Creativity

Art / Blog / Creativity / Freedom

The complete simplicity of T. S. Eliot

Martha Graham's words on discipline, conformity, and freedom influenced me enough that I quoted her in several posts. She quotes T. S. Eliot describing "complete simplicity (costing not less than everything)." Two of my posts on her are "A master speaks on creative expression" and "A model on the foundation of personal freedom." I had to look up the T. S. Eliot reference, so, in case you would too, I'll copy his poem below, followed by a few words of context and another "poem" to contrast it with. Actually, this is just the closing part of the longer Four Quartets. We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for…

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December 22, 2013

Art / Blog / Creativity / Tips

8 harmful consequences of confusing your beliefs with reality

Many people make the mistake of thinking that some things they think are beliefs and others are not beliefs but facts. Or that they are just right. For example, if you ask them who they think might be the next President, they might say it could be Hillary Clinton. They'd say that was a belief because they can't prAove who will become the next President. They just have to wait until it happens. If you ask them what one plus one is they'll say two. If you ask them if that's a belief, they'll say no, they don't believe one plus one is two, it's a fact they know. What you believe isn't reality, it's your belief about reality Even if something is objectively true,…

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November 25, 2013

Blog / Creativity / Freedom / Leadership

Some “problems” you want to have

Yesterday I wrote about how leadership creates community, which, if you persevere, leads to living freely and by your values and experiencing deep emotional reward. Your life improves by doing so. It creates effects I can only call problems, but they are problems you want to have because they help you learn and grow even more. The "problem" with knowing how to make your dreams come true -- in making your fantasies reality As you develop your skills in leading others and creating the social worlds you want, you learn that your deepest emotional reward comes from your relationships with the people closest to you, including yourself. As a leader, you find yourself surrounded by people you mutually appreciate, respect, love, support, challenge, open up…

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November 14, 2013

Blog / Creativity / Leadership

Leading people creates community, which feels like creating your world

Remember when I wrote "You can't "create your world" but you can do better"? I've been meaning to expand on this aspect of leading your community. The more you learn to lead, the more you can make your community how you want it. The more you do so, the more your behavior, thoughts, and beliefs take on two properties. You behave, think, and believe more freely and more by your values. Sounds great, doesn't it? Who doesn't want to live more freely and by their values? Funny that more people don't do it, often scared to start the process. Since we're such social creatures and our communities feel like our social worlds, when we create our social worlds the way we want, it's easy to…

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November 13, 2013

Art / Blog / Creativity / Leadership / Tips

The route to quality is through quantity

I read a story with a lesson for anyone who creates anything too helpful not to copy. As much as I didn't want to copy something you can find elsewhere, I couldn't stop myself. I hadn't read it before so I hope it's new to you. It's from a book called Art and Fear on creating art, but you'll find it useful for creating anything -- products, beliefs, rules to live by, ways to motivate yourself and others, or whatever. Enjoy: The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely…

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November 8, 2013

Blog / Creativity / Entrepreneurship / Leadership

A risk that paid off and learning from it

Here's an anecdote from a woman named Elle Luna: I was using Uber all the time in San Francisco, even though I hated the design. And then I went to the Crunchies awards ceremony and at a post-ceremony event, where I was in a ball gown, I saw the CEO of Uber, Travis Kalanick, sitting at the bar. I was three whiskeys deep at this point and I walked up to him and said, "I use Uber all the time and I absolutely hate the app. I think you should bring me in to fix it." He replied, "Oh, yeah? What are the three things you'd fix about it?" I said, "I'd redo the logo, redo the entire app, and change the rating system." I…

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October 31, 2013

Art / Blog / Creativity

How many Mozarts, Galileos, or Aristotles are there today?

