Category Archives: Creativity

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Wine and Worms

We have some friends who used to own and operate a wine shop. We hadn’t seen them in a while so they had us over for (what else!) some wine, food, and conversation. It was the perfect summer evening to sit outside and enjoy catching up with one another, sampling some good wine, and enjoying some fantastic food.

But another highlight of the evening was our friends’ son, Max. Max is 2 1/2 years old. Max entertained himself for most of the more than four hours we were with our friends. Max is creative.

One of the top ways people end up on my blog is by doing a search of the phrase “creative kids.” I love to observe creativity in kids and encourage creativity in kids. Max reminded me again that creativity begins at a very, very early age.

Max is all boy. He loves trucks, cars, and smashing things. One of his favorite things to do is take a shovel, a bucket, and his dump truck to the back of the yard and dig for worms. He uses the resources he has to create some fun for himself.

So, dig he did. Max probably spent twenty minutes digging in the back of the yard before he found a worm. And when he did he triumphantly came over to the table where the adults were talking, dug into the pile of dirt in his dump truck, and pulled out the tiniest little worm I’ve ever seen. We all decided that he should name the worm Willie, and he did.

Willie was washed with water. Willie was presented to each person at the table. Willie went to jail in Max’s toy police station. And Willie went back into the dirt. Then Max was off to dig for more worms.

Sure enough, this time Max came back with a bigger worm. This one was named Wanda. With a little adult prompting, Max decided that he could go fishing with Wanda.

More worms. More play. More creativity.

Max’s persistence at play reminded me that sometimes that’s just what I need: to be a little more persistent in my “play.”

  • When I start a creative project I need to allow myself more time for exploration and play. Far too often I find myself rushing the creative process. The creative process is more often a slow cooker than it is a flash in the pan.
  • When I’m in the midst of a creative project I need to somehow involve others in the process. The adults helped Max name the worm Willie. It’s a reminder that in creativity two (or more!) minds are better than one.
  • When I’m creating something it is sometimes best to use resources that are readily available. Max used his shovel, bucket, and dump truck. Sometimes I spend more time looking for resources to help me create, than in the actual process of creating. Looking right in front of me for resources is a great place to start.
  • When time is short and creating becomes a burden, I limit myself by only “skimming the surface” of my thoughts or resources. Max spent time digging. I need to dig more. When I do, I will be certain to find more worms.

And in the end…a little wine with friends doesn’t hurt, either.

What lessons in creativity have you learned from children?

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What Churches and Non-Profits Can Learn from “The Thank You Economy”

“…(I)t is utter insanity for any company not to have a Facebook and Twitter presence in 2011” (p.113, The Thank You Economy). Those are the words of Gary Vaynerchuk, an entrepreneur and social media guru who built his family’s local liquor store into a national wine-seller at winelibrary.com . He wrote the national bestseller Crush It. He has now created Wine Library TV and an app for smart phones called The Daily Grape.

As I read The Thank You Economy it occurred to me over and over again just how much of what is presented in the book applies so well to churches and non-profit organizations. At one point in the book Vaynerchuk says, “It’s not about the budget. It’s about the creativity and caring” (p.124). Many a pastor, church leader, or non-profit executive would love to hear those words spoken in a board meeting (in the church’s case, of course, adding the words “the Gospel”).

What Vaynerchuk calls The Thank You Economy is about caring, responding, interacting, and having conversations with your customers. The Thank You Economy means engaging your customers on an emotional basis by being genuine and caring. That is, of course, what the church is called to be and to do, but far too often the church has lost, or overlooked, or just plain forgotten to be genuine and caring. Sadly, the church is often focused more inwardly than outwardly.

New tools have been given to the church and non-profits to engage on a genuine and caring basis. They are the same tools that are used in The Thank You Economy. They are the tools of Social Media. Vaynerchuk reminds us that Social Media is exponential. Have you recently looked at all of your “friend suggestions” on Facebook. You are one or two degrees of separation from literally hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Just think how many you could reach simply through Facebook and/or Twitter. After all, online conversation easily leads to in-person conversation.

