The end of a chapter means...

...well, it typically means another new chapter, or the beginning of a new book. But first...

The calendar year of 2012 saw me paint a water colour painting a day, every day, for 365 366 days (it was a leap year!)...

There were plenty of unexpected happenstances that arose during the process...the essence is highlighted at Make Something 365 or you can see the full project and read my reflection here.

I'm proud to say that my project was viewed by people from 97 countries (as of the date of this posting) which is absolutely bonkers!!! Thank you for all of the positive feedback.

Finally, this project took inspiration from many people along the way. By way of thanks, I hope its completion lends a spark of inspiration to your future projects.

The end of a chapter typically means the start of a new one, or the beginning of a new book.

There is a hint of a future project between the brushstrokes of this painting...it's cryptic...but it's there.

Of 30 Day Challenges...

It was not long ago that my wonderful girlfriend Beth embarked on a 30 Challenge. Actually, it was more like a basket of mini 30 day challenges that included daily mediation and making a deliberate effort to get up earlier then normal every day. I fell in step along side her and made the decision that I would also get up earlier then normal. Since I have such a short commute, I would typically get up as late as possible and run around like a Tasmanian Devil riding off into the morning, shirttails flapping in the breeze as I rode off to work.

An interesting thing happened when I found myself up slightly earlier then normal. First of all, mornings became more pleasant. We share a coffee and a chat about the day ahead and eat breakfast together. Second, having already passed the 30 day mark, it has become a habit to get up early (a challenge when it’s dark and cold out). I assume it will get easier as the days get longer and warmer (fingers crossed emoticon). Another pleasant side effect has been that my morning commute has become more relaxed and leisurely. I no longer have that dark cloud hovering over me filled with thoughts like “Hurry up!”, “What if you’re late for something!” and “Ride faster, catch that light!!”. I’ve come to think of it as better Feng Shui of the mind. I have fewer urgent thoughts, clearing up the clouds to allow me to think about more interesting and productive things.

I’m curious on how this connects with creativity. My thought is this - if getting up a little bit earlier can have such delightful and surprising effects - what inspiring effects might other 30 day challenges have?

Last year I bought myself a watercolour paint set on a whim and on January 1st of this year, I sat down and did a simple painting to use as a backdrop for a wooden mask. I’m not a natural graphic artist but found that it was a nice, relaxing unplugged activity. When I dated the back, I thought it would be a zany challenge to do a watercolour painting every day for a whole year! Then I scaled back my zealousness and aimed for 30 days (secretly promising myself I would aim for a whole year). Yesterday was January 30th and I just finished my first 30 days. Next up? 100 days (attainable goals, Ian, attainable goals) and beyond that? The whole year.

The thought process behind this is not to become a better painter, although I hope that comes with the territory, but to paint every day as a form of meditative exercise. To clear the brain, to unplug from technology, wind down after work or before bed and to make a deliberate attempt to develop a creative muscle I rarely use. If creativity is an ability, and I believe it is, then perhaps this is an exercise to help develop an underused mental muscle. There is a lot written about the search for quiet and I feel that this challenge is a meaningful step in that direction. I’m curious as to the creative side effects that transpire from this project!

My trusted friend and colleague Remo says that “Creativity lies in the space between our thoughts.” Let’s see if this project can help push my thoughts a part a little bit to let my creativity breath.

This was my 30 day challenge (now going for 100, and then 365 days). Is it a big stretch? It sure is and that’s why we set goals for ourselves. What’s your 30 day Challenge?

Creativity flows from within...

A number of years ago I started pondering the idea of cycles and patterns that overlay everything. Are there patterns and processes that weave their magic into the world around us? Into our lives, our jobs, even who we are? What elements comprise these patterns and frameworks? Not being quite sure what to make of this permeating thought, I wrote it with indelible ink on the back burner of my brain.

