Did school kill your creativity? Ken Robinson certainly thinks it may have. If you haven’t seen his TED talk here it is:
The good Sir Robinson has also written an excellent book called The Element. We are in our Element when our natural talent/aptitude meets our personal passion. This sounds a little like Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s notion of ‘Flow‘ but here’s how I see the difference: if you have a chance to pursue your talent and passion (your Element) then you will more often find themselves in a state of Flow.
Here is Sir Ken is concern: schools today are over-focused on a narrow definition of intelligence. Standardized tests determine everything from school funding to who gets into elite programs and colleges. Perhaps you’ve read A Whole New Mindor Five Minds for the Future. Perhaps you believe that employers are seeking creativity, the ability to solve complex problems and do more than simply provide the ‘right’ answer.
The world needs flexible, generative minds alongside the analytical, logical minds. And our curricula and assessments do not reflect that, sadly.
For many years my Element has been dance. For many years I studied ballet (and tap, and jazz and even baton twirling!). When I studied dance technique I was definitely not in Flow. It was painstaking learning. But eventually, I got better and became a trained dancer. I haven’t performed in years but I still seek opportunities to dance. I do lose track of time and enter ‘single-minded immersion’. What a gift to have found something for which I had some aptitude and loved so much. I also believe that my training in the arts prepared me to make a broader contribution professionally. I studied math and science. I took ballet lessons. Both improved my brain.
What is your Element? What have you pursued with passion and aptitude? If it’s been a long time since you’ve found yourself in Flow may I suggest that you find a way to get back to what you love? You and the world will be better for it.
Yesterday I met with a former theater colleague. He’s a marketing whiz but he also knows a ton about emerging technologies and how to use them. “I don’t care about the inner workings. I just want the technology for what it can do.”
And here’s a lovely example of how technology is opening possibilities. This woman was born in 1911 (yup, 99 years old). She received an English Literature degree from Reed college in the the 1930′s but her glaucoma has made reading extremely difficult. With the iPad she can read more easily because the screen is so bright.
Delightful.
I hope when I am 99 years old I, too, will be open to using new technology.
One thing I’ve observed about many creative people is a delightful curiosity. “Oh, look! Something new!” If you are easily distracted (to the point of low productivity) I can recommend the adoption of an old practice: Observe a Day of Rest. Take one day each week to unplug from your technology, go outside for a contemplative walk and simply give your brain something different–space to roam. Here’s one site to help you try it: Sabbath Manifesto
I treated myself to a day of rest over the weekend and I was astonished at how often I reflexively headed for my computer. Without it I was a little lost. But then I took the dog for a leisurely walk. And then I did some writing. And then I did a lot of reading. It was nice, all that space.
OK, I admit that by the evening I did have to indulge in some technology via Netflix. Still, I went to bed early and slept well. And the next day I did notice a lot of energy to dig into my more unformed work.
And, if you absolutely don’t have time to take a Day of Rest…well, then you really, really need it. Here are a couple of strategies:
Plan a trip and then cancel it at the last minute. I hadn’t planned on canceling my most recent trip. But once I did I had this empty calendar. Days of unscheduled time! What a luxury!
Choose a day three or four weeks out and put it on the calendar. Get your people to support you in this. Then, escape the house and office. Then do it twice a month, then three times a month. Then every week.
Trust me, if you are a working professional you will feel lost. But then your brain will begin to occupy itself in different ways.
I am a professional in the change management field, with an expertise in creativity and innovation. That said, I have often chuckled at how change-inept many of us are in our personal lives. This spring I am fired up around multiple goals….and I have been sick. What?! I am NOT in control here?!
So, this week, on my second round of antibiotics and hopped up on vicodin for cough suppression (whee!), I am pondering the gifts of inaction. What am I to learn here?
Fallow Time
Farmers let their fields rest. My body has enforced rest upon me. I don’t think I was stressed or burning the candle at both ends. Still, my life is FULL. I like to take big, gobbling bites of life and maybe it’s time to slow down and pare the To-Do list a little. I feel completely guilty watching multiple versions of Jane Eyre. I am catching up on TV via Hulu in my sickbed. Modern Family had me laughing aloud (again, love the vicodin). I feel better when I rest.
The Essence
I have had to cancel things left and right. Some wonderful events I could not attend. Others have been pushed out. The only thing I am doing this entire week is showing up at family Easter dinner. What’s most important rises easily to the top when choices are narrowed.
Incubation
Hours in bed, wandering around in my head, is giving me time to ponder. I am making notes in my journal about my delayed plans. The Incubation process is a well-documented aspect of the creative process. My dreams are gaining momentum with the forced stillness.
Reflection
I have also taken my own advice to reflect on the first quarter of the year and ask big and small questions: What have I harvested and what do I still want to accomplish in 2010? Here are a few of the things that popped to the top of the Harvest list:
Fed kangaroos and petted a koala in Australia!
