Samantha Reynolds is the president and founder of Echo, a storytelling agency that makes books, videos and digital stories for companies that need to engage employees and customers, and for individuals who want to leave a legacy. Since 1999, the award-winning agency has produced over 300 story projects for clients across North America, including local clients such as Lululemon, the PNE, Rocky Mountaineer, St. Paul’s Hospital, Goldcorp and JOEY Restaurant Group. Samantha was named one of Vancouver’s “Top 40 Under 40” in 2005, is a sought-after speaker on how to use storytelling to engage employees, customers and even your kids. Samantha and her company have been profiled in over 150 news stories in print, radio and television, including the New York Times, The Globe and Mail, Canada AM, Maclean’s and Canadian Business.

1. How do you define creativity and apply it in your career? Creativity is not a skill; it’s a mindset. I apply it every day as a leader to try to stay porous and gutsy. Porous to let each day seep in so that I don’t ignore a spark that could ignite a big new idea. And gutsy so that when I smell an opportunity, I don’t analyze it to death – I trust my creativity instinct and go for it.

2. Where do you find your best creative inspiration? Listening to or reading other creative people reflect about their creative process.

3. What’s the one creative advice or tip you wish you’d known as a young person? You don’t need to wait for a big stretch of uninterrupted time to be creative. It’s not about the outcome. It’s the being. It’s seeing the world through creative eyes that is the true rush.

4. Who would you like to hear speak at CreativeMornings? Douglas Coupland, Dave Eggers and Pete McCormack

5. What has been one of your biggest Aha! moments in life? “The little things? The little moments? They aren’t little.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

6. What practices, rituals or habits contribute to your creative work? I write a poem every day. Usually at night before I go to sleep. Nothing arcane, just a short download of something I noticed that day. It keeps my noticing muscle alive.