Pick any great historical figure. We often regard them as unparalleled geniuses the likes of which we may never see again. On the other hand, they were human beings like us. They performed in some areas well beyond average. What if their abilities or traits weren't once ever but once in a generation? It's interesting to see what you conclude, as I'll show. Then we'd expect to see others of comparable abilities or skills. We could pick any figure, but let's talk about Mozart for concreteness. In his time the earth's population was about 700 million or so, roughly a tenth of today. Could that mean we should expect ten people of Mozart's ability today? In Mozart's times a smaller fraction of the population had…

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October 28, 2013

Blog / Creativity

Reject every belief in my book but learn to create your own before adopting mine without learning that skill

People are emailing about my awesome new book everyone should read, ReModel: Create mental models to improve your life and lead simply and effectively. Several people said they found a concept in the Introduction particularly meaningful, creating enthusiasm to read the rest of the book. I communicated that concept twice, first writing: I'd rather you learned to create your own beliefs and forgot mine than didn't learn the skill and adopted all my models. Later continuing: As valuable and helpful as my beliefs are to me, they are a minor part of this book. The major point is what they illustrate—that you can create and choose your beliefs. Again, I'd rather have you reject every belief in this book but learn to create better ones…

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October 23, 2013

Art / Blog / Creativity / Entrepreneurship / Leadership

Another awesome success — Museum Hack and Nick Gray

An awesome side benefit of writing daily is that awesome people find you. Recently a guy wrote to tell me he liked my writing and invited me to participate in what seemed like a crazy project, but turned out to be one of the most awesome things I've done in New York City in a long time. And I've done a lot of awesome things in New York City. It's an amazing entrepreneurial story too -- the kind we love, which is why I, who endorse entrepreneurship and believe opportunities are everywhere, am sharing it with you. He started doing something that he enjoyed, for fun and personal challenge, and shared what he loved and got good at (another example of how "Sharing what you…

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August 27, 2013

Awareness / Blog / Creativity

How and why I made the Passion-Attraction Model graphs

Time I put a lot more time into making the graphs and writing the posts of the past week than usual -- at least a couple full days just graphing before writing a word. Why Why did I put so much time in? Not because I didn't have lots to do. Because people who saw early versions of the graphs told me it helped them better understand Their intimate relationships Their partners, and Themselves. They also enjoyed reading the graphs -- like their eyes opened wide and they looked like kids with new toys, like who would have expected something so science-and-math-like could help them understand their intimate relationships ... and work!?! My main reason for writing here is to increase self-awareness in ways that…

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August 11, 2013

Art / Blog / Creativity / Entrepreneurship / Tips

“That’s not art. I could do it.” — A new interpretation that activates art and yourself

We've all heard someone say "That's not art. I could do it." Maybe you said it yourself. The comment can lead to interesting discussion on what makes art, but rarely. It can lead you to realizing that the value of art doesn't depend on how hard it was to create. The usual response is "Well, you didn't. And they did it first." I suggest a new response. If the person who says it, perhaps yourself, sees beauty or truth in the work of art, suggest that they re-create it. Seriously suggest they do what they say they can do. They could have a museum-quality work of art on their wall if they do, for only the cost of materials. When you look at art with…

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July 27, 2013

Blog / Creativity / Tips

Sometimes going the opposite way works best

A pattern I've noticed works a lot in life: When everyone is going in one direction, try going as far as you can in the opposite direction. Some examples: When car companies kept making bigger and more dominant SUVs, the Prius did well. In retrospect it seems obvious, but the car appeared nearly alone and successful in the U.S. market for years before other cars competed meaningfully. Now Smart Cars and related little cars seem to be doing well. The other day I wrote about how boxed cereal companies try to offer as many kinds of flavors, textures, and box designs. I prefer simple oats with a few toppings. When mp3 players first came out they looked technical and complex with lots of buttons. The…

