Why I Have Confidence in the Future

28th of September ~

Two years we bought an historic Victorian house.  Crazy?  Absolutely.  The love we have poured into this place (we’re talking lots of time and money) has been much more than we anticipated would be needed.  Why do it?  Because we have a vision for doing good things with this beautiful place.

Last week we hosted a fundraiser for a foundation that funds scholarships for young adults.  When we said “yes” to the group I had no idea how inspiring it would be for me.

The marvelous Board at Carpe Diem suggested a work party to help get the yard ready for the event.  I identified two big jobs: spray painting the lawn furniture and planting more flowers.  The day of the work party almost 20 young people came to work.  And did they work!

Half the group began painting all the old lawn furniture with black spray paint.   At one point I was concerned that the EPA might visit us…we had a bit of a noxious cloud floating over the yard.  Sorry everyone!

The other half of the group got busy planting.

As it happened, one young woman had a degree in Horticulture and another young man had worked at a native plants nursery.

Within 5 minutes the plants were placed and each member of the crew was working in the dirt.

Each was positive, confident, generous, collaborative and effective.  There was nothing left for me to do except admire and get the champagne iced.

After spending the afternoon with these beautiful young people I have more confidence than ever for the future.  The work crew was comprised of the co-leaders of groups of 18-year-old students that are traveling the globe.  Each of them is somewhere far away now.    I can easily imagine them as goodwill ambassadors, influencing the young people under their guidance and charming the people they  meet in their host countries.

Godspeed to all of you!  It was a genuine pleasure.

(Oh–and the actual fundraiser was held last week and was an excellent success!)

A Sensory Stroll

22nd of September ~

Today or tomorrow… slow…down.
Practice focusing on what you are doing this very moment.

Give yourself 30 minutes to take an excursion while completely tuned to your senses.

To begin:

Formulate a question you want answered and then close your eyes.  Allow yourself 60 seconds of total relaxation and let the answer rise up.  Write down whatever comes–a feeling, an image, or a simple phrase.

Now, Take a walk.  Walking is a wonderful way to become centered, focused and calm.  Stop periodically to tune into your senses.  Here are your prompts:

Look. When a scene becomes too familiar you may stop seeing your surroundings.  Find another way to look.  Choose a view and let your eyes go soft.  Search for directional lines.  Seek out a certain color.  Observe how the light strikes a surface.  Look only at the shadows or negative space.

Smell. Your sense of smell has close connections with the parts of the brain that process emotion and make associations.  For that reason is is the most evocative of the senses–a mainline to memories.  Seek out the scents that have associated memories for you: the smell of cinnamon,  Mom’s perfume, play-doh.  Or breathe deeply and identify the scents of your current surroundings.

Listen. We tune out sounds to keep our sanity.  Yet, wherever you are, you are surrounded by sound.  What do you hear?

Touch.  Feel the nub of your sweater and the roughness of the concrete.  Sweep your hand over a smooth table.  Pet a dog or a cat and relish the soft, warm fur.  Close your eyes and attune to your sense of touch.

When you have completed your Sensory Stroll you might want to go back to your original question.  Now that you have had a chance to relax and allowed your brain to feast on new stimui you might have some new insights.

Or, you could just take a nap.

The Sweet Spot of Expertise

16th of September ~

What role does KNOWLEDGE play in the innovation process?

Teresa Amabile suggest that to be innovative you require two things:

* Domain relevant skills: do you have knowledge, technical skills and talent to produce germane solutions?
* Creativity-relevant skills: do you have the cognitive skills and personality traits associated with creative performance?

One may have the creative traits and even be so naive as to claim, “I’m just a creative person!”.  But you cannot be creative in a field about which you know nothing.  Creative problem solving cannot be ‘knowledge-free’.  You need to know enough to play in the domain.  That relationship looks like this:


The more I know, the more I can apply principles, bend rules and innovate in my chosen domain.

However, there is a danger in assuming that this correlation continues on indefinitely.  B.S. Stein identified negative impacts of knowledge that included ‘functional fixedness’.  Knowledge can impede our ability to see a fresh solution because we have the expertise and experience to do it ‘right’.  Anyone who has been frustrated working with an expert who ‘knows’ all the answers has experienced this phenomenon.

There is a diminishing return with expertise that might look like this:

If your domain expertise leads you to believe that you KNOW all the answers you may just be falling off your sweet spot as a far as innovation is concerned.

Inventory Your Creative Assets

3rd of September ~

Passionately creative people don’t let anything get in the way of honoring their muse.  I admire them.  I am not one of them.

Many of us tend toward more moderate lives.  We get distracted by the routines of daily living and another season elapses.  We may not always find time to honor our muse.

Your Creativity Benefits From These Enabling Assets:

Inspiration

Your creativity will be triggered by regular walks off the beaten path.  Make Artist Dates (field trips for yourself), read periodicals from outside your field, do things kids do, treat yourself to eye candy and ear candy.  Stimulate your senses.  Seek out Exemplars in your realm.
To what degree are you stimulating your imagination with inspiration?

Community and Cheerleaders

Creation–the act of making something new–requires risk.  By definition you are taking a chance and you need the support of champions as you venture forth.  Seek out a tribe–find others who are working in the same domain.  Ensure that you have a support system.
To what degree do you have support for your creative endeavors?


Environment

While it is possible to create in a grey cube without any natural daylight, it is not ideal.  You will feel happier and be more productive in a pleasing and well-equipped space.
To what degree do you feel inspired by, comfortable in your working space?  Do you have a ‘room of your own’?

Collaboration

Creative work benefits from others who can help you refine your ideas.  The creative process is stimulated by differing points of view.  Other minds can add to your ideas in ways that have not occurred to you.  {special note: I mean collaborators–not spontaneous critics and naysayers–avoid them as you would a poisonous, rash-producing plant}
To what degree do you have a brain trust to help you refine your creative work?

Passion

Doing original work requires stamina.  Loving your project, your media, your problem will sustain you through the grueling labor pains.
To what degree do you care about this creative work?

Physical Health

A healthy, happy host body is important for creative work.  Your productivity will be sub-par if your brain isn’t getting oxygen and good fuel to fire those chemical and electrical systems.
To what degree is your body your creative temple?

Self-Awareness

Each of us has peak times for original work.  Do you know how to work with your own creative rhythms?  Can you give your brain assignments and know that your brain will do its homework?  Every Creative Producer I’ve ever interviewed has techniques that enhance their work and help them avoid blocks.
To what degree do you understand your own creative process?

I encourage you to perform an inventory and identify one or two areas where you might honor your creative work more.  Really, you deserve it and the world wants to hear from you.  Download your own copy of the CreativeAssetsInventory here.

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