Radical Creativity

Learn radical creativity

Radical creativity is continuous learning: experiments, imagination, and agency. The best way to become more creative is through doing – through trial and error
A playful mathematics professor Pauliina Ilmonen standing in front of students
In the documentary Radical Creatives, Professor Pauliina Ilmonen highlights that examining mathematical data requires creativity. Photo: Hayley Le

We are increasingly finding ourselves in new situations that require learning. We need courage and creativity as individuals, organisations, and as a society. This requires openness and the ability to seize new opportunities. Major, systemic changes also call for good communication skills, empathy, and psychological and embodied self-awareness. 

The capabilities of radical creativity provide a world full of possibilities and hope: everyone can take actions towards a better tomorrow. 

The era of continuous change also requires the ability to tolerate uncertainty. We need flexibility, persistence, resilience, and the ability to unlearn outdated thinking patterns. Sometimes it is necessary to pause and reserve time and space for the new to emerge. It is important to find a good balance between inner reflection and visible action.

Audience looking at an art piece.
Photo: Mikko Raskinen

You can learn radical creativity

On this page, you will find courses, lectures, and content related to learning radical creativity.

Aalto University organised two summer schools on radical creativity in 2024. The program and registration for the next summer school will open in Spring 2025.

A person underwater with the text 'Diving into radical creativity' overlaying the image.

Diving into radical creativity online course (external link)

Learn about creativity from individual and organisational perspectives, and how to create and lead transformative change.

Aalto University / Riitta Silvennoinen / Photo: Jaakko Kahilaniemi

Why should everyone study creativity right now?

Chief Human Resources Officer Riitta Silvennoinen is encouraging employees to be radical by taking time for learning. All staff at Aalto have the opportunity to take a basic course in radical creativity during their working hours.

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A man Diving into radical creativity online course. photo Lina Jelanski

Boost your skills: learn the basics of radical creativity

Creative thinking and related ability to change are core competencies of the future in all fields. Aalto University launched a free online introductory course on radical creativity in Finnish and English on November 14, 2024.

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Increase your team's interaction and ability to change

Stress decreases our wellbeing, creativity and capacity for change. Radical Creativity team organised two embodied practices workshops to boost collective resilience and renewal. You can try the exercises with your team.

Read more about embodied practices
Abstract illustration for embodied intelligence toolbox by Anna Muchenikova.

Courses

A person underwater with the text 'Diving into radical creativity' overlaying the image.

Diving into radical creativity online course (external link)

Learn about creativity from individual and organisational perspectives, and how to create and lead transformative change.

Design Bits is Aalto's introductory online course to design for non-designers. Illustration: Paulo Dziobczenski

Design Bits online course for non-designers (external link)

Become more creative problem-solver by learning how to learn through exploration and experimentation.

Students in front of Väre building of Aalto University campus

Aalto University Summer School

Aalto University Summer School offers high quality academic summer courses and programs at Aalto University.

Aalto Radical Creativity summer school. Original image: George Atanassov

Are you prepared to explore radical creativity this August?

The Radical Creativity Summer School inspires and guides participants to explore and experiment with innovative methods of working towards a more sustainable future. 'This is a condensed package of inspiration, akin to a candy shop where you can sample a variety of flavours.'

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Starting Up Pic: Aalto University

Starting Up (external link)

Learn to think like an entrepreneur and to solve real-world problems by creating something new.

Homepage of The New Sustainability in Business course

The New Sustainability in Business (external link)

The world around is largely shaped by business, for better or worse. The New Sustainability in Business is a hands-on, easily accessible open online course that explains how businesses can create sustainable value – not only for the economy, but also for the environment and society. The course is especially designed for business practitioners and university students interested in themes like corporate social responsibility, sustainable value creation and leading change towards sustainability. The course – supported with latest academic research and other key resources – contains 13 engaging and concise lessons that can be completed in a fully self-paced manner.

Get to know challenge-based, creative teaching and pedagogy

Kuvassa on useita PDP-rintamerkkejä pöydällä, kuva-aiheet ovat muunnoksia Paluu tulevaisuuteen -elokuvasta

Students accelerate product development – PDP courses at Design Factory for 25 years

The semester-long PDP course brings together students from different fields to take on a real-life challenge. In the latest course, which ended in May, the students improved the production of a packaging material and developed a new steering system for electric boats.

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kuvassa kahdet kädet levittävät läpinäkyvää limaa punaista taustaa vasten

CHEMARTS - Inspiration for Material Enthusiasts (external link)

Biomaterials are the best options as we seek more sustainable ways for our current world of materials.

IDBM students at IDBM Impact showcasing a digital solution

International Design Business Management (IDBM) (external link)

Ohjelma yhdistää muotoilun ja teknologian globaaliin liiketoiminnan kehitykseen.

Creative Sustainability -alumni Noah Peysson. Kuva: Roope Kiviranta / Aalto-yliopisto

Master's student Noah Peysson: ‘I learnt problem solving from the holistic aspect of the Creative Sustainability programme’

The program also helped me develop a more critical perspective on the information and solutions that are given to us.

