I had a chance to listen to Onion Founding Editor Scott Dikkers, L’Etoile and Graze Executive Chef Tory Miller and Madison Symphony Orchestra Music Director John DeMain speak on creativity at an event called 100:1 organized by Knupp & Watson & Wallman (KW2) last week at Sundance Cinemas.

Each speaker brought up a unique perspective to how creativity drives their profession—Dikkers mentioned how many hundreds of headlines are rejected to get down to the few that are used in each issue; Miller talked about walking into his cooler to get inspiration for new dishes; and DeMain recounted how new approaches helped triple audience attendance to MSO performances.

The audience of Madison-area business professionals (quite a few in the communications industry) also heard the unifying traits of creativity that were shared amongst the three. The one that resonated with me the most was persistence over raw talent. That motto probably works in most areas, not just in the creative world.

My favorite moment was when Miller admitted he has ADD and was having trouble concentrating during this presentation; in fact, he joked that he was trying to focus on the water bottle in front of him to stop drifting off.

For more information on the 100:1 events, check out http://www.kw2ideas.com/100to1.