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July 26, 2013

Blog / Creativity

How experience often beats creativity, originality, and intelligence

Yesterday I wrote about being called intelligent or smart and the sometimes downsides associated with it. I found that while society seems to value intelligence, on a personal level people value getting the job done, relationship skills, experience, people's networks, and other things, at least in leadership and decision-making roles. For a few roles that don't require teamwork people value intelligence, but they aren't that common in professional environments. What about creativity and originality? It seems to me society and business value them more, though I've written how they are commonly misperceived. Actually, I find people overvalue creativity and originality. They see results they call creative and value the person who created them. To me, I see professional work as problem-solving, whether the work is…

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July 25, 2013

Awareness / Blog / Creativity / Exercises

Communications skills exercises, part 10b: another example of voicing your self-talk

Following up on this post on voicing your self-talk, a follow-up to what I consider the most effective exercise in improving your self-awareness, here is another example of someone speaking extemporaneously for a long time. He's not exactly voicing his self-talk, but he is, at least somewhat. I presume he knew his topic well before this recording, but knowing a topic well doesn't make speaking for over five minutes on it easy. He has to be able to let the words come out of his mouth with minimal filtering. I find being able to speak extemporaneously displays high status. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BBhNkywMJY It's also funny and shows talent. I expect he worked hard to be able to speak like that. Could you do it, in front of…

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June 16, 2013

Blog / Creativity / Education / Tips

Video on creativity

I've written a lot on creativity and when I do I often mention the professor whose class on creativity I took, Jacob Goldenberg. He recently gave an online talk with Columbia Business School about his research. If you like creativity, learning some unexpected properties of it, and improving your creativity, I recommend it. It's not as polished as a TED talk, but as informative. Here it is: video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player Here is the link to the original page. Enjoy!

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June 15, 2013

Creativity / Education

Protected: Creativity Class Handouts

Here are the slides from my creativity class at Flavorpill with Skillshare on April 24. Making a pdf took away the slide transitions and animations, but all the words are still there. Thank you all for attending and participating. I'll let you know when sign-up begins for my Leadership class. Mark June 17, 19, 24, and 26 6pm-9pm on your calendars.

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April 24, 2013

Blog / Creativity / Education

More about becoming more creative

Flavorpill -- the social discovery engine and curated event marketplace that keeps you tapped into the cultural happenings around you and lets you find and follow things you like, see what your friends are into, and, if so inspired, get off the computer and go out -- posted my creativity seminar next Wednesday, April 24, 6pm-9pm. Very prestigious. Check it out. Then sign up! I look forward to seeing you there.

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April 19, 2013

Art / Blog / Creativity / Education / Tips

How to become more creative — proven! … Wednesday April 24, 6pm-9pm, Manhattan

Next Wednesday, 6pm-9pm I'm giving my first seminar through Skillshare, a company that organizes classes. If you're near Manhattan and you want to become more creative, you should come. The class is called Systematic Creativity. When I say it teaches proven ways to increase your creativity, I mean it. It comes from one of the best courses I took at Columbia Business School by one of the top creativity researchers, who also started a successful consulting company on becoming more creative that works with many Fortune 500 companies. Several classmates called it the best class they took there. Wednesday will cover the highlights of the class -- especially exercises to become more creative demolishing creativity myths that hold people back It will be very interactive…

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April 17, 2013

Art / Creativity / NorthKorea

Video: North Korea’s incredibly talented and rehearsed children performers — and comparison with some Americans

Our guides took us to see the children's performance palace (I forget its official title), where they put on display groups of children whose performances were incredible. I wrote and posted images of them before. Who knows what training they've had or what motivates them to get to this level. I think the usual first guess of people who are critical of North Korea is that the government coerces them -- that if they don't perform well someone will harm their parents or something like that. Someone also told me that these children hold very high status, so maybe they have internal motivation. I'll never know if they are pushed, pulled, motivated on their own, something else, some combination, or what. All I can say…

