The Creative Muse: An Expanding View

Expand your view. Let go of preconceptions. Wiggle loose your perceptions long enough to visualize more, ever more, possibilities.

Are you locked into your thinking? Is your mind made up on certain concepts, designs, beliefs? It's easy to slip into a comfortable certainty about what we believe and to then accept that as absolute truth.

How would we even know if absolute truth was absolute?

What if we tested our beliefs? What if we did learn about opposite points of view? What if we did explore ideas that were radically different than our own?

If our own truths are truly absolute, couldn't they withstand the most probing scrutiny and the most rigorous doubts? And if our beliefs are valid beyond doubting then couldn't they emerge confident after wandering through some divergent paths?

What if we let down our guard and listed openly to a new idea? What if our version of the truth is incomplete and could benefit from cranking open the windows and breathing some fresh air?

Creative actions:

Explore a writer you've never read before, especially one you've consciously avoided. Read with a sense of curiosity.
Create a list of ten things that you believe to be absolutely true. Reflect on the list. How did you form each of these beliefs? How much of each idea is yours and how much was provided to you by someone else?
Refer back to your list and create a list of ten opposite views. What makes these views flawed? Are any of these flaws in YOUR views as well?
Think about an idea or concept you have tried in the past to convince someone else was true. What if you didn't have to prove it -- what would it look like? What if proving it resulted in also proving something unexpected -- what would that be?
Draw a picture to illustrate a concept that you've always thought couldn't be true (such as a flying pig.) Reflect on your picture. What is now true that was not true before?
Pick any three notes from a piano or other instrument (this works best if you pick notes within your vocal range.) Play those notes over and over several times until they nestle into your memory. Hum these notes. Sing these notes. Put some words to these notes (for example, "truth can grow" or "there is more" or "truth has wings..." You decide.)
Still singing your new three-note song, create an improvised dance to it. Feel free to expand your song as your dance emerges. If it feels right, clap your hands along or snap your fingers. Smile. Raise your voice, tap your feet, sing and dance.

Comments

Continue The Search

What happens when you've found what you've been looking for? If it was difficult, if you worked hard, if there were some challenges along the way you will likely be grateful and satisfied. How long will that satisfaction last? We are meant to be happy. We are meant to be fulfilled. But, we're not meant to stand still. Find what you're looking for and then keep looking. Growth is always ahead of you. -- doug smith

More Than Potential

"She's filled with potential!" "There's no limit to his potential!" "They're nothing but unlimited potential!" It's both promising and frightening to be described as someone who is filled with potential. It means that a) the potential is still unfulfilled, and b) may NEVER be fulfilled. Still, aren't we ALL filled with potential. No matter what we have accomplished or failed to accomplish there is more ahead of us to be done. Potential might get you started. It might open a door or two. Potential will take you only as far as your discipline drives you onward. Whatever you're capable of still requires your action. What are you working on that is potentially awesome? -- doug smith

Consider The Impact

Has anyone ever solved a problem in a way that made things worse for you? Changes in job sites, changes in processes, software updates, family squabbles...with good intentions people rush solutions into play that seem to work for some, and yet badly disappoint others. We can do better than that. Think thru those solutions before launching that change. Get help from as many people as possible who will be impacted by that change. Until you consider the impact of your problem's solution on other people you haven't really considered that solution enough. -- doug smith

Wisdom Knows No Age

It's not years that make you smart, even though time can help. It's not age that develops wisdom, although heaven knows as we get older we should gain some wisdom. If you've never heard a profound piece of wisdom expressed by a child, then I suggest more conversations with children. They are often astounding in their wisdom, unfiltered as it may be by cultural expectations. Wisdom knows no age. Wisdom knows no limits. What have you learned today? -- doug smith

Better Still

I don't like rejection, yet it's a part of life. I don't like it when people don't support a project that I'm working on, and still there are usually people who don't see the value in a new change. How about you? We could take that personally and stop doing the thing that matters so much to us -- or we could do something else. We could improve that thing. We could make that thing shine. We could make that thing irresistible. We could use that feedback to find new ways to achieve our goal. "They" as we so often like to call "them" don't know what's best for you -- and still they can be seriously helpful. When they tear down your plans, build something better. Won't that feel great? -- doug smith

Avoiding Crankiness

How do you feel about being cranky? Probably, cranky. It just leads to more crankiness. Yuck. We're better than that and our companies and organizations can be better than that, too. It's never to much to ask (and expect) us to: Keep our promises Provide excellent service Make customer transactions easy Smile Solve problems cheerfully Great service creates happiness. Bad service pushes crankiness. When service is poor, customers are cranky creating a cycle of needless agitation. We can skip all that. Let's just provide excellence services. -- doug smith

Listening

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "not so good" and 10 being excellent, how good a listener are you? If you think you are a ten, good for you! You must be very fun to talk with! And if like most of us you are something less than a 10, that's OK, too. We can always learn how to listen better. It is a skill so highly valued and yet so seldom practiced that the opportunity to listen better is limitless. We don't have to follow every voice we hear but we can certainly learn a lot by listening. Let's level-up our listening today. Let's find out what we can learn... -- doug smith

Fix The Problem

Fighting a problem does not require us to fight other people. We don't need to agitate when we can collaborate. Fix the problem (which is likely caused by flaws in the process, design, or environment) and the people will be fine. -- doug smith

Centering Questions

Centered leaders ask the questions that others are afraid to ask. Questions like: What's your vision of success? Is the organization doing all that it can to support your development? What part of serving our customers do you enjoy the most? Are given enough choices in how you do your work? Do you feel connected in meaningful ways to other people here? Questions like that. Deep, thinking, honest, open questions. What would be a good question for you to ask today? -- doug smith

Respect Anyway

Do people need to earn your respect? Some people do believe that it is necessary to prove yourself worthy of respect before someone should grant you respect. What's the problem with that? When we put ourselves into the position of judge we also open the door wider to being judged. Can people tell when you respect them? Undoubtably. We seem to have an inner radar that differentiates respect from disrespect -- or worse, disregard. We can tell, and we care. Deeply. Whatever a person has done in the past that we might question, it is still possible to treat them with respect. Kindness, compassion, even love know no limits. Respecting someone does not mean that you agree with everything that they've ever done -- or even with what they are doing or saying right now. Respect means that you treat them with human dignity, fairness, compassion, and honor. I know that it can be tough to show respect in the heat of an argument or when someone is not acting in a likable mann...

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