It wasn’t long after beginning the creative studies graduate program at Buffalo State College that I quickly realized it might satisfy more then just quantifiable professional requirements - creative problem solving, facilitating, creative change leadership. This idea of a framework, of a pattern was quickly moved from the back burner right up front. During my first week of class the dawn of understanding began to break. This was not coursework to be applied to a strict profession. These skills were not to be slotted into a file folder and pulled out in the boardroom or in business meetings. Yes, these skills are applicable to my profession and yet they are not confined just to my profession (in case you were wondering, I hold the delightfully ambiguous title of Senior Technical Specialist….kudos to anyone that can offer a succinct description that fits!). The study of the elements of creativity fits perfectly with who I am, not just at work but at play – morning, noon and night. Creative thinking transcends your job, my job, any job – it can and should become part of who we are. It is fast becoming one of the most powerful tools at my disposal. Creativity, creative thinking, creative studies – might just be this framework, this stratospheric layer that encompasses everything that I had pondered years before.

A colleague recently shared this link - 29 ways to stay creative. Take the 2 minutes to watch it. Write down the list and post it anywhere and everywhere you sit and think, work, eat or relax. Keep it close as a reminder to you - creativity is not beyond your grasp, it is within reach every day. It is not something attained only by artists and singers and dancers. The elements of creativity – the process you follow, the unique person that you are, the products that you have and will continue to create, the environment you live, play and work in – these elements encompass every part of every day we experience. Just remember - practice makes perfect. You don’t become good at something until you spend time practicing, repeating and learning – forever learning. The things in this list aren’t rocket science (but I’m sure can be applied to rocket science) and yet they do require an open mind, an open heart and a willingness to modify, push through, change or discard your own self-imposed restraints. There’s that definition of creativity again from Ackoft and Vergara, the ability to modify self-imposed restraints.

Let’s pull out a few points from the list of 29 -

#1 Making lists – not hard, but helps you remember ideas and thoughts as you have them otherwise you risk them blowing away with the next swift breeze.

#9 Listen to new music – consider this an excursion of sorts, listening to something you might not normally listen to can spawn new ideas, thoughts or perspective on something…a key element of creative thinking.

#18 Count your blessings – I’m not a religious individual at all and yet this phrase strikes home for me. I interpret it as follows - don’t forsake your successes, celebrate them! Cultivate positive thinking by appreciating things that are going well for you, no matter how small or big.

#25 Stop being someone else’s perfect – who are you trying to please? Whose passion are you trying to follow? If it is your own passion then don’t worry about other people judging you. Remove the screen of judgement, positive and negative and see what impact that has on you. Challenging? You bet. Attainable? Sure thing…just take it one day, one task at a time.

The more content I consume around creativity, the more conversations I have, the more articles I read, the more my peers share with me - the more I come to see creativity and creative studies not as just a series courses to satisfy a Masters of Science degree. The point of these courses is not to successfully complete the courses. The point is in what is learned every time the page is turned. Each and every lesson learned can be valuable as long as I’m open to it. If the result of this new path I’m walking is a graduate degree, that’s awesome, but in actuality that degree will be a bonus to the lessons I am learning about myself and about how creativity seems to be the glue that cements together many aspects to become what I see as the bigger picture.

I’ve taken the simmering pot off the back burner, the one with the theory of a process or framework that is all encompassing, and brought forward in my consciousness. - front and centre. As I digest this creative material, evaluate and analyze it, understand and apply it to creations of my own, I am realizing that this creative material supports what has been consciously and subconsciously developed in the deep recesses of my brain. The pot now contains a roiling boil of ideas in my frontal cortex. As Gordon MacKenzie, author of Orbiting the Giant Hairball, says - we all have a masterpiece inside, unlike one that has ever been created, or ever will be. It’s time for to let this creative concoction bubble over.

“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."- Carl Jung

Are you ready for tomorrow?

