These five Canadians are professionally creative. Here’s how they think, live and work

Creative director Josef Adamu founded the visual creative agency Sunday School in the basement of his family’s Toronto home at age 24.O'shane Howard/The Globe and Mail

What lies behind the most bold, successful ideas? We wanted to find out, so we spoke with five Canadians whose livelihoods depend on the art of creativity, including a solo violinist and an architect. They also weighed in on the rising presence of artificial intelligence, which is upending the way we create everything from art to books to photography.

Perhaps suprisingly, these Canadians saw the potential of AI more than the threat: “While AI may be a game-changer in the evolution of technology, it doesn’t completely reset the board for human creativity,” says Sevaun Palvetzian, President and CEO of UNICEF Canada. Aruna Dutt and Mira Miller share more about these five professionals’ lifestyles, how they stay curious and where they find inspiration.

The science of boosting your creativity

“You can see the pride in her face,” Josef Adamu says in an interview at the Art Gallery of Ontario. We’re gazing at a large, captivating photo of a woman leaning over a grand assortment of trophies won by her son, NBA player Wenyen Gabriel of the LA Lakers.

“It shows that even though her kids won these trophies, she’s the one who paved the way for them to chase their dreams,” says Adamu, the Nigerian-Canadian creative director of this photo shoot, along with the rest of the Feels Like Home exhibit which features three photo series respectively focused on basketball, dance and hair. These vibrant depictions of Black identities are thanks to Adamu’s creative agency Sunday School.

Adamu wanted this image to fuse success and accolades with cultural elements of the African diaspora, so he asked the subject to stand by the china cabinet, dress in her native Sudanese attire and wear a gold Gele (headwrap) to match the rich, shining aesthetic.

Much like the ethos behind this photo, Adamu – who made Forbes’ 30 under 30 list this year – has had his own fair share of accolades to flaunt.

A photo shot by Joshua Kissi as part of the the series 'Jump Ball,' by Sunday School.Joshua Kissi/Handout

At 24, the producer and photographer founded the visual creative agency Sunday School in the basement of his family’s Toronto home. “I had nothing to lose,” says Adamu.

Soon after, Sunday School made headlines with a photography series celebrating Black braiding salons, The Hair Appointment by Jeremy Rodney-Hall, which earned praise from celebrities such as Ava DuVernay, Tracee Ellis Ross and Lupita Nyong’o. Since then, Adamu has led campaigns for Converse, Topshop, Sony and Nike, including one featuring Megan Thee Stallion, and produced shows alongside Kevin Durant and Tina Knowles.

Now, Adamu says he’s more business-oriented and meticulous in his creative process, but still driven by power of feeling seen. He hopes Sunday School’s work will show young people in his hometown that they’re never too far from a big opportunity.

Adamu has led campaigns for Converse, Topshop, Sony and Nike.O'shane Howard/The Globe and Mail

I have my best ideas: Before bed. I listen to instrumental soundtracks from movies like Whiplash or The Last Black Man in San Francisco. If I have an idea that sticks, I stick it on the wall.

My routine: I try to get a few hours in the gym every day, which releases a lot of tension and allows me to express myself better, and I play basketball with friends.

My personal style: I pull ideas from everywhere, like colour-blocking from furniture designers, textures in Japanese fashion, or I’ll combine things from different eras even if they don’t feel like they fit, like a very seventies-style collared shirt with pants from the nineties.

The trip that inspired me: In Colombia, I went to a town outside Cartagena called Palenque where a lot of the Afro-Latino community resides, and when they played the drums and danced, I thought: “This is like Nigeria, these are my people.” It made me want to travel and tell stories of Black communities across the globe and see how much we have in common.

I think AI will: Remove the innocence of the creative process – the feeling of getting lost in your ideas and bringing people together, like stylists and photographers – all of that would be gone. But it is a good starting point when trying to visualize an idea or storyboard, which I’ve done using the app Midjourney.

I’m curious about: Animation. The Canadian and American TV shows I grew up with like Recess, Arthur, The Proud Family and The Weekenders will stick with me forever. I love the idea of creating animation from the perspective of a Nigerian-Canadian, so more kids can see Hey Arnold type of characters who look and sound like them or have similar upbringings.

– Aruna Dutt

Sevaun Palvetzian is in the business of creative solutions. The Ontarian has held numerous executive positions in the public, corporate and NGO/charitable sectors throughout her varied career. She is driven by a strong desire to make a difference. The mother of two daughters, she was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network, and she recently became the new president and CEO of UNICEF Canada.

“I’ve had a diverse career, but the theme to all of the different chapters has been around tackling complex problems,” she says. ”Creativity is absolutely essential to that. In my particular career, it’s about the art of getting things done.”

