Category Archives: Creativity

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How God Spreads His Creativity Around

One of God’s most basic characteristics is creativity. Go and read Genesis 1. Yahweh Elohim has created the world ex nihilo, out of nothing. Genesis 2 gives us a picture of God as though He is on His hands and knees shaping and molding Adam out of the clay of the earth. What a wonderfully creative and complex creation the Divine Artist has made.

All I had to do was look at my parents’ grandchildren this Thanksgiving (and think of the ones who were far away).God has done His creative work nine-fold.

  1. Natalie: Works for Boeing in St. Louis, where she lives with her husband Ryan. She is a runner, an accomplished food-blogger, and a fantastic baker/cook.
  2. Julia: Is a nurse in the NICU at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. She played college basketball, loves to read, and is an Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay Packers fan.
  3. Ashlyn: Graduated from college with a degree in theatre and will be moving soon to Orlando, Florida, where she hopes to perform for Disney.
  4. Ben: Is a singer/songwriter going to Belmont University majoring in Entertainment Industry Studies.
  5. Quinn: Is a high energy college basketball player, theologian, and die hard Green Bay Packers fan.
  6. Madi: Has excelled at running, theatre, and is one of the most compassionate souls I have ever known
  7. Renatta: Is a witty, intelligent, senior in high school, who writes far better than many college students I know.
  8. Clayton: Excels at both football and basketball, and is consistently a top student in his class.
  9. Libby: is a dancer, fashionista, and a girl with a heart bigger than most kids her age.

Better than all of that, each and every one of them lives a life of faith in Jesus as their Savior.  Not only has the Creator created uniqueness in each of them, He has also created the gift of faith.

Take a look around. The Creative God spreads His creativity around.

How does the Creator show His creative hand in your family?


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5 Ideas for a Creative Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving may not be considered the most creative holiday. Maybe it’s time to inject a little spice and variety into a holiday laden with tradition.

I recently asked a group of children to name one thing for which they are thankful. The majority of them responded that they were most thankful for their family. I am too.

It’s a great answer. It may even be one of the best answers. But it’s probably not the most creative answer. That’s OK. We ought to be thankful for the people closest to us.

But maybe this Thanksgiving can be a more creative Thanksgiving. Here are five ideas to help make it one:

  1. Instead of planning specific items for each course of the meal, do it differently this year. Simply assign people one of the courses, and be surprised by what you get. It’ll make the meal more fun…and interesting.
  2. Before dinner, hand out pieces of paper and crayons. Have everyone draw one thing for which they are thankful without letting anyone else see. Put all the papers in a pile, mix them up, and have each person pick one out of the pile. Everyone must then try to guess whose picture they picked from the pile.
  3. Buy a blank canvass at a local art supply store. Divide the canvass into enough squares for each person in your family. Have everyone draw a picture of him or herself from the shoulders up. Have a family artist paint each drawing, creating a piece of art that will be treasured for years to come. My sister had us do this years ago. She still has the picture hanging in her family room. We laugh every time we see it. It not only brings laughs, but it created great memories.
  4. Write a joint Thanksgiving story. Have every person write one sentence of the story. Keep passing it around the group until the story is complete. I promise you’ll end up laughing.
  5. Watching football? Before the game, fill a bowl with the names of every person in the room. Fill another bowl with Thanksgiving-themed charades. Every time there is either first down or a score, draw a name and have that person select and perform a charade.
What’s your idea for adding creativity to a Thanksgiving celebration?
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How to Make a Non-Fiction Book Come to Life

The majority of the books I read are non-fiction. It’s not that I don’t enjoy a good story. It’s just that I feel I still have so much to learn. I enjoy new ways of thinking, new paths to creativity, and new perspectives regarding old ideas.

One of the things I recognize about myself is my difficulty retaining what I read. So as I read I underline, make notes, and fold over pages. I often use Evernote to take notes, preserve them, categorize them, and go back to them at a later date. Even after doing all these things, I still have a difficult time holding on to the things I read.

When I recently started reading Making Ideas Happen, by Scott Belsky, I recommended the book to a friend, who also happens to be our church president. He seemed very interested in it, so I suggested that we read through it together and talk about it. He held me to it. He set a date and said, “Let’s get together then and talk about what we’ve read so far.”

We put together our own little book club.

My friend and I discussed the book.  We asked each other questions. We pointed out important passages. We discussed ways that what we read could be translated into our own work and even our church’s governance.

