Tina Colby: Helping People Rediscover Their Creative Potential.
- Mark Walmsley FRSA AGSM
- Jun 19
- 5 min read
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Meet Tina Colby.
In this interview I created Tina Colby's fantasy cultural year from the answers to some easy questions to which there were no wrong answers.
I had a magic wand and a time machine at my disposal, so expect some surprises, laughs, anecdotes and conversational detours.
Tina Colby believes that creativity is not something reserved for artists, designers, or musicians. It is a fundamental human capability that too many people lose touch with as they move through education, careers, and adult life.
After a successful career in advertising and marketing, Tina turned her attention to a question that has become increasingly urgent in a rapidly changing world: how do we help people reconnect with their creativity?
Today, through her work with Refound, Tina helps individuals, teams, and organisations rediscover the creative confidence they often possessed naturally as children but gradually lost through years of unconscious conformity and conventional thinking. Her work explores the relationship between creativity, curiosity, innovation, leadership, and human potential.
At a time when artificial intelligence is transforming the workplace and automating many routine tasks, Tina believes uniquely human capabilities such as imagination, empathy, creativity, and original thinking have never been more important. Her mission is not simply to help people become more creative; it is to help them remember that they already are.
Based in the United Kingdom, Tina works with leaders, organisations, and individuals seeking to unlock new ways of thinking, solve complex challenges, and build cultures where creativity can flourish. Through workshops, programmes, speaking engagements, and coaching, she helps people move beyond limiting assumptions and reconnect with their natural capacity for innovation.
Her work sits at the intersection of creativity, leadership, personal development, and cultural change, reminding us that creativity is not a luxury but an essential skill for navigating the future.
Tina Colby's Fantasy Cultural Year ... with a magic wand and a time machine to hand.
Tina Colby's Fantasy Cultural Year begins in London, where a visionary - if fictitious - family foundation approaches her with an extraordinary proposition.
Recognising the importance of creativity in a world increasingly shaped by technology and artificial intelligence, they invite Tina to spend a year travelling the globe helping organisations, communities, educators, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders reconnect with their creative potential.
The foundation provides first-class travel, accommodation, a personal assistant, a documentary film crew, and complete creative freedom. At the end of the year, Tina will publish a bestselling book, deliver a TED Talk, and embark on a global lecture tour sharing what she has learned about creativity, innovation, and human potential.
The journey begins at one of Tina's favourite London locations: the Kimpton Fitzroy Hotel. Settled comfortably with a no-salt margarita in hand, a copy of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice nearby, and the music of Ludovico Einaudi providing a reflective soundtrack, she prepares for the year ahead.
Her first destination is Prague.
Drawn by its rich history, architecture, and emerging creative community, Tina chooses to work with a new generation of entrepreneurs and leaders whose ideas have enormous potential but whose voices have yet to be fully heard. It is a fitting beginning for someone whose work focuses on helping others recognise possibilities within themselves.
When challenged to listen to only one style of music for an entire year, Tina chooses modern folk music, valuing its storytelling traditions, emotional honesty, and ability to connect people through shared human experience. The choice reveals her belief that creativity ultimately begins with stories.
The cultural journey then moves to a remarkable dance performance featuring the legendary Mikhail Baryshnikov. Watching one of the greatest dancers in history becomes more than entertainment. For Tina, it serves as a reminder of the extraordinary things human beings can achieve when discipline, imagination, skill, and artistic expression come together.
Afterwards, the evening concludes with Mediterranean cuisine and conversations with young entrepreneurs whose ideas may shape the future.
The next destination is Edinburgh.
There, Tina chooses to experience international rugby at Murrayfield Stadium. While not traditionally associated with creativity, the event appeals to her appreciation for teamwork, strategy, leadership, and collective endeavour. It reflects a recurring theme throughout her work: creativity flourishes not only in individuals but also in communities.
The journey continues to Reykjavik, Iceland, a country known for both its dramatic landscapes and its remarkable culture of innovation.
Here, Tina visits a digitally enhanced art gallery unlike any other. Using immersive virtual reality technology, visitors are able to step directly into famous works of art and experience them from within. Asked which artist she would most like to encounter in this way, Tina chooses Willem de Kooning.
Known for his bold, energetic, and expressive paintings, de Kooning's work reflects the very qualities Tina encourages in others: experimentation, risk-taking, spontaneity, and the courage to embrace uncertainty.
The final week of the cultural year takes place in London.
The concert of choice is Coldplay, a band whose music combines emotional connection with optimism and collective experience.
For theatre, Tina chooses Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre, immersing herself in the timeless exploration of human nature that has inspired audiences for centuries.
The musical theatre experience follows, before a visit to the Royal Opera House to see Puccini's Tosca, a work filled with passion, drama, creativity, and emotional intensity.
For film night, Tina chooses the Harry Potter series, celebrating imagination, storytelling, friendship, and the enduring belief that magic can still be found in the world.
The cultural year concludes with a leisurely lunch in London.
Asked who she would most like to spend two hours with, Tina chooses John Lennon.
The choice feels entirely appropriate. Lennon was not simply a musician but a creative thinker, cultural disruptor, and advocate for imagining different possibilities for the world.
Yet perhaps the most revealing moment comes when Tina gently pushes back against the idea of becoming the sole voice for creativity. Rather than positioning herself as a guru or singular authority, she expresses a desire to create ambassadors—people who will carry the message forward themselves.
It is a response that perfectly encapsulates her philosophy. Creativity does not belong to a select few. It belongs to all of us.
Sometimes we simply need help remembering where we left it.
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Mark Walmsley FRSA FCIM AGSM
Chief Culture Vulture
Arts & Culture Network
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