Sevaun Palvetzian, president and CEO of UNICEF Canada, uses creativity to tackle complex problems.Handout

How creativity has changed for me: I’ve come to believe in the wisdom of crowds more and more. The more we can surround ourselves with different inputs, different viewpoints, different people, different experiences, the harder our brain works because that diversity challenges stereotypes and allows us to look at problems slightly differently – making us more creative.

My routine: I wake up very early because I like the quiet of the morning. The first thing I do is read four newspapers, and then I do something active before diving into my day. I often try to do some journaling, usually in the evening. When you take time to pause and reflect, it boosts your creativity.

How I get out of a creativity funk: I turn the screen off and put the sneakers on. I love being outside and I love being active. Being outdoors boosts my attention span and my creativity. The research tells us that, and our instincts tell us that as well.

The trip that inspired me: I recently came back from the southern tip of Panama – the Darien Gap – which is one the most dangerous migration routes in the world. I visited UNICEF’s temporary migration centre, and seeing the children’s tent was life changing. What really struck me was seeing the wall filled with children’s art. It was a powerful reminder of the role creativity plays in our life, how it can really be a lifeline and its importance when working with children.

I think AI: Is an enabling tool. With the right safeguards and thoughtful execution, AI can help enhance a user experience or impact entire systems. UNICEF already uses AI to make textbooks more accessible to children with disabilities, to monitor air or water quality in some of the most polluted cities around the globe and to forecast extreme climate events and epidemics to improve how we respond to emergencies. But while AI may be a game-changer in the evolution of technology, it doesn’t completely reset the board for human creativity. The deeply human qualities and experiences of empathy, innate curiosity and emotion can’t be outsourced.

I’m reading: I recently read Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction, which was a fascinating book about decision-making. And I also read Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. It’s about how the average person gets 4,000 weeks on this planet, so what do you want to do with them?

My hobbies: I have a big family, and I spend a lot of time hiking, running, swimming and kayaking with them. I also love the theatre. Something magical happens when the lights dim and the curtain opens for the first time. And I’m an extrovert by nature, so I love meeting new people through my journeys.

– Mira Miller

When Dami Lee first started her architecture career, she thought of creativity mostly as a solo endeavour. “Now, I see it as the ability to make connections between ideas that can sometimes seem totally unrelated.” Lee’s YouTube videos do exactly this, while racking up more than a million views in the process.

On her channel with almost 800,000 followers, Lee dissects topics from architecture in sci-fi movies to the Saudi Arabian government’s $500-billion project to build a futuristic city. Lee’s videos offer advice for aspiring architects, but they’re also informative and entertaining for people outside of the field.

And she doesn’t do it all alone: “Creativity requires lots of collaboration and discussions,” says Lee, who in 2022 founded Nollistudio, a content company which fuses architecture and video production that has grown into a multidisciplinary team.

Architect and YouTuber Dami Lee has a channel with nearly 800,000 followers.Nollistudio Architecture Ltd./Handout

I have my best ideas: When I’m laying in bed, especially when I’m stuck on a design problem or concept. I find it much easier to visualize spaces in my head when I’m relaxed, with my eyes closed.

My routine: I will either go for a run, do strength training or do yoga in the mornings before starting work. I spend one to two hours every morning by myself, mostly writing and working through some ideas. I design in the evenings, and try to build time into my days to bounce ideas off other people.

The trip that inspired me: My trip to Venice has changed a lot about how I approach design and think about space. Venice is essentially a labyrinth, made up of narrow alleys and canals. When everything is so intimate, it makes you slow down and experience things very closely. You rarely see the type of architecture that goes “look at me!” Instead, you have humble alleyways that lead you to hidden entrances, which lead to surprisingly expansive and rich interiors. I like this element of surprise. The spatial experience there is very engaging, rich and atmospheric, and it has made me think a lot about how to create these feelings and memories in a new space.

I wish I could talk to: The late Zaha Hadid about how she approached building her architecture career and her design practice, or her thoughts on how to be a good leader.

Lee told The Globe a trip to Venice has changed her approach to design.Nollistudio Architecture Ltd./Handout

I think AI: Will revolutionize the creative industry. It allows for one person to achieve what previously required a team, and closes the gap between the product and the concept much faster. At the same time, we will get an explosion of ideas and content (if there isn’t already), so we will need to focus on highlighting the aspects that make us unique and try to forge deeper connections with our audience and potential clients. I use AI for research and writing (ChatGPT), and for generating specific, high-quality images for our videos (Midjourney). We are starting to incorporate AI into our architectural design process as well.

My hobbies: I like to spend time in nature hiking, snorkelling, kayaking or dragonboating.

I’m curious about: Biomimicry, and how we can apply the principles of nature to our designs. I recently learned about this website, AskNature.org, which has a searchable catalogue of biological strategies found in nature that you can learn from and potentially apply to your own project.