Managed to sustain the first three months of weekly newsletters. The public commitment compelled me and, what do you know? I LOVE writing it.
Initiated external work on our home. We have a new roof and the primer paint is going up!
Made a really cool travel journal (a la Mary Ann Moss)
Meanwhile, I leave for Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday. Oh La! Living La Vida Loca….
How did I not know that Sydney is one the of the best cities in the entire world? It was never high on my list of places to visit but I am here now (lucky me!) and I am dazzled by the beauty, ease and culture.
The Culture
The DNA of the city is colonialism with penal colony. The aboriginal inhabitants were decimated when the Europeans arrived and endured centuries of ill treatment (see Rabbit-Proof Fence for instance. The Prime Minister formally apologized recently. Today there is enormous respect for the oldest continuing indigenous culture.
But getting back to the penal colony. Overcrowded prisons, like Newgate, needed somewhere new to send their not-as-wicked criminals once the Americans declared their independence. Plus they hoped to colonize the place. Personally I think they might have eased up on the harshness of the punishments–stealing a horse is a hanging offense? Stealing some bread sends a 9-year-old to Australia for seven years? Still, over they came along with the soldiers to guard them. Prisoners on one side–here’s a nice rocky spot for you to build your new home. Soldiers and gentry on the other side of the Tank Stream. They nearly starved the first two years but eventually the settlement flourished.
200 years later, that plucky, rule-breaking, solve-the-problem DNA is still evident…alongside a collectivist society. It’s an intriguing combo. We are audacious but we stick together.
The Beauty
I haven’t been everywhere but this is the most beautiful harbor I’ve experienced. We can walk all around it on thoughtfully placed paths. Mass transit is world-class–especially ferries!! The sun shines. It’s safe. And I learned part of the secret yesterday: After an outbreak of the plague in the early 1900s the government decided to do a major overhaul: clean up the rubbish, ensure clean drinking water and hire rat-catchers. They also decided to buy up the area known as The Rocks (remember that hospitable site they gave to the convicts) for a million dollars. Now the government manages the property and tenants have long-term leases. The result is a cohesive and thoughtful development of the area. No runaway pillaging here!
Playful
Who doesn’t love meeting Australians when they travel? I remember hanging out with lots of them in my brief back-packing days. They are jolly and friendly AND they speak English. Who wouldn’t be happy? In ten minutes you can be on one of dozens of beaches in the city. On Day One we visited Bondi Beach. Hello! 15 minutes from the Central Business District.
While there we had a brief chat with the owner of this magnificent vehicle:
Features included:
completely waterproof
windproof to 50 knots
satellite reception
configurable inside and extremely spacious
industrial-strength poles for shading and stability
He proudly likened his bus to a Swiss-army knife. I liked the fact that it’s so whimsical. Overall a fine example of innovation: creative and useful. And uniquely Australian.
“It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light.” G. K. Chesterton
I am a huge fan of Gretchen Rubin. First, I followed her blog and now I’m buying multiple copies of The Happiness Project and sharing it with friends and family. Why do I like her book so much?
Structure
Gretchen was trained as an attorney and later realized that she really wanted to be a writer. With several books to her credit and an orderly mind she approached her quest for greater happiness with admirable organization. From her Twelve Personal Commandments and Four Splendid Truths to the monthly areas of focus she addresses multiple aspects of positive psychology.
Practicality
She alludes to the research but she doesn’t dwell on it. This is not a book for academics. This is a book for people who want actionable ideas. Each month, for her Happiness Project, she selected an area of focus. Each of the areas was broken down into several sub-topics. Her objectives are tangible. She writes:
Resolutions work better when they’re concrete, not abstract: it’s harder to keep a resolution to “Be a more loving parent” than to “Get up fifteen minutes early so I’m dressed before the kids wake up.”
Honesty
Like my other memoir heroine, Elizabeth Gilbert, Gretchen writes with personal voice. She takes a frank look in the mirror and doesn’t whitewash her faults. She shares a lame drawing from her first day in an art class and describes her cranky moments in detail. I liked her better for her foibles.
Inspiration
She’s clearly struck a chord with readers because Happiness Project groups are popping up all over. She is generous with her tools and has created a Happiness Toolbox site.
Finally, I felt she understood a dynamic that I’ve often experienced in my life: the tendency to underrate enthusiastic people. In November she has a resolution to “Give Positive Reviews”.
Giving positive reviews requires humility. I have to admit, I missed the feelings of superiority that I got from using puncturing humor, sarcasm, ironic asides, cynical comments, and cutting remarks. A willingness to be pleased requires modesty and even innocence–easy to deride as mawkish and sentimental.
I am an avowed Francophile and through Head Butler I was led to this yummy blog. The author also posted a video showing how she creates a perpetual photo calendar.
If you’re not a photographer you can buy her beautiful calendar from her Etsy shop.