Today I am remembering much more of what I read. I have an action plan to translate into my daily activities what I have learned. I know how I’m going to use this newfound information. My friend and I are going to hold each other accountable to put into practice Scott Belsky’s excellent advice. The things I read, because I have discussed them with a friend, have been brought to life.

Making Scott Belsky’s Action Steps, References, and Backburner Items (see the first part of Making Ideas Happen for more information) come to life has been a blast. Sharing it with someone else has made all the difference. Non-fiction can have skin and bones after all.

How do you make a non-fiction book come to life and remember the major points?

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Go Get Your Long-Term Goal

Most every student at Belmont University has a dream when they enroll. That dream usually includes being selected for one of the four showcases that Belmont holds every school year. The Country, Christian, Rock, and Pop showcases are held in the school’s Curb Event center, draw on the average of 2000 people, and are judged by industry professionals. The winner of each showcase is then given the opportunity to perform in “The Best of the Best” showcase at the end of the year.

Just like anything else in life, some students seize the opportunity, and others let their chance slip away. Some students simply dream. Others set goals and find a way to make those goals a reality.

One student, who was recently selected for this years’ Rock Showcase, set and achieved small goals. As each short-term goal was reached, it was a step toward the larger goal of one day being selected for a showcase:

  • Write songs
  • Record songs
  • As a freshman, do grunt work for the showcases, to learn how they work
  • Watch auditions and showcases to learn how they’re done
  • Volunteer to manage a friend who is auditioning for a showcase
  • Compliment and support those who are achieving their own goals
  • Submit recorded music for a showcase audition
  • When selected as one of eight bands for a live audition, rehearse and perfect
  • Bring energy and passion to the live audition

All these steps in and of themselves were not a guarantee of success. But there were purpose and direction in each short-term goal along the way. They were all aiming toward the larger, long-term goal of one day, before graduation, being selected for a showcase.

Dreams are very rarely realized by happenstance. Small, incremental steps and short-term goals have been proven to be effective when making dreams realities.

What small steps can you take today toward one long-term goal that you’d like to achieve?

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Top 10 Things to Do While Waiting in Line at the Apple Store

Have you walked by an Apple Store recently? Please tell me if you see one without a line out the door. Steve Jobs created things for us that we didn’t even know we needed or wanted. The devices sold at the Apple Store have made life more convenient, brought us closer together, and put power in the palm of our hand. Wish I would have bought Apple stock ten years ago.

I was there the other day to get my new iPhone 4S (yep…I waited almost a week to take the plunge; and, yep, Siri is incredible). I had to wait in a short line. While I waited I was amazed at the reactions of people as they were trying to get into the store. It’s incredible how rude and impatient people can be.

As I stood there waiting, I did my best to smile and be pleasant. I also came up with a creative exercise. As I waited I thought about the top ten things to do while waiting in line at the Apple Store:

  1. Count the number of times you hear the name “Steve Jobs.”
  2. Listen in on a one-to-one coaching session.
  3. Dream up your own app.
  4. Make up the background stories of Apple Store workers.
  5. Marvel at the vastly different types of people who buy Apple products.
  6. Take in the cacophony, and try to pick out a conversation.
  7. Watch a video on a high definition computer monitor.
  8. Discuss the finer points of upgrading your iPhone with others in line.
  9. Imagine the store painted all in black, instead of all white.
  10. Use your old iPhone’s stop watch to clock your time in line.
What would you do if you had to wait in line at the Apple Store?
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How to Order Disorder and Foster Creativity

There is one small room in our home that is distinctly mine. It’s right off of our bedroom, and serves as an office, a dressing room, a space for mementos, and a walk-in closet. It’s all mine. And since it’s mine, it’s a place that often gets just a little chaotic…a little out of control…a little disorderly. It’s partially because I’m a busy person. Things just seem to pile up. But it’s also because I don’t discipline myself often enough to bring order out of that chaos.

When I just can’t stand it anymore, I lock myself in that room until I discover order once again. I need order in my life in order (get it?) to create. When my space is messy, my mind is messy.

Anyone can bring order to disorder and so foster creativity by making three commitments. I firmly believe that Genesis 1 teaches us that the most creative Being in the universe created in an orderly fashion, rising up out of the chaos. Read Genesis 1 and you will see the orderly way in which God created the world. God’s creativity is orderly. We are His children, and we glorify Him when we create in an orderly fashion, rising up out of the chaos of this world.

