Welcome to Women in Innovation!

Women in Innovation is a community for women with Big Ideas – ideas that transform the way we live and work. What’s your Big Idea? What is your Big Vision? There is no shame in thinking big and boldly here. Women who gain support and success through our coaching, consulting and mentoring play big and pay it forward in the WIN community. WIN is a “Pay it Forward Platform” – when one of us learns, everyone benefits.

Our growing global community connects online in the social media and in our events. Our signature event, Women in Innovation Summit convenes women from all around the world every other year – on November 20th 2014 we gathered for Converge@Seattle Pacific Innovation Summit 2014 in partnership with PNWER, and sponsors like Alaska Airlines and Washington Business Alliance. Reports, photos and videos are being added on the Converge website as they come available.

Innovation is more than an idea, though. We define it as “a great idea put into practical use, shared, scaled and sustained to transform the ways we live and work“. Do you share your creative, life enhancing ideas? Are you putting them into use and implementing them? Are you actively collaborating to scale your ideas? Are you a dreamer or an innovator?

We coordinate events and workshops, moderate conversations and provide consulting and coaching on topics related to women and innovation. With our mentoring, coaching, connections and guidance women who dare to dream big get the support they need to succeed. Inquire how we can help you: contact@womenininnovation.org.

We hope you got the sense of the spirit of WINS 2012 via this video – it’s about women in business “convening – connecting – creating”. Through convening to the summit we created amazing personal and professional connections that resulted in many exciting ideas and lasting collaborations. Don’t let your fears stop you from your bold dreams. This is your time! Watch the video and share the spirit! Continue reading Welcome to Women in Innovation!

The Art and Myths of Innovation

During the last couple of months WIN has hosted conversations about how innovation and art are related, and the myths of innovation. Our Igniter in December was Catharine Manchanda, Senior Curator for modern and contemporary art at the Seattle Art Museum and in January Scott Berkun, author of The Myths of Innovation, ignited another interesting conversation.

Is Art Innovation – Are Innovations Art?

At first glance, it might seem that if, as Oscar Wilde says, “all art is quite useless”, art and innovation would be at the two opposite ends of the spectrum as expressions of human ingenuity. If, by Wilde’s definition, art is considered something “useless”, innovations, on the contrary, are usually regarded as something that generates value, highly practical or adopted by a critical number of people to change the way we do things.

However, I believe that both art and innovation are sourced from the same well of creativity, passion, inspiration and vision. Whether one is an artist or an innovator, their work requires the same kind of commitment and discipline to give form to their ideas and creative thinking.

What do you think? Share your perspective!

You can watch our Ignite innovation conversations by clicking the links below:

Ignite Innovation Forum December 2012: http://n50.ottw.net/winignite2012dec#

Ignite Innovation Forum January 2013: http://n50.ottw.net/winignite2013jan#

We welcome your ignited opinions – please, add your comments!

December Ignite Forum Sparks Insights

SAM Art Curator Catharina Manchanda is First Igniter

SEATTLE, WA – On December 18th WIN held its first Ignite Innovation Forum at the offices of The Production Network’s headquarters with a dynamic group of men and women from technology to brand strategy, legal to banking and more.

Catharina Manchanda, the art curator for modern and contemporary exhibits at the Seattle Art Museum, opened with her views on creativity, art and women. As she discussed the current exhibit “Elles: Women Artists from the Centre Pompidou, Paris” from her perspective, we pondered the universal truths of the art world and it’s relevance to our individual lives.

She encouraged us to pause and look at things to create a poetic moment in time; the opportunity for an insightful revelation. She remarked that innovation in art lies in the questions the artist asks. Not unlike what makes the most successful entrepreneurs and inventors.

Ms. Manchanda went on to remind us of the importance of understanding our history as a means of driving us to innovation as it can provide us a context for the change we want to see in the world. Through our desire to create change we must have a deep understanding of the nature of what we want to change.

Click here to see the conversation: http://n50.ottw.net/winignite2012dec#

What drives you to innovate? Please comment here.