People walking into our school for the first time often comment on how creative the environment feels. Is it the colours? Is it the space? Is it what is on the walls? Certainly the physical environment is important. Colour helps. Interesting work on the walls helps. Delightful kids' pottery sitting on the furniture helps.

I like to think that what makes for a creative environment is an atmosphere where people feel they are able to create. What makes people feel that they can freely express who they are? What is it that gives people the sense that they can experiment and take chances on trying out something new? What gives people the freedom to be spontaneous and allow their inner voice to speak in an uncensored, even playful, way?

The ethos of a place is established by the people in it - not by the spaces or the decorations, although those factors certainly count. People need to feel safe enough to create. Our Broadway Showtunes class takes place in a rather sterile, unadorned church basement. There is as much laughing and spontaneous improvisatory work happening there as anywhere else in the school. Our Botanical Watercolour class is housed at the Bradgate Arms, a senior citizen's residence across the street where, week after week, students create remarkable works of art. Is it the physical environment of these places that makes all this possible?

The mandate of our school is to ensure that people discover the joy of creating in a relaxed, congenial and supportive environment. When people worry about being assessed and judged they will be loath to try anything new, lest it be judged a failure. When people feel supported and respected for who they are they are more likely to explore new possibilities. When people feel that the work they do is being noticed, they are encouraged to move forward with their work.

Transfer this principle to the work environment. When people receive feedback that is observant without being judgmental, they will grow, benefiting from constructive, thoughtful attention. It's much easier to say "good job" than it is to say "your intervention at this morning's meeting broke the logjam," for example. But which comment would mean more? We all need to feel noticed.

What makes us feel safe enough to create something new? It helps not to have to worry about how we are being judged? And it helps not to feel mortified of the consequences if we make a mistake. This presents a serious challenge to businesses that don't have much of a margin for error. Quite often businesses that rely on creative advances isolate their creative environments from the rest of the operation. Those spaces are identified as places where people can experiment, play around and yes, even make mistakes.

Creative businesses recognize that if you can't take a chance, you can't get ahead. As Wayne Gretzky says: "You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take." We have to be able to take some chances without fearing that we will lose our job.

The perfect environment is one where people's talents, even their hidden gifts, can flourish. I believe we need to strive to create environments, be they at home or in our workplace, where people feel enough trust and respect that they can express who they really are. This sense of trust only comes when people feel valued and accepted.

Lola Rasminsky, Director