Here are just some of the ways The Thank You Economy can be applied in the church:

  • Gary Vaynerchuk says people buy things recommended by their friends. Where have people recently been speaking with friends? Social Media! More than “buy things,” what about people recommending their church or non-profit as they “talk” on Social Media?
  • The longer it takes to build a presence with Social Media, the more effort it will take to make it work for you. Can the church afford to be lagging behind? There are souls to be saved and people to be helped and served.
  • No matter what someone else chooses to say about you, you can publicly put forth the facts. When there is rumor or controversy, churches and non-profits can’t afford to let them fester. Being up front on Social Media is one way to get the facts straight so that the message is not hindered or blurred.
  • The Thank You Economy includes being part of the conversation. According to Vaynerchuk, it isn’t good enough to simply put your message out there on a web site. You’ve got to engage people and be part of the conversation. How awesome that conversation is when you share the greatest Message ever known to humanity.
  • How about this: “If you’re not passionate enough about what your company does to find fuel for conversation every day, for hours on end, with as many people as possible, maybe you’re in the wrong business” (p.83). I don’t really have to tell you how that applies to churches and non-profits, do I?
  • Social Media is a “long-term play,” a “marathon.” Stick with it! It takes time to develop relationships, provide care and concern, and create in-person opportunities for interaction. Don’t give up. It’s about finding any and every opportunity to share the Gospel or provide service.

Watch for my next post where I’ll share more ways The Thank You Economy applies to churches and non-profits.

How do you think Social Media can be leveraged for use in the church or in non-profits?

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Dreaming’s Not Just for Kids Anymore

Dreaming every once in a while is good for the soul. It brings perspective. It provides the opportunity to set goals. It’s one way of stimulating creativity. A realistic dream just might put some wheels in motion that could potentially lead to the fulfillment of the dream itself.

When was the last time you allowed yourself the opportunity to dream? Do you even remember? Has it been too long?

Kids do it all the time. They dream of hitting the winning last-second shot of the NCAA tournament. They dream of being a Disney princess. They dream of standing on a Broadway stage or running for a touchdown in the Super Bowl.

Why should kids have all the fun? Adults need to dream occasionally, as well. So I took some time this holiday weekend to do just that. Here are ten things I dream of someday doing (and one or two of them have a realistic chance of actually happening):

  1. See Austin City Limits in person
  2. Travel around Italy in a rental car
  3. Go to the Masters Golf Tournament and sit at “Amen Corner” on Championship Sunday
  4. Watch the Milwaukee Brewers win a World Series game in person
  5. Drive a race car around an actual race track
  6. Write a book and have it published
  7. Go mountain biking in Yellowstone Park
  8. Sing backup in my son’s band just once
  9. Participate in Milwaukee Brewers Fantasy Camp
  10. Spend two weeks at a tropical beach house with family and friends

Now it’s your turn. What would your list of dreams include?

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How a Local Organization Got a Big Bank to Deliver Big Bucks

Common Ground is a broad-based organization of organizations in the city of Milwaukee created to work together to bring about real and positive change in southeastern Wisconsin. I have been part of the organization since its inception, and could only have imagined what this group would be able to accomplish. For two years Common Ground has been pressuring five big banks to join together with the city of Milwaukee, local foundations, non-profits, and Common Ground itself, to refurbish and revitalize dilapidated and foreclosed homes in a key neighborhood.

Last night a representative of Wells Fargo Bank stood before more than 280 members of Common Ground and committed almost $2.5 million dollars in loans and grants. Read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s article about it here. It was the first of the five banks with whom we have been negotiating to make a significant commitment to bring revitalization to our community in the midst of the current foreclosure crisis.

It took negotiation. It took hard work. And, yes, it took creativity.

The goals for Common Ground were to:

  1. Get to the table.
  2. Make a deal.
  3. Keep the deal.

In order to make that happen, Common Ground had to gain:

  1. Recognition from the city and the banks.
  2. Respect from the city and the banks.
  3. Relationship with the city and the banks.

Recognition, respect, and relationship could only happen by way of many