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Two students working at the Aalto University Design Factory's PrintLab

Design Factory

Design Factory develops creative ways of working and enhanced interdisciplinary interaction to support world-class product design in educational, research and practical application contexts.

Department of Energy and Mechanical Engineering
A group of students working on a presentation at Aalto Ventures Program

Aalto Ventures Program

The best way to predict the future is to build it. We teach students to build like an entrepreneur.

Vilho Väisälän pajassa opiskelijaryhmät pääsevät suunnittelemaan ja rakentamaan eri kursseilla mitä taidokkaimpia ja teknisesti haastavia laitteita. Kuva: Mikko Raskinen / Aalto-yliopisto

The students' electrical workshop space was inaugurated as Vilho Väisälä’s workshop in Otaniemi

The donations of Vilho Väisälä's descendants, the Weisell Foundation and Vaisala Corporation have enabled the long-term development of Aalto University.

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Collaboration

Two people outdoors with one holding a yellow frisbee-like object. One wears a white coat, the other a blue shirt.
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Aalto Radical Creatives, Photo: Lina Jelanski

Creative Leap: Creativity as a competitive advantage in business

The co-research project researches creativity as a competitive advantage and explores if creative approaches correlate with financial success

School of Arts, Design and Architecture
Luova työelämä 2030

Did you know that creativity can be measured? Check out recent survey results

The Creative Working Life 2030 project develops tools for measuring and strengthening individual and organisational creativity. Aalto University's experts participated in the development of the creativity self-assessment survey.

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WCEF2023 Topias-Dean-Sitra

Aalto University partnering with the World Circular Economy Forum WCEF2023

The World Circular Economy Forum WCEF will bring together the world's leading circular economy professionals in Helsinki in May-June 2023.

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LuoTo project report

The LuoTo action plan has been published providing outlines for a sustainable future in the creative industries

The LuoTo project brings together sustainability projects in the creative industries and sets out concrete steps for the creative industries' transition to an ecologically sustainable, low-carbon future.

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A bee in a flower

Oasis of Radical Wellbeing

Social sustainability in practice.

Openings

Tuomas Auvinen

Tuomas Auvinen: Radical creativity as culture

Creativity is experimenting, and therefore a valuable skill for us all to master in a constantly changing and complex world. Radical creativity does not appear overnight, but we can build capabilities for it, says Dean Tuomas Auvinen.

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Social Presencing Theater UN Cambodia

Learning for the future: systemic solutions require new ways of learning and collaborating

Aalto offers its staff a chance to experiment with transformative learning method, that can initiate changes in mindsets and remove invisible barriers to creativity

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Monitulkintaiset ongelmat vaativat uudenlaista johtamista

Ambiguous problems require new types of leadership

In the future, automation will handle routine tasks, so even newcomers to the workforce will be required to work on complex problems. What should be considered when leading multidisciplinary teams that solve these kinds of challenging problems?

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Earth and a pine seedling

Five things everyone needs to know about boosting the sustainable bioeconomy

Assistant Professor Luana Dessbesell explains what makes bioinnovation truly sustainable and how to avoid challenges that stalk growth entrepreneurs.

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Out of Fashion event LaserTalk

Out of Fashion – Aalto LASER Talks

Future visions and concrete steps towards the sufficiency paradigm in fashion

Events
designtalks_banner.jpg

DesignTalks highlights the relevance of good design and how it benefits us all

Find all DesignTalks recordings here – they're available for everyone, offering an opportunity to easily explore the role and relevance of design in different contexts

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LaserTalks: Radical Collaboration

Radical Collaboration – Aalto LASER Talk

To address the existential challenges we face today, we require truly transformative and border-crossing collaboration. But how can we achieve this? Watch the video recording of our afterwork event.

Events
Aalto innovations present at Flow Festival, photo by Samuli Pentti

Radical Creativity fostering re-thinking

Intelligence is usually seen as the ability to think and learn. But as the world is changing at a pace like never before, the most crucial skill may be the ability to think again and unlearn.

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Janne Halme

How an exciting engineering challenge drew a physicist into solar painting

A scientist and an artist worked together to produce a painting that produces electricity, as well as a transdisciplinary podcast. Next, they want to let audiences see all the beautiful things that researchers are normally too shy to showcase.

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Books

Designing Change book covers. Visual design: Cleo Bade

Design builds transformation capacity

The book Designing Change is a quick and readable cross-section of Aalto's world-leading design research

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Read more

Distorted reflection of two people outside at Otaniemi campus

Radical Creativity

There is no set recipe for changing the world. It takes courage and grit to boldly create something new without fearing failure.

A human diving under water. Photo: Hayley Le

Examples of radical creativity

Radical creativity fundamentally transforms mindsets and ways of operating

Radical Creativity
Robin Gustafsson, Marcus Schmidt, Einar Amir and Ashish Mohite at the LaserTalks discussion.jpg

Community of radical creativity

Participate in our events or visit our living room of radical creativity, Space 21.

Radical Creativity
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