Order disorder in your life, and foster creativity, by committing to:

  1. Keep an orderly space. My secretary, Sherri, provides a wonderful example of this. Every evening before she goes home, she tidies up her desk. When she comes in the next morning it is a clean, open space ready for the onslaught of the day. She disciplines herself to clear her space each night so that she’s immediately ready to create in the morning. I’m learning from her…and trying to get better every day. A clean desk is an open space to begin a creation. It’s inviting creative action. Clean off your desk. Now.
  2. Cultivate an orderly mind. I’m (obviously) not God, so it’s hard for me to create out of the midst of chaos. I need to remove distraction, clear my head, and focus on a topic, creation, or piece of art. When I write I often cultivate an orderly mind by taking a large sheet of paper and creating an outline, overview, or drawing of what I intend to write and where I intend to go. Cultivating an orderly mind, just like keeping an orderly space, is a discipline. The more your practice the better you’ll get.
  3. Take an orderly action. My favorite example of this comes from Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit. Twyla Tharp, world famous choreographer, encourages an action called “chaos and coins.” Simply take a handful of coins, toss them on a table, and look for a pattern. If there is none, create a pattern yourself. Tharp says that this is the essence of creativity: “There are a number of possibilities, but only one solution looks inevitable” (p.109). It’s an orderly warm up for the creative mind. It’s an exercise that helps you “feel more optimistic about resolving disorder” (p.110).

Three simple commitments. One enormous creative boost. Bring order out of chaos and enhance your creativity.

How do you order disorder in order to foster creativity?
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How to Stretch Yourself By Adopting 3 Attitudes

When was the last time you stretched yourself in a big, uncomfortable way? I recently did just that when I attended the Dynamic Communicators Workshop. It’s a workshop led by nationally renowned speakers, Ken Davis and Michael Hyatt. It was the hardest I’ve worked at a conference in a long, long time. It gave me the opportunity to bring clarity and focus to all of the different ways I communicate as a pastor.

We first learned a method of constructing all different types of communication called SCORRE™. SCORRE™ applies in most every kind of communication, especially pertaining to preaching and public speaking. In addition, SCORRE™ suggests a way of questioning oneself and determining the place to which you will be taking your audience. If you know where you want your audience to go it makes it that much easier to take them there.

Every day of the conference we worked with a personal coach who helped us craft and present a speech to a group of our peers.  We had to give three separate speeches to our small group. Each of us were critiqued, evaluated, and encouraged. I can’t imagine a more helpful conference for anyone who communicates for a living.

But it was a stretch. It’s not easy to emotionally open up in front of a group of strangers. But those strangers became friends. They provided constructive criticism. They lent support. They did so because they were in the same boat. We all stretched ourselves.

You can stretch yourself when you adopt three attitudes:

  1. Willingness. An attitude of willingness is essential. You can make excuses all day, every day that will keep you from stretching yourself and taking the next step. I had to be willing to get away from the demands of every day work life, willing to make a commitment to do something uncomfortable, willing to work hard. An attitude of willingness will stretch you simply by making the commitment to take the plunge.
  2. Vulnerability. An attitude of vulnerability is a dangerous thing. Studies have shown that one of the greatest fears people have is speaking in public. That’s probably because when we are in front of people we are exposed to all kinds of risks. What if they don’t like me? What if I forget my words? What if I look silly? But an attitude of willing vulnerability is actually an endearing thing to an audience. Open yourself up and you will be loved. An attitude of vulnerability will stretch you by enabling you to confront and overcome fears.
  3.  Creativity. An attitude of creativity means that you are willing to say, “yes” to paths, twists, turns, and trails no matter where they may lead. At the SCORRE™ Conference we had to come up with three different speeches. It stretched my creativity. I had to say, “yes” to doing each of the three speeches because they were expected of me. What a great exercise. Saying, “yes” forced me to explore topics and expand my creativity. An attitude of creativity will stretch you by helping you discover new and exciting paths in your work and even in your play.

What ideas do you have to help me stretch myself even more?

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A Company That Knocks Your Socks Off With Creativity

How many times have you taken your laundry out of the dryer only to find that you had lost a sock? Now you are left with only one sock; or if you have two others of the same color, a trio. It’s a perennial problem for all those who do the wash. What happens to all those disappearing socks?

One company capitalized on that dilemma. LittleMissMatched decided to base the entire concept of their company on selling socks not in pairs, but in threes; not matching, but (color-coordinated) mismatched. They started marketing to little girls. It was so successful that they have now branched out  into furniture, adult styles (including men’s), and toys.

