THE LEGACY OF SID PARNES: CPSI (CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING INSTITUTE)

The portrait featured above is of Sid Parnes, flanked by fellow ICSC colleague Tony Billoni (L) and Gerard Puccio (R), Director of the International Center for Studies in Creativity (ICSC) at Buffalo State College. Sid Parnes was an early collaborator of Alex Osborn, executive at BBDO advertising in New York, founder of the Creative Education Foundation, and author of the groundbreaking book on creativity, Applied Imagination, first published in 1953. Sid is a hero of mine. Together with Osborn, Sid developed the Creative Problem Solving method (CPS), a system of creative tools to enhance creative productivity, most notable among them, “brainstorming”. Sid also chaired the creativity program at Buff State for many years. Both men made the visionary and generous decision to share CPS with the world as an open platform. Part of the legacy of Sid Parnes is the Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI), an annual conference on creativity held annually. For more information on CPSI click here: http://cpsiconference.com