We were lucky to catch up with Edwin Link recently and have shared our conversation below.
Edwin, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Creativity in my personal and professional life is a must. My experience tells me that the only way to guarantee you experience creativity regularly is to create conducive conditions. Very rarely are we pushed into cultures and environments that hold creativity as a central tenet, but if nurtured, we can create opportunities for creativity. I was working for an organization that put a high priority on setting and achieving goals, which sometimes was inhibiting the creation of new ideas or creative solutions. I grew resentful of the organization and some team members because I had decided the company’s culture was prioritizing goals over creativity. After confiding these feelings to a mentor within the organization, they shared a harsh reality with me – the only one inhibiting the use of creativity in our work was me. Yes, others may not be applying creative or innovative approaches to our work, but that did not preclude me from doing so. I took a risk. I considered the conditions that I thought were helpful to creating a creative approach to our work. I then planned to facilitate meetings and projects using the approach while adapting along the way. While my new way of work did not go perfectly, we met the goals we set out to achieve and had a great time doing it. Don’t wait for others to allow you to approach your work, life, and career creativity. You have to build the conditions for creativity.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am lucky to work on behalf of Children’s Museum of Atlanta, where every day we work to change the world by sparking every child’s imagination, sense of discovery, and learning through the power of play. We realize this mission by offering guests the opportunity to experience a world-class hands-on learning experience, welcoming over 120,000 guests a year inside the space of our over 20,000-square-foot museum in downtown Atlanta. We also provide community outreach programs and events that seek to deliver play-based learning experiences to all of Metro Atlanta and beyond, no matter their circumstances. This vital work helps ensure over 15,000 kids and caregivers have access to critical early learning experiences.
The work of the museum can sometimes be considered a “nice to have, “but the reality is that now more than ever, the result of using play-based approaches to help all children develop the necessary skills to be school and life-ready is paramount. In Georgia, more than a third of third graders are not reading on grade level. Many caregivers are desperate to find quality, economical child care that not only keeps their children safe but helps them thrive. Children’s Museum of Atlanta is proud to partner with countless organizations and causes to ensure more families have access to high-quality play-based learning experiences because they are critical to the lifelong success of our children.
I hold our mission and our work as a responsibility. It just happens to be a lot of fun!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The three qualities that have helped me the most on my journey are staying curious, wanting to help others, and having a good sense of humor.
I’m always asking questions and trying to learn new things. I care and am genuinely interested in how and why things work. I have worked with others who do not seem at all interested in learning more, and it can make the work less fun and less successful. I’m also a big believer in paying it forward. Others have been incredibly kind to me by offering mentorship, wisdom, and collaboration opportunities. I love mentoring others and helping them succeed. And finally, I think a good sense of humor is essential for overcoming tough times. People who can see humor in all things typically do not take themselves too seriously but take their work seriously. This can be a hard line to tow, but it has always created meaningful opportunities to connect with others and achieve our goals.
I’m grateful that these three qualities have served me, and I hope others well.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
Growing up, my parents created opportunities for me to try new things and fail. They exposed me to various activities and experiences, from sports and music to travel and arts. They also encouraged me to take risks and not be afraid to make mistakes.
One of the most impactful things my parents did for me was to allow me to fail. They taught me that failure is a natural part of learning and that it’s more important to try new things than to be perfect. When I did fail, they were always there to support me and help me learn from my mistakes. Even more important was when I failed, if it was my fault, they taught me how to own that failure and grow from it. It is critical that we try things in work and our personal lives, but it is equally important that when things don’t go the way we planned or if we hurt others, we take responsibility.
I am so grateful to my parents for creating opportunities for me to try new things and fail. It has made me a more resilient and well-rounded person. I am not afraid to take risks, and I know that I can learn from my mistakes. This is one of the most impactful things they have ever done for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://childrensmuseumatlanta.org/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwinlink/