LittleMissMatched can trace its success to a number of different things, including the fact that it allows people to be different and distinctive in the way they dress. Their mission is to “build a brand that is FUN, inspires CREATIVITY, embraces individual STYLE and celebrates self EXPRESSION.”

Beyond that, LittleMissMatched has embraced social media. In their most recent marketing campaign they have used a YouTube video of their president to encourage individual creativity (again…by wearing mismatched socks), and by promoting a fund that inspires creativity in kids around the world. Check it out:

What can you do today that could match (get it?) the three-sock, mismatched creativity of LittleMissMatched? How could you spread the word with social media? What issue or cause could you support while you do so?

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Enhancing Collaboration with the S.T.O.P. Method

Apparently stop signs are optional in our neighborhood. I have had an increasing number of close calls with drivers who, at worst, refuse to comply to a stop sign, or, at best, simply tap the break.

Another favorite driving method of people in our neighborhood is the famous “alley honk.” One drives down an alley at a high rate of speed, approaches the sidewalk at the end, and, instead of slowing down, honks so that any potential pedestrians can fend for their lives by diving out of the way.

They think they own the road!

It got me to thinking that I am too often like those drivers. As I drive down the road of life, I sometimes charge forward, without slowing down, and without consideration for the thoughts, needs, or desires of those around me. Plato is supposed to have said, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” It doesn’t take much for me to make someone’s battle even more difficult by charging ahead without slowing down and being sensitive.

I think I own the road. But I share the road of life with all kinds of other travelers. Some go flying by me like they’re on the autobahn. Others pull in front of me and slow me down in the middle of my busy day. Still others are in the left-hand lane with their right turn signal on, happily oblivious to it all.

One of the keys to both creativity and effective ministry is collaboration. It’s difficult to move forward without others giving direction and providing protection. Consider the “stop” method of slowing down and avoiding the “alley honk”:

  1. S = Stop. Each morning stop and consider the people with whom you will interact throughout the day. Think about the challenges, struggles, and difficulties they may be going through. It will prepare you for the interactions you may be having. You can approach each encounter in a unique and caring way.
  2. T = Talk. Instead of a texting or email exchange, talk face to face as much as possible. Try to avoid the “alley honk,” where you just shout your position and keep on moving. Listen carefully to other thoughts and ideas. Come to agreement and move forward knowing that each member of the team is protecting the other.
  3. O = Observe. Instead of just plowing through the day, or a meeting, or an activity, take some time to observe body language of those with whom you are working, creating, or planning. Body language speaks volumes and may help you understand the climate of the room before moving ahead into work. Observe body language and move ahead accordingly.
  4. P = Proceed. Once you have stopped, talked, and observed, it’s time to move forward. Caution has been observed in the previous three steps. Now it’s time to take action. Work with your team, family, or colleagues to reach common goals and objectives. As long as you have consensus, move boldly.

It’s always a good thing to observe stop signs and proceed with caution. It’s just as important in life as it is on the road. Stop, Talk, Observe, and then Proceed. When done collaboratively these steps will result in creative and excellent work.

What steps would you add to the “S.T.O.P.” list?

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Finding Art in Funny Places Feeds Creativity

Art pops up in some funny places. My wife, Tammy, likes a certain kind of kleenex because they are thicker and supposedly anti-viral, killing 99.9% of cold and flu viruses. What intrigues me about this type of kleenex is the box.

I love the art. It’s supposed to be pictures of little viruses. Whoever created the art thought “outside the box” (haha). The colorful little creatures brighten up a room and add some whimsy to a countertop. The boxes are bright, eye-catching, and fun.

If you keep your eyes open you can find art almost anywhere. Design, composition, and creativity can be seen on billboards, in grade school classrooms, and at offices. Some is excellent. Some is kitschy. Some is awful. But it can all be inspirational and add to your own creative process.

Opening your eyes to art in your daily life can spur on thoughts that lead you down a creative path. Even bad art can tell you where you don’t want to go with your current project.

Finding art in funny places is an excellent exercise for creatives of all ages. If you teach a class, ask them to look around the room and use something familiar as a starting p0int for an art project. If you write, use a catchy phrase from an ad as a starting point for your daily writing exercise. If you paint, imagine what a virus might look like.

Find art in funny places and feed your creativity.

Where have you seen funny art that inspired you?