A visit to an art museum reminded me of the value of sketching. Even the masters started most of their works with pencils, making multiple lines before determining the final location to paint or color. They had no illusions that the first try would be their final one.
Yet, so many times we expect perfection or a final draft right out of the gate. We want to start painting instead of sketching, making one line instead of a blur of many. It often frustrates us and makes it more daunting for others to provide feedback on the idea.
Take a lesson from the artists and start with a rough, penciled-in version of your concept, then go from there. Within the many lines, the true masterpiece can be found.
Taylor Swift said that sometimes a song just appears to her, “like a cloud, and you just have to reach out and grab it.” Other times, she’s not so lucky.
I feel that way about writing dots; there are moments when the lesson becomes so obvious, and other times when I stare at a blank screen for an extended period.
I think that the entire creative process is like that. Whether composing songs, writing dots, painting, or designing graphics, there are times to capture and times to plod. The trick is having a system that allows you to act on the ideas that present themselves easily to you, and having the patience to outlast the blocks that inevitably worm their way into the mix. Both clouds and lulls are fleeting.
A nearby town has recently acquired three troll sculptures as a tourist draw and nod to the city’s history as a lumber mill. They are massive and impressive, and a unique way to highlight the town’s story. One of the local trolls is housed inside an old train depot, and the entire building is filled with branches, creating a cave effect before you arrive at the troll itself.
These are just three of the works that are located around the world. Thomas Dambo has made a career of creating giant trolls from reclaimed lumber, a niche he uses to tell ecological stories through his art. Other people may look at a pile of branches or scraps of wood and see only waste, but Dambo is able to fashion the discards into things of beauty.
What do you see that others do not? Dambo saw his gift as becoming a troll-sculptor. Consider what contribution only you can make to the world.
Most restaurant reservation websites are straightforward and generic — you say how many in your party, and you are added to the waitlist.
The First Watch breakfast restaurant added a clever twist to theirs. When you indicate the number of people, it populates an egg crate accordingly. It’s on-brand, distinctive, and fun.
Think about how you can infuse “you” into the small things like your waitlist software. It’s egg-xactly the kind of special touch that can make your customers smile.
Ever wonder if anything good came from COVID? Well, here’s something that did.
During the pandemic, artist Hercule VanWolfwinkle drew some silly pet portraits and shared them with his mates on social media. It was designed to make them smile during a dark time, and he thought it would be the end of it.
But it wasn’t. Demonstrating the best of what social media can do, the drawings spread — and spread. He decided to accept donations for his drawings to support two charities that serve the homeless and their pets, setting an ambitious goal of 299 pounds. He has now raised 500,000 pounds from 30,000 donors and has received 80,000 portrait requests, all from “rubbish” drawings he shared just to bring a laugh to some friends.
Never underestimate the difference one person can make. Social media can amplify the good as well as the bad and help people turn “a jokey comment” into a major fundraising effort. What can you do with it?
If you want efficient movement through the streets of New York City, using a truck isn’t the way to do it. So, rather than use the same delivery system that they use elsewhere in the country, Amazon developed an e-bike delivery vehicle to navigate the crowded streets of the Big Apple.
It would have been easy for them to say that delivery times were delayed due to ongoing congestion, but instead they acknowledged the issue and came up with a creative solution.
Do you insist on staying with the same tried-and-true system that works for most, or are you open to considering new options to address micro-needs? One size does not fit all.
The people of Minneapolis have done creative, amazing things to show their peaceful opposition to the ICE invasion of their town: luminaries on the lake spelling ICE OUT to be seen as planes fly over, projected messages on water towers, protest signs sent sledding down hills, coordinated warning networks, organized helping brigades, and, of course, their mass demonstrations and marches. I hope the city wins the Nobel Peace Prize.
But being a helper doesn’t have to be lofty. An acupuncturist’s office distributed “Community Resource Packets” in different languages. These kits were packaged in a sandwich bag and included: a sample ICE Warrant vs. a Court Judicial Warrant, highlighting what to look for; an outline of your Constitutional Rights if an immigration agent is knocking; a Don’t Tread on Us sticker; and a 3-D printed heart-shaped whistle. Nothing fancy, but useful and practical tools for these extraordinary times.
On an episode of The West Wing, Danny Concannon tells C.J., “Don’t get hypnotized by complexity; make it count.” He was urging her to take advantage of the remaining months of Bartlet’s presidency to pass legislation, but I think it applies to any problem that seems overwhelming. Make your kits in a plastic bag and just get them out there.
A casino in Venice turned the baggage carousel into a giant roulette wheel, allowing passengers to guess where their luggage would land. Not only did it immediately immerse travelers in the city’s gaming culture, but it occupied their minds during that interminable wait for their suitcases.
What can your organization do to make waiting time less like wasting time? Can you add a video, televisions, games, or other mind-occupying tactics to help the time pass more quickly? Bonus if you’re like Venice and can tie it to your brand. The carousel roulette is a winner!
I went to Las Vegas specifically to see the Sphere—the newest entertainment venue on the Strip. This place is unlike anything I have ever seen: massive beyond words, the ultimate in high-tech, and a perfect place to see a concert.
The Sphere has the largest screen in the world — 160,000 square feet, floor to ceiling, side to side, all at 16K resolution. It has 167,000 speakers, so advanced that they can focus different languages to different sections of the venue! The outside is a show in itself, with 1.2 million lights, continuously displaying different patterns and videos. (Even the Eagles commented on the quality of the venue, and if you know anything about bands, they are never happy with the facilities or sound.)
Because the scale is so massive, the visuals at the Sphere must be filmed with a special “Big Sky” camera to achieve crisp resolution on a screen that size. Consequently, they needed to build a smaller “Sphere Studio” in Burbank, one-quarter scale of the Sphere, to create and test videos before bringing them to the giant Sphere screen.
I like the idea of having a separate space for experimentation. There are organizations that have off-site innovation labs, test kitchens, theater workshops, or proving grounds that allow them to create outside the constraints of doing so in public. Like the Sphere, this freedom allows them to think bigger (literally) and produce outcomes that likely would not be possible otherwise.
What can you do to pilot new offerings offline, relieving some of the pressure of a “live” setting where the cost of failure is higher? The sphere of possibilities is limitless if you give your team freedom to dream big.
As part of my class on change, I had my students take the Innovation Assessment by Jeremy Gutsche. The instrument identifies your primary and secondary innovation traits and shares strengths that you can use to accelerate your creativity.
I like it because it also highlights the traps and gaps that correspond to them and becomes a guide to forecast blind spots that may hinder your innovation.
Many self-assessments focus only on the positive aspects of your traits, but in reality, every characteristic has a downside. Being too cautious causes people to miss out on opportunities. Being too loyal can blind you to others’ faults. Being too risky can turn into recklessness. Being too nice can lead to people taking advantage of you. Being too curious can cause you to be distracted.
Some of my students were frustrated by the questions in the assessment, and others were dismayed with their results (hoping they were “more creative”), but all agreed it was a worthwhile exercise that got them thinking. There is no “wrong” kind of creative, and becoming more self-aware is always a good thing. I’m not on the “willing to destroy” end of the innovation spectrum, but the world needs those of us on the “disciplined” axis, too.
Take the (free) assessment here and learn something about your innovation archetype today. The knowledge may help you better handle the constant change we face.
Screenshot from Innovation Assessment referenced in Create the Future by Jeremy Gutsche, 2020
