Ever had a brilliant creative idea pop into your head while shampooing your hair, standing in line at the DMV, or halfway through brushing your teeth? (Which, let’s be honest, is a dangerous time for genius to strike—wet hands, no pen, toothpaste foam everywhere.) That’s your unconscious at work, and it’s where your creativity lives. It doesn’t work on deadlines. It...
We’ve all heard the story. A brilliant painter wakes up at 3 a.m., seized by inspiration, and produces a masterpiece before sunrise. A songwriter scribbles lyrics on a napkin and creates a hit. A...
We live in a culture that worships “busy.” Our calendars are packed, our inboxes overflow, and we brag about how little sleep we’re running on, as if exhaustion were a badge of honor. But here’s the...
One of the greatest hidden blocks to creative fluency is not lack of talent. It’s not lack of ideas. It’s not even lack of discipline. Very often, it’s anxiety. Creativity anxiety can quietly disrupt...
Nowadays creativity is valued in the workplace, even though it is not often fostered in the workplace. In a survey among CEOs, participants reported that the skill they valued most in an employee is...
Improvisation, or improv, is a form of live theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form...
“To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.” — Kurt Vonnegut According to a recent study out of New Zealand, engaging in creative...
Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of fear.–George Addair I have had a life-long fascination with flight. When I was six, my most fervent dream was to be able to fly. I had no thought of...
One of the trends I dislike in our culture is the reluctance of people to take responsibility, or to respond with care to each other. I hear a lot of self-justification, mind-reading, defensiveness...
Establish and maintain your personal and professional boundaries. “Compassionate people ask for what they need. They say no when they need to, and when they say yes, they mean it. They’re...
