Innoveering Nebraska

Today I came across a quote from Brenda Ueland.  You may not remember her, but she wrote the best book on writing that I’ve ever read:  If You Want to Write: A Book About Art, Independence and Spirit   Reading this book is like having coffee with your most encouraging friend.  Really, it’s that good.  Somehow Ueland distilled her impressive teaching skills into writing for each of us to access when we’re convinced we’ll never write anything worthwhile again.   I think everyone who writes or wants to write should have an emergency copy of this book safely tucked away on their shelves in case of a writing crises.

But back to the quote.  It’s one of her best, and I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten it.  Ueland believed that, in order to flourish, our imaginations need “moodling – long inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.”  Just reading that quote, you know she had to love words. 

But what a wonderful concept.  The idea that we need inefficient idling, dawdling and puttering to be creative.  Don’t all good mothers know this?  Researchers recently quoted in Newsweek and the Charlie Rose show said the same thing – except with much less delicious words. 

When was the last time you indulged in moodling?  Should we really consider moodling an indulgence if it’s necessary for creativity?  Those same researchers all agreed creativity will drive the new world economy.  Without creativity we can’t effectively problem solve.  We can’t imagine the next great invention or idea.  We can’t identify correlations between fields.  We can’t be innoveers. 

So go ahead and moodle.  Engage in “long inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.”  Ms. Ueland, your mom and a whole host of researchers would approve.

Here’s another great Brenda Ueland quote:

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