Whimsy isn’t a word we use often as adults. It can sound frivolous or unnecessary. But whimsy is a choice to introduce lightness in a world that can often feel heavy. Whimsy creates small shift in tone and energy. Providing a spark of delight. The moments can be small...
This weekend we are hosting an event. The event isn’t exactly ours. It’s one my daughter and son-in-law are having for their friends. Our house just worked out better for the size of the group. They came by last night to set up the tables and get the prep started....
There is a lot of stress in organizations today. Workloads are continuing to increase. Meetings are an epidemic. The answer to “how are you?” is often “crazy busy”. Layoffs aren’t helping. They reduce job security for the remaining employees. Workloads tend to...
Some days feel full of ideas. Others feel empty. Uninspired. So, how can we kick start our idea machine? Here are 10 ideas. 10 Ideas to Kick Start Ideas Change Inputs: Inspiration in = ideas out. Read, watch, or listen to something completely different from our normal...
I’ve always been the one who can’t watch a scary movie. They give me nightmares. I’m not a fan of the dark. Darkness and shadows scare me. I imagine what might be lurking. Yet, last week, I had a realization. I also love the beauty in darkness and what is hidden in...
There has been much written about the idea that constraints push creativity. These constraints can take many different forms – time and money being the most prevalent. You could also consider constraints around the parameters of the project, materials used, marketing...
Starting. The toughest part of anything. The page is blank. Action is elusive. The pressure builds. The clock ticks. These are the moments we need to act. Starting something. Even if the something we choose is a bit off track. Momentum. Movement encourages movement....
When we think about how we create and make progress on our ideas, it’s easy to assume we need a system. A structure. Or a method. But creativity doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes it needs to be fluid. Sometimes it needs to be organized. That got me thinking...
We talk a lot about burnout and not enough about creative suffocation. The kind that doesn’t show up as exhaustion, but rather emptiness. Blank screens. No spark. A fog we can’t quite name. Research suggests that “our hurried, over-scheduled lives” is the cause....
I often hear or say the phrase “heads down”. This happens when we need to dig into a project. A work sprint. Some research. A home improvement activity. The projects can vary. However, the idea of going all in to complete is there in every situation. What I haven’t...
We talk a lot about resilience. How to bounce back. Stay strong. Keep going. But we don’t talk enough about creativity. Not the art kind. The kind that rebuilds us. The kind that reimagines our next step when the old path disappears. The kind that says: I may not know...
Many companies believe they need more creativity. I align with this perspective. We need problem solving and new ideas more than ever. The challenges of the world and business are looming. We all have the opportunity to make a difference. Three Components of...
Conversations about the future of work often center on hybrid work. Digging deeper, three topics emerge: When and where we work. Who does the work – full time, part time, freelance, and gig workers. How do we leverage technology – AI, automation, and more. What seems...
I heard a podcast where there was a discussion of the difference between design and art. The POV was that design is for a client and art doesn’t have to be for anyone. That got me thinking about how we approach our work. Specifically, I wondered if an artist starts to...
Awe is a complex and multifaceted emotion. It often arises in response to something vast, transcendent, or beyond our normal understanding. Monica Parker suggests that the last two stages of wonder – wow and whoa – produce awe. On Robert Plutchik’s wheel of emotions,...
When you look up the definition of wonder, there are a couple meanings. Wonder is a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration or awe. Wonder is also a desire to be curious or know something. This second definition creates the drive behind intellectual exploration....
Back in the spring, my sister gave a commencement speech at MIT. In this speech, she talked about the problems the world is facing. And how the graduates should focus on solving big problems. We have talked about this before. She is at her best when she has a...
Today marks two years of writing a blog post every day. I write 7 days a week and post 5 new topics a week. For 2 years. 104 Weeks. 731 Days – we had a leap year. 😊 Looking back, I’ve dug into many topics and learned a LOT about things I didn’t know. Topics...
For most of my career, there have been conversations about “going down the rabbit hole”. What is a Rabbit Hole? At work, this often refers to the experience of becoming deeply absorbed or distracted by a task, topic, or series of tasks and topics that take you away...
The dance between inspiration and motivation is dynamic and full of collaboration. Inspiration sparks us. Motivation drives action. Inspiration sets the stage. Motivation keeps the momentum. When our motivation wanes, inspiration can get it back on track. They...
We live in a world where there is content everywhere we turn. With all the information, we can be faced with too much of a good thing. The result – Information Overwhelm. Inspiration can be a double-edged sword. It propels us to reach for the stars. It can also lead...