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March 1, 2013

Art / Blog / Creativity

You know, ordinary life is pretty complex stuff

I came across a great quote in a Sundance Grand Jury Prize movie called American Splendor about  comic book writer Harvey Pekar. If you don't know about Harvey Pekar or his comic book series, American Splendor (they named the movie after it), he was a mostly regular guy with a regular job as a file clerk in a hospital in Cleveland. He saw comic books with super-heroes in tights as formulaic and divorced from regular life. He saw that a super-hero saving the planet with super-powers from aliens was less dramatic than an ordinary person having to solve ordinary problems in day-to-day life. The super-hero drama existed only in fiction. Since we don't have super-powers, what can we learn from them? They only entertain us.…

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December 18, 2012

Art / Blog / Creativity / Entrepreneurship / Freedom

Scandal about that refreshing voice on copyright from a hard-core conservative

Do you like music, art, literature, innovation, invention, creativity, entrepreneurship, and things like that? Then you probably liked the document I mentioned a few weeks ago about problems with copyright and how to fix them. I considered it well thought-out and felt it proposed ideas that would improve the country. I was surprised to see it coming from the type of hard-core conservative that supports corporate welfare. Until the group that originally distributed the document disowned it and took it down from their site. (here's the original document) I don't know if you follow copyright or patent policy, but as a writer, inventor, writer and holder of a half-dozen patents, and one who enjoys culture, I find the topic incredibly important. I find the direction…

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December 7, 2012

Art / Blog / Creativity / Freedom

A refreshing voice on copyright from a hard-core conservative

EDIT: Maybe I should have expected this. The Executive Director of the Committee pulled the document from their site, stating We at the RSC take pride in providing informative analysis of major policy issues and pending legislation that accounts for the range of perspectives held by RSC Members and within the conservative community. Yesterday you received a policy brief on copyright law that was published without adequate review within the RSC and failed to meet that standard. Copyright reform would have far-reaching impacts, so it is incredibly important that it be approached with all facts and viewpoint in hand. As the RSC's Executive Director, I apologize and take full responsibility for this oversight. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and a meaningful Thanksgiving holiday ...…

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November 18, 2012

Blog / Creativity / Freedom / Tips

Amazing software to help you think and organize

It's hard to think when your mind is swimming with information. I used to have a lot of trouble starting writing documents any longer than a couple pages. Come to think of it, I'd have similar issues with starting to create many things -- ideas, research and development for my company, resolving problems with friends and colleagues, and so on. Then I found probably the best software I've found to organize my thoughts. Not having to keep track of all my thoughts means freedom -- my favorite kind of freedom: freedom to think without inhibition. I first wrote how useful I find this software -- Freemind -- in over a year and a half. Please read that post for some more description of it. I'll…

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November 9, 2012

Blog / Creativity / Entrepreneurship

Another genius business idea: Iron Designer tv show

I haven't shared one of my crazy genius business ideas for my Another Genius Business Idea Series in a while. I like people to realize entrepreneurship is more accessible than most people think, since so many people tell me they want to start a company but can't think of the ideas. This series doesn't present fully formed ideas, but kernels you could develop into successful companies or projects. The inspiration I have a friend who is an amazing designer. He mainly does web design, but I've also seen him do great work in animation, print, outdoor, and more. Even fine art. MoMA has shown his work. Working on his computer is a wonder to behold. It's like a dance. His hands move faster than you…

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November 5, 2012

Blog / Creativity / Education / Entrepreneurship

Amazing essays by amazing writers and thinkers

I stumbled on this more-than-a-decade-old amazing trove of essays. Just reading the authors' names is impressive. They are essays written by great thinkers, writers, etc on "best" things of the past thousand years. I'll cut and paste most of the essay titles and links here. I've only read a few so far, but I've loved each. Sorry I haven't reformatted much, but you can always go to the original site for the full treatment. Eyes Wide Open By Richard Powers Every Dictator's Nightmare By Wole Soyinka When Tristram Met Isolde By Joyce Carol Oates Best Magic Trick By Teller Video Best Feat of Engineering By David Macaulay Best Nuisance By Penelope Fitzgerald Best Innovation in Painting By Michael Kimmelman Slide Show Best Vision By James…

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September 29, 2012