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How to turn professional experience into practical knowledge? How to reflect over one’s professional practice in order to improve it? How to further develop a practitioner’s responseAbility when facing challenging situations? Already Aristotle spoke of practical knowledge in terms of prudence or practical wisdom (phronesis), a notion which is also reflected in the term Bildung. In this podcast, the hosts prof. Michael Noah Weiss and prof. Guro Hansen Helskog are examining central aspects of this knowledge form and its relevance in professional studies by talking to different scholars who made significant contributions to the field. Listeners can get hands-on ideas on how to develop practical knowledge in their own professional contexts.
Hosts:
Michael Noah Weiss & Guro Hansen Helskog
TRANSCRIPT SUMMARY
(This transcript summary was AI-generated and then edited by the podcast hosts for quality assurance)
#19 Nicola Ulibarri | Creativity in Research
- a podcast dialogue with Michael Noah Weiss and Guro Hansen Helskog
INTRODUCTION
In this episode of the ResponsAbility Podcast, co-hosts Michael Noah Weiss and Guro Hansen Helskog welcome Nicola Ulibarri, Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Public Policy at the University of California, Irvine, and co-author of Creativity in Research. Her research investigates the social, environmental, and regulatory dimensions of infrastructure planning, while her work on creativity has been shaped by her time at Stanford’s d.school. Together, the conversation explores creativity as a practice in research, touching on mindfulness, emotional intuition, structured training, and the conditions that support creativity.
FROM DESIGN THINKING TO RESEARCH CREATIVITY
Nicola begins by recounting how the book Creativity in Research emerged from her PhD experience at Stanford. Early on, she took a class in design thinking at the d.school and was struck by its potential. While the d.school had many outward-facing projects—in education, health, and environmental management—no one was applying design thinking to the practice of research itself.
Together with a small group of doctoral students, she initiated workshops to adapt design thinking methods for academic inquiry. Interest grew rapidly, and over time the team developed a curriculum that they taught in dozens of classes. Realizing the need for broader reach beyond what workshops could provide, they decided to write a book. The central goal: to equip researchers with practical tools for cultivating creativity in their work.
MINDFULNESS AS THE FOUNDATION OF CREATIVITY
When asked about mindfulness, Nicola emphasizes that their approach starts with awareness. Creativity is not first and foremost about generating a flood of ideas but about noticing what one is doing, thinking, and feeling. Mindfulness, in this sense, is about stepping back and observing one’s process.
She frames this as a way of developing intentionality: once researchers recognize their habits, assumptions, or emotional states, they can choose their next step more consciously. This mindful noticing builds a kind of “muscle” for reflection that underpins creative decision-making.
EMOTIONAL INTUITION AS GUIDANCE
Michael introduces the hosts’ own connection to Nicola’s work: they discovered Creativity in Research while conducting a project using Trilogos guided imageries with scholars, exploring how such practices foster intuition and creativity.
Nicola explains why emotional intuition matters in research. Too often, academic training teaches students to set emotions aside and rely only on rational analysis. But emotions can act as signals, indicating whether a project excites us, whether something feels wrong, or whether interpersonal dynamics in a team need attention. Rather than being distractions, emotions are data.
Cultivating emotional awareness again ties back to mindfulness. By pausing to notice what emotions are present, researchers can understand their impact and respond intentionally. Nicola illustrates this with a personal example: when she procrastinates on writing, she now checks in with her emotions. Sometimes the resistance points to frustration with co-authors, sometimes to insecurity about data readiness. Recognizing this helps her identify the real barrier and act accordingly.
This integration of mindfulness and emotional intuition is not yet widely accepted across disciplines. Nicola notes that while her own background in anthropology made it natural to value emotions and reflexivity, others—like physicists trained to rely solely on logic—often resist. Teaching workshops requires gently helping such scholars see where emotions already play a role in their research lives.
TEACHING AND PRACTICING CREATIVITY: THE THIRTY-DAY PROGRAM
The book introduces a thirty-day creativity program, modeled after the workshops the team has taught worldwide. The program begins with exercises in core creative abilities such as problem finding, emotional awareness, and iterative prototyping. Students then take these practices back into their own research contexts, returning for reflection and deeper engagement.
Nicola stresses that the pedagogy they describe in the book emphasizes practice over theory. Rather than merely talking about iteration or brainstorming, students are asked to actually sketch, build, or prototype solutions under time constraints. Action followed by reflection is what fosters transformation.
Transformations she has observed come in several forms: One is unsticking research processes. Students who felt blocked discovered new ways forward. Another is clarifying research direction: Doctoral students reframed broad ideas into focused, innovative projects. A third is embracing collaboration and emotions: Many realized they do not need to struggle alone but could benefit from teamwork and from acknowledging their emotions as part of the process.
STORYTELLING AND LANGUAGE IN RESEARCH IDENTITY
Another theme in the book is the role of storytelling and language. Nicola explains that the narratives researchers hold about themselves and their projects can either hinder or support creativity. For instance, identifying as “a fast writer” versus “someone who struggles with writing” can significantly shape one’s productivity and confidence.
She shares a personal example: a paper she initially approached with frustration and obligation. By reframing her narrative—seeing it as a valuable contribution rather than a chore—she opened herself to new creative analyses and ended up submitting the work to a top journal. This shift illustrates how changing the story can transform research practice.
ENERGY MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE CREATIVITY
Creativity also depends on managing energy. Nicola describes energy awareness as a supporting ability: by noticing when and where one feels most energized, researchers can structure their work accordingly. She herself reserves mornings for deep writing and leaves meetings and teaching for afternoons when her energy is lower.
Energy management also involves recognizing the impact of places, people, and activities: working in energizing environments, planning around draining interactions, and aligning tasks with natural energy rhythms.
COLLABORATION, FEEDBACK, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
Creativity flourishes in safe, collaborative environments. Nicola highlights the importance of feedback networks and psychological safety in teams. She points to her co-author Amanda Cravens’ work on fostering such conditions.
Feedback can take many forms: content feedback on a draft, exploratory conversation about new ideas, or simple emotional support. Building a diverse network of people who can provide different kinds of feedback is crucial. Nicola herself meets weekly with a group of peers from her PhD cohort to share updates, challenges, and drafts—a practice she finds invaluable for sustaining creativity and resilience.
REFLECTIONS ON RECEPTION AND PRACTICE
Asked about the reception of Creativity in Research, Nicola expresses delight at how widely it has been picked up across disciplines and continents. Professors, students, and even non-academics have contacted her to share how they’ve used the thirty-day program or incorporated the ideas into their labs.
What surprises her most, however, is how easy it is—even for herself as an author—to fall back into old habits. In her own feedback group, colleagues often jokingly remind her of her book’s advice, underscoring that creativity is not a one-time achievement but a continual practice requiring reminders and reinvigoration.
CLOSING REFLECTIONS: RESEARCH AS ART
In closing, the hosts ask whether being a good researcher is akin to being an artist. Nicola responds affirmatively: researchers, like artists, are creators of novel contributions that inspire and move others. Embracing the artistic dimension of scholarship may help academics reclaim the inspiration side of their work.
CONCLUSION
Summing up, this conversation with Nicola Ulibarri highlights creativity as a deliberate dimension of research, describing a pedagogical practice grounded in mindfulness, emotional intuition, structured experimentation, and supportive conditions. Her reflections challenge the traditional separation of logic and emotion in academia, advocating instead for a more holistic, human-centered approach to scholarship.
For listeners, the episode serves both as an introduction to Creativity in Research and as an invitation to experiment with their own processes, stories, and networks—reminding us that creativity, like responsibility, is a continual practice.