Innoveering Nebraska

I have a little dream and it looks something like this:

How I think about my work is indistinguishable from the way I think about my needlepoint or cooking: here is the project I’m involved in.  It is play.  In this sense all my life is spent in play – sewing or needlepoint, or picking flowers or writing, or buying groceries. – Diane Johnson

Is this impossible?  It has been for me so far.  But I continue to hope, work and dream with this destination in mind.

Below is one of my favorite pieces from Patricia Scarborough, a Nebraska woman who seems to have mastered the combination of work and play…

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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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We’ve all see the unemployment numbers in the news, heard the individual horror stories and maybe even felt a little pinch ourselves.  In all of this bad news, I was thrilled to hear of a little glimmer of good. 

Because of the economic slowdown, many Americans have experienced a slowdown of their own and are either rediscovering old hobbies or finding new interests.  It’s true!  It’s so true that the Wall Street Journal has featured truck drivers who have taken up quilting and knitting.  Check it out here and here if you don’t believe me.  

I love it!  I love that something good and positive and productive and fun has come out of something not so great.  I love that people are finally finding time to do things they enjoy.  I love that people are so passionate about the things they love that they’ll talk about them in a national forum – despite what their coworkers may think. 

I am a little worried that my mom and one of my aunts might take up truck driving so that they can have more time to quilt…

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I hope you made your list of what you love – or at least tried.  If you did – Contratulations!  It may not seem like a big deal, but it is.  We’re all busy and what we spend time on represents what we value most.  Having worked on your list means that you value yourself and what you can contribute to the world. 

Everyone has great ideas, creations, thoughts and things which only they can bring into the world.  The world is missing so much amazing stuff though, because way too many people don’t value their potential contributions enough to spend time on the contributions or themselves. 

This bothers me – a lot.  First of all, you’re unique.  No one else has your combination of DNA and life experiences.  This means that no one else can pick up the slack and bring into the world what you’re not.  Secondly, it’s soul draining sad.  It’s sad that the world won’t have your stuff and it’s sad that you don’t value yourself and your stuff enough to put the time and energy needed to bring it into the world.  Lastly, it’s scary.  It’s not just your stuff that’s missing.  Your stuff would have inspired other people’s stuff – which would have inspired even more stuff…

Seriously, what would your world be like today if your favorite school teacher had decided to just show up and do her or his job?  You know they’re your favorite because they brought their unique stuff to your classroom.  Whatever your age or childhood environment, there were writers, musicians, athletes, actors, racers, puppeteers, dancers, programmers, skateboarders, and real and honorary family members who inspired you and still influence you on some level today.  And you haven’t stopped being influenced because you’re a grown-up. 

On some level, you already know that we each have unique contributions to make to the world and an obligations to do so.  The closest we come to facing it is when death brushes against our lives.  We celebrate what the person shared in life.  We mourn that they died so young.  We dread the idea that there won’t be much to mention in our obituary.  We resolve to act and then we get busy. 

If you haven’t yet made a list of what you love, please stop what you doing and at least devote 3 minutes to trying to make a list.  Pretty please?  

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The biggest evidence I’ve seen for this view so far is fonts.  Fifteen years ago very few of us could have named three fonts.  Now nearly all of us not only know the names of several fonts, but we have a favorite font and we have definite good or bad opinions about other fonts.  When exactly did this change occur?  How did it happen?  Did you even realize you were so opinionated about fonts until you read this?  Have you ever argued with someone over what font to use?

The new importance of fonts snuck up on us.  What do you suppose is sneaking up on us now?  How might your business or your life improve if you could look around you and catch a glimmer of what the next big design factor might be? 

How might you change the world if you explored this area and applied your own unique perspective to unleash something new?  Your something new doesn’t have to be a water bottle or furniture.  It might be a business model, it might be a new system for tracking something, it might be using nontraditional colors in a traditional setting. (My mother just beautifully hand stitched a quilt with bright, cheerful, totally non-conventional but gorgeous bright red thread.) 

Whatever it is, only you can do it.  Only you can present it to the world.  My mother doesn’t want to sell quilts to people but you’d want to buy one from her if you saw her creation.  Keep your eyes open, think about what you see, don’t be afraid to experiment, find what you love and share it with the world.  Design isn’t just for designers anymore.

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• Keep track of what you like and what you don’t like. Take a little time when something strikes you and try to figure out what it is about it that causes you to like or dislike it.
• If you’re not able to figure out what elements of things cause you to like them or dislike them, collect and group examples of your likes and dislikes. When you have enough (at least 10 and preferably 20), look at either your group of likes or dislikes and identify the commonalities between most of the examples. Ask a trusted friend for help if you can‘t see the themes.
• Pretend that you’re not yourself and imagine what a grumpy old grandpa, a precocious child, a busy mom or someone else would think of whatever it is you’re looking at.
• If pretending is too tough, start asking the opinion of people around you. Ask “what do you think of this whatever it is you’re looking at – car, table, statue, window covering, etc. You’ll be shocked by how much everyone likes to share their opinions. Listen to how they express themselves. Determine whether you agree.
• Accept that you’re going to make some mistakes and encounter some embarrassment. Resolve that what you learn and gain from these “failed” experiments will be worth the price. Remind yourself of this every time you start to waiver.
• If you can’t accept that you’re going to make mistakes, daydream about what the worst possible outcomes could be and rationally consider whether whatever that may be is worth not bringing into the world the ideas that only you and your unique experiences can create. I sometimes like to exaggerate these worst possible outcomes just to give myself a laugh.
• If you’re still too fearful to act, consider feeling guilty for not stepping up to share what you could with the world. This is a harsh step, but you might need to take it.

