THE CREATIVE RX TOOLKIT

Practical tools to spark creativity inside a risk-averse system. Created by Gathan D. Borden for the University of Kentucky MCCAN – Cancer Care Conference.

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The 3C Framework

Clarity > Courage > Connection

Clarity	Who is the real audience?	What problem are we solving?	What’s the ONE message we want them to walk away with?
Connection	What’s the emotion?	Who is the human at the center?	How can we show, not just tell?
Courage	What’s a small pilot or test?	What channel can we experiment with safely?	What evidence can we bring leadership to build trust?

Creative Warm-Up Prompts

Use these before brainstorms, planning meetings, or content discussions.

• “If we had zero budget, how would we still reach people?”
• “What’s the simplest version of this idea?”
• “How would a local business tell this story?”
• “What would this look like on a single Post-It note?”
• “What if we removed half the words?”
• “What if we told this story through a patient’s eyes?”
• “What are we assuming that we haven’t questioned yet?”

‘What If We…’ Idea Starters

Questions that unlock creativity when you’re stuck.

• What if we partnered with a local business?
• What if we used a channel we’ve never used before?
• What if we told this story without words?
• What if we centered one powerful human moment instead of ten facts?
• What if we had to launch this by tomorrow?
• What if we designed this message as if it were for a family member?

Patient Story Mini-Template

Use this structure for any human story you want to tell.

1. Who is the person at the center of this story? (Not just the diagnosis — the person.)

2. What challenge or fear were they facing? (Keep human, simple, honest.)

3. How did our team support or guide them? (Focus on experience, not jargon.)

4. What changed for them? (Relief, hope, understanding, connection.)

5. What should the audience feel after reading this? (One emotion — not three.)

Thank You For Attending

Thank you for being part of this workshop. Creativity doesn’t require permission — it requires courage, clarity, and connection. I hope these tools help you spark meaningful ideas inside your teams and bring more human-centered storytelling into your work.