As the tendrils of creative thought continue to seemingly leach out of my being, I pause to think of tomorrow. Tomorrow. The first day of the rest of my life. Tomorrow - tabula rasa. Carte blanche. An as of yet unwritten story, a blank canvas with which I can do anything I please. Do anything, create anything, seize the day! The Roman poet Horace was the first to say "carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero" which translates as "seize the day, putting as little trust as possible in the future".

That last part is interesting and we don't often hear it (read: I'VE never heard it before). Let's think about it for a few moments...
We don't know what the future will bring - True
Anything can (and most likely will) happen - True

Instead of putting a negative spin on this, I try to look at the future through a positive lens. Why not try to embrace this notion that tomorrow never knows? Embrace this ambiguity and relish the opportunity? Tomorrow is an as of yet unsolved puzzle. What's stopping us from approaching this puzzle with the inquisitive nature of a child?

Perhaps you're asking yourself "Ian...what are you getting at?"...well, I'm trusting my process. Stick with me and let's see if I can bring my thoughts together before my laptop runs out of power.

With tomorrow comes the unknown. The uncontrollable. However, we can control our actions and reactions. We don't know what people will think of the zany way we may choose to do things - but that's okay! There's evidence to suggest that it takes four positive comments to counteract one negative one. Four positives to one negative...just to break even! That doesn't take away the negative comment but merely gives us the impetus to move past it without feeling the need to judge our own choices. Why pay any credence to the negativity? Start today. Start now and learn how to listen and accept constructive criticism without becoming afraid to take action. Don't be afraid of imperfection. The maxim 'practice makes perfect' is grounded in reality. We cannot control others around us but we can have a positive influence on them. Don't just think positively, speak and act positively. Brand yourself as a negative person and people will stay away from you. Brand yourself as a positive person and you don't know where it might lead, but people will pick up on your positivity and it will spread whether you are aware of it or not.

So here I sit - thinking of tomorrow. I'm still unsure of what will come but then I think of these creative tendrils. These threads of conversation and ideas I've been sharing recently. I've noticed something entirely unexpected and interesting, that people have started coming to me and saying -

"Something you said last week in our conversation inspired me to..."
"Based on what you mentioned the other day, I did some research and found...."
"That concept of 'suspending judgement' really resonated with me and we've started to..."

The common element to each of these statements was that they were concluded with something positive. A new and interesting perspective that, although not complicated, hadn't been seen before. This wasn't an intention of mine, I merely stumbled into the study of creativity and enjoy talking about it. I could discuss it for days, in fact. What strikes me, however, is that people are taking this creative yarn that I seem to be spinning and weaving it into something productive for their own use. I started this blog for myself, to develop my writing style and my voice - to modify my own self imposed restraints and increase my creativity and yet I couldn't be more ecstatic about this unexpected by-product! It's been a very enjoyable experience to say the least.

Mahatma Gandhi said "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." augment this with something a wise friend recently pointed out ..."life is like driving a car in the snow...when you start to slide, look where you want to go, not where the slide is taking you.".

So what what of tomorrow? I have no idea..but I'm excited! I’m awaiting the fun and I’m confident that I’ll be able to make things happen. I'm ready to wake up with a smile on my face, eager to great the unknown. I'm looking forward to jump into the deep end of ambiguity with both feet. Are you excited for tomorrow?

Sharpen those saws!

Consider the story of two lumberjacks. One lumberjack gets up at the crack of dawn and saws wood all day without taking a break. He doesn’t stop for food. He doesn’t stop for drink. He barely stops to wipe his brow.

The second lumberjack shows up with food, with water and with rags and oil. Lumberjack One asks what all the stuff is for? Lumberjack Two responds that he brought his lunch and some things to tend to his saw. Lumberjack One harrumphs and keeps on sawing away - muttering about how it is a waste of time to do anything but saw wood.

When Lumberjack Two was finished preparing his saw, sharpening and oiling it he got to work. To the surprise of Lumberjack One, Two was sawing at an incredible pace. He easily doubled the amount of wood One had sawed and in a short period of time! Lumberjack One was astonished...

