginning in this entertaining talk.   

5. Rob Legato: The Art of Creating Awe

Rob Legato, visual effects guru, shares how he enhances reality in the movies we all know and love, such as Titanic and Apollo 13, in this hilarious and heartwarming TED talk.

6. Janet Echelman: Taking Imagination Seriously

Janet Echelman, artist, makes billowing building-sized sculptures with a geeky edge and explains the surprising reason why she found this unorthodox new material in this inspiring talk.

7. Philippe Starck: Design and Destiny

Philippe Starck, designer, asks “Why design?” in this straight to the point, no-frills talk that will shed light on one perfect mantra for us if you listen closely enough.

8. Stefan Sagmeister: Happiness by Design

Stefan Sagmeister, graphic designer, has a different way of looking at things and this comes across during his engaging TED talk that takes listeners through the whimsical journey of moments that have made up his life.

9. Thomas Heatherwick: Building the Seed Cathedral

Thomas Heatherwick, architect and founder of Heatherwick Studio, shares a few of his recent projects, including the extraordinary Seed Cathedral.

10. Shea Hembrey: How I Became 100 Artists

Shea Hembrey, artist and curator, became 100 artists when he decided to stage an international art show where he created all of the artwork himself. This hilarious and mind-bending talk showcases the creativity and diversity this artist is capable of.

11. The Artist is in: A Playlist

Artists and designers share warming, touching and funny stories about their vision, their life and their work in this curated playlist.  

12. Aparna Rao: Art That Craves Your Attention

Aparna Rao, artist, showcases her cartoony sculptures, with a robotic twist, that play with your perception in her delightful presentation.

13. Miwa Matreyek: Glorious Visions in Animation and Performance

Miwa Matreyek, multimedia artist, uses projections, shadows and animation to perform a meditative piece. This 10 minute performance about discovery will relax and inspire you.

14. Raghava KK: My 5 Lives as an Artist

Raghava KK, artist, shares the story of how art has taken his life to new places and how life experiences have driven his multiple reincarnations as an artist in this vulnerable and honest TED talk.

15. Eva Zeisel: The Playful Search for Beauty

Eva Zeisel, designer, has a lot to tell when it comes to what has kept her 75-year career going strong and most of that is based on her sense of play, beauty, and her love for adventure.