– Aruna Dutt

Blake Pouliot, a Toronto-raised musician, will be touring Europe this fall and making his debut with the National Spanish Orchestra in Madrid. But he is just as excited to return to his North American haunts where he’s performed since his orchestral beginning at age 11, including the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra and Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

“As my instructor once told me: Anyone can get a first invitation, but getting reinvited is what asserts your place as a professional,” says Pouliot.

Toronto-raised musician Blake Pouliot will be touring Europe this fall.LAUREN HURT/Handout

How creativity has changed for me: I tried for so long to fit into a proper box of what it meant to be a violinist. Through the early 2000s, it was instilled in us that in order to take the soloist track, you needed to appeal to certain people, go to a certain institution that funnels you into the right place. But things have changed. As you get older, you realize that you have to march to the beat of your own drum, and seek out creativity on your own.

I have my best ideas: When I put music down for weeks or months. The violin is a lot of repetition, meticulousness and scrupulous honesty about your interpretation, and it takes a lot of self-scrutiny. After I take a break, I can come back and re-evaluate my artistic instincts and remember why I’m doing it. Perspective is everything.

My routine: I am an extremely regimented and calculated person. I wake up at 7 a.m., and do CrossFit five days a week before I practise music. I became a health nut after living in LA for 10 years, so I’m very strict about what I consume: a lot of veggies, fruits, meat from local butchers, no packaged foods or processed sugar, and I don’t drink a lot. Being in the best shape allows me to have the best creative juices flow. As for my routine before I go on stage, I just say to myself: “Have fun.”

Pouliot learned how to do Olympic weightlifting during the pandemic.LAUREN HURT/Handout

The trip that inspired me: In the classical world, I was so exposed to the idea of being perfect. On tour with the Youth Orchestra of Americas in Latin America, I experienced the culture’s raw desire to learn, play and go for it. I definitely took from that trip a desire to be as transparent onstage as possible, to use the moment to connect with the audience.

I’d love to know: What Freddie Mercury thought about when he’s composing, what James Joyce thought about while writing, and what opera singer Maria Callas thought when she’s on stage.

I think AI: Will have a place in pop music, perhaps in establishing some sort of structure since a lot of electronic pop music is quite formulaic. I don’t see it necessarily interfering with the classical canon, however. Music itself is the idea of expressing emotion through sound, so I find the possibility of AI, who’s very essence is the absence of human emotion, humorous to consider composing music. I’ve never dabbled in it myself, but now after thinking about it I may try it just to see what it can produce.

I’m listening to: Singer Rett Madison. Pin-Up Daddy is an unbelievable album. I could listen to it every day.

My hobbies: I learned how to do Olympic weightlifting during the pandemic. I was completely daunted by the idea, but with concerts cancelled I wanted to do something I would never be able to learn otherwise. I love it for the same reason I love violin – it’s a very technical movement that takes commitment. I also recently took a sewing class because I’ve always been interested in making clothes. I’m far from Project Runway, but now if something tears, I can patch it up.

– Aruna Dutt

Crowned Canada’s Best Pastry Chef 2020 and again in 2023, Kenta Takahashi seems to eat, sleep and breathe dessert. He perfected his sweet treat craft working in restaurants in Tokyo and Kanagawa, Japan, before moving to Vancouver, where he is the pastry lead at Boulevard Kitchen & Oyster Bar and directs the dessert buffet at Sutton Place Hotel.

Kenta Takahashi was named Canada’s Best Pastry Chef twice.Leila Kwok/Handout

My routine: I keep thinking about dessert even before and after work and on my days off, categorizing all flavour, texture, colour, shape, atmosphere and wine tasting notes. Last season we had a mango jasmine pavlova. I thought of the ingredients (jasmine ice-cream, mango sorbet), colour (bright yellow), texture (matte and dry) and added contrast with shiny, wet textures of white chocolate and a mango slice. Every year I have a different team, so I need to adapt the dessert and system to the team’s experience, combine ideas with them, and sometimes that brings out a different flavour composition or presentation.

I have my best ideas: When I force myself to think. There is no “on and off” mindset for creation. Even if I’m tired or have not had enough sleep, I still have to create. I need some stress always. I like quiet when I work and think.

I’m driven by: Constantly improving. I have never been satisfied with my creations. If I think something is the best, then the next one won’t be better. I remove that kind of mindset so that I keep improving.

I’ve used AI: To research or bring up some base ideas. For example, I have asked ChatGPT to tell me the most common summer desserts in North America or Vancouver. It’s very useful.

I’m curious about: The roasting process of coffee. It is very interesting to me that one ingredient can have so much variety in flavour depending on the roasting process.

– Aruna Dutt

These interviews have been condensed and edited.