What Is Creative Compassion? (And Why Educators Need It Now)
We often treat "creativity" and "compassion" as separate silos in education.
At the Future of Learning Conference in HK, I had the privilege to present the concept of Creative Compassion. At its heart, it’s the moment where creativity meets empathy, and where our urge to make things collides with our desire to help others.
What is Creative Compassion?
Creative Compassion is the process where our inherent urge to innovate (Creativity) combines with our innate capacity for empathy (Compassion). This combination drives us to develop novel, useful things specifically aimed at fulfilling the needs of others (Creation).
It is not just about "being nice." It is empathy in motion—a desire to do something that actively nurtures growth, for both the creator and the audience.
The Three Pillars of the Practice
To truly practice this, we need to balance three elements:
- Creativity: Using our basic ability to solve problems and think differently.
- Compassion: moving beyond feeling to acting for the benefit of others.
- Creation: Making something new—not just for survival, but for gaining purpose, meaning, and self-expression.
The overlap of Creativity, Compassion, and Creation, all pointing toward Collective Well-Being.
The Process
And at its core, Creative Compassion is a cycle—Inspiration → Creation → Sharing—each phase grounded in purpose and empathy.
- Inspiration asks: Why does this matter? Who is this for?
- Create lets us design solutions that are simple, useful, and authentic to our voice.
- Share allows others to feel seen, supported, or inspired—and gives the creator a sense of purpose and connection.
Creative Compassion in Action
What does this look like in the real world? It can be as simple as a moment of play and kindness or as profound as giving a voice to the voiceless.
High Tea & Coffee Gatherings: Olivia Holmes (olivia.avenue) has a remarkable talent for turning simple moments into meaningful community-building experiences. Whether she’s hosting a cozy high tea or setting up a Ralph Lauren Coffee pop-up cafe gathering, she brings a sense of care, aesthetic detail, and genuine hospitality that makes teachers in her grade level feel welcomed, valued, and connected. She creates spaces where colleagues can slow down, share stories, build relationships, and recharge.
Creative Compassion in action: Using creativity and empathy to design moments that nurture community well-being.
Amplifying Unseen Stories: Another powerful example comes from Angela Spitzman who wrote a book review for a publishing journal. Her review was about the book, "An Unseen Unheard Minority," which helps Asian American students make sense of their "unseen stories" within higher education.
Creative Compassion in action: Using her passion for equity and inclusion, she creates work that reminds us that visibility isn’t just about being seen—it’s about truly being included.
Jurassic Park Photography: The last example I shared was something I created with my children. Inspired by the incredible Instagram creator, @jurassicbrazil, we took an iPad outside, set up toy dinosaurs, and recreated epic cinematic shots. Then we used simple editing tools to bring the photos to life. In another era, this kind of work required expensive equipment and professional skill. But now? A child with an idea can try something bold, expressive, and deeply meaningful. I created a vlog video explaining this message.
For me, that video wasn’t just content — it was a moment of:
- creativity (use of vlogging as a way to communicate a message) ,
- creation (allowing me to express myself in a tangible way),
- compassion (sharing a message that can impact others).
Every act of creation can be an act of care; a mutually beneficial relationship between the audience and the creator.
And this is why educators need Creative Compassion now more than ever. Teaching is meaningful but also deeply demanding, and creating with empathy can be a way to refill our own cup. When we make and share with care, we model vulnerability, strengthen community, and gently reconnect with the joy that drew us to this work in the first place.
You can find the workshop slide deck I presented here.
Other “Creative Compassion” approaches
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