It’s not much of a list, but it’s what I have for now.  Hopefully I’ll continue to learn and have something more to share soon.  In the meantime, please let me know if the more artistic and design oriented of you out there have any advice for the rest of us.

Below is Kermit’s impression of Yoda.

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I’m not particularly creative.  Oh I wrap presents quite lovely, I crochet to keep my hands busy while I watch TV and I love to play in my kitchen and garden.  But I’m not a fancy “artist” or even a “designer.”

Which is why I was so pleased to find Karim Rashid’s advice regarding how non-professional designers can incorporate a design sensibility into their lives in Daniel Pink’s “A Whole New Mind.”   Visit Rashid’s website and you’re immediately aware that he knows design.  He even has a poetic design Karimanifesto.    Oh my. 

But there is hope for those of us in the uninspired masses.  In addition to the books I have listed in the Resources – Creativity Page of this blog, Rashid and Pink recommend the following (loosely quoted from ”A Whole New Mind”:

• Don’t specialize
• Before moving forward with an idea, consider whether it is original and if there is any real value in what you disseminate
• Know everything about the history of your profession and then forget it all when you design something new
• Never say, “I could have done that” because you didn’t
• Normal is not good
• Think extensively, not intensively
• Consume experiences, not things
• Experience is the most important part of living, and the exchange of ideas and human contact is all life really is

Deconstructed, I think the take home message is:

• Look around you and actually see what you’re looking at
• Try new things
• Figure out what’s unique about you and how that can enable you to bring something new into the world.

This last portion is tricky and I promise to write tomorrow about the first small steps I’ve found most useful. 

Below is a water bottle designed by Karim Rashid

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In “Ignore Everybody – And 39 Other Keys to Creativity” Hugh MacLeod isn’t teaching us to be creative (as “Imagination First”  and “Why Not” did).  Instead he shares his life experiences in falling into the career of an artist and entrepreneur.  This isn’t bad, in fact it’s very useful information and was a courageous thing to do.  It just wasn’t what I was expecting from the title and the hype.

The book is a good look into the life of an entrepreneur (albeit from the perspective of a seemingly grizzled, somewhat jaded and possibly dirty old man-esque entrepreneur). 

I found the book compelling enough to read in one sitting.  Each section is focused neatly on a specific topic with a few overarching themes (control your work, don’t rely on others, and it’s okay to make money from your passion – but don’t make your entire living from it).   

I don’t know that all of MacLeod’s message is relevant for everyone.  However, with the title “Ignore Everyone” I suspect he’d support the idea of readers taking what advice they need and ignoring the rest. 

The book is also freckled with MacLeod’s art – which is often poignant, insightful and not appropriate for children. 

Which brings me to some of the language used in the book.  Some readers might be offended while others will embrace it.  If you fall into the first category, please keep reading.  The book is worth it – I promise.  If you decide it’s not, you can contact me and cuss me out for misleading you. 

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Daniel Pink’s “A Whole New Mind: Why Right Brainers Will Rule the World” is overbrimming with valuable insights and advice.  I read it through twice the first time I encountered the book and highly recommend it to everyone.  

Recently I’ve found myself explaining the But Out concept a lot.  I first encountered this problem solving tool in “A Whole New Mind.”  Here it is: 

I want to A, but B.

I want to A and B, so C.

For example:  I want to create a website, but I have no idea how to do this.

I want to create a website and I have no idea how to do this so I need to hire Toolulu and Think.Do.Be.Create to help me.

Try it.  It’s fun.

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I’ve never been very comfortable with the word rest.  Which is unfortunate for so very many reasons. 

My problems with the word have varied.  The biggest reasons are grammatical and guilt ridden.  To me, “rest” sounds far too much like ”wrest” and, in my experience, nothing good ever happens when that verb is in use.  I’ve also always felt guilty resting unless it was a verifiable and officially certified ”well earned rest.”  Until now. 

Now is different.  Now I’ve learned the value of rest.  It’s priceless.  A good rest brings clarity of thought, order to emotions, fresh ideas and an overall sense of joy.  In short, I’ve discovered that rest is actually a very active and productive verb.   

If I pitched those outcomes to your business, wouldn’t you sign up for the product or service?  So why did I resist it for so many years?  Why are you resisting?  Embrace rest – and don’t let anyone wrest it from you (or make you feel guilty).   

Shocking discovery!  Search Google Images for “rest” and see what you find.  It’s a terribly sad representation of what our society thinks about rest.  Rebel and rest!