This fable is from the annals of time. I don’t know where it came from (it may be plainly obvious - please share if you know!) but I do find truth in the simplicity of its message - take time to sharpen your saw! You’re not a lumberjack, you say? Well then, be sure to take time for yourself. Think of your brain as your saw. If your brain is tired or hungry, if you are too focused on one thing only without taking a break, you are going to be less productive and less efficient at what you are trying to accomplish. We all need to step away and to clear our minds from time to time. The brain works in wonderful and mysterious ways. Distance yourself from your challenges for a minute, allow your subconscious to work for you while you refuel and re-energize. You’ll come back sharper and crisper and ready to begin anew, both renewed and revitalized.

Consider for a moment where you get your best ideas. Is it while you’re in the shower? When you’re cleaning the house? Listening to music? Walking down the street? Riding your bike? Where do your “A-HA” moments strike? I've had mine on coffee breaks, barbecuing and even working in the garden. Inevitably, i end up saying - this is so simple, how come I’ve never thought of it before? All of these things, these activities that are a part of life – cleaning your house, taking care of yourself (mind, body and soul), connecting with friends and family - these things are all acts of sharpening your saw. Refreshing your mind and your body are essential in order for you to focus on your work and your passions. Consider it one of your tools for working smarter (which is not necessarily harder).

Edward de Bono offers a different perspective. He said that creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way. Step away from your challenge from time to time. Let your thoughts incubate. Refresh yourself. You might find a different perspective presenting itself when you least expect it. These can be the unexpected benefits of having a sharp saw.

An Introduction to Creative Zaniosity...

Welcome to my inaugural posting! Ackoft and Vergara said something to the effect that creativity is the ability to modify self-imposed constraints. Turns out that one of my own self imposed constraints was not putting my words out to the masses (i.e. you) unless I had "something worthwhile" to say. It was always easier for me to share pictures or music instead of words, both things I will continue to do. Recently, however, I stumbled my way into a fantastic creative community (you all know who you are!) and realized that I had all sorts of worthwhile nuggets zipping around my in grey matter. As such, I find myself starting Creative Zaniosity, a place for me to share some of the zaniosity that goes on in my head. I'm confident it’s going to be a good ride and I hope you can take something from it - big or small. All are welcome, please share with likeminded souls.

What will I be writing about? Hard to say, I'll let my internal voice manifest itself and whatever tumbles out my fingers will show up on the screen. I can tell you that I will suspend judgement, embrace ambiguity, make cryptic remarks and lay out metaphors that, if nothing else, make sense to me. Oh, and I'll be moving past my own self-imposed constraints...and hope I'll learn something about myself along the way.

Pablo Neruda said that laughter is the language of the soul...that being said, I'll recount a short story for you. It was a sunny Saturday, my first day home in a while, and I was out grabbing some breakfast and a delicious coffee whilst catching up on some reading. As I wandered along the street I saw a couple, say in their mid-fifties, in front of the local hardware store. They were holding each other and sharing what appeared to be quite the delightful kiss (note - I did not say passionate, ardent or deep...). As I strolled by, I let out a respectful wolf-whistle. Respectful, you ask? Well - it was quiet and clearly directed towards them, a gentle acknowledgement of the fun moment they were experiencing. The thoughts going through my head were as follows - I should just ignore them - some folks might not enjoy this sight - some might say 'get a room!' and so on. As soon as the last note left my lips I heard them both burst into laughter! I didn't look back to acknowledge that it was me but it sure sounded like they enjoyed the attention and in all honesty, it felt as though I made their day a bit brighter then it already was. If nothing else, it most definitively put a spring in my step and made me smile inside!

Proust says that the real voyage of self discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. This experience was just a recent one that underscores the value of having a positive, unbiased and open-minded perspective on things. Suspending judgement and interacting with life as it moves all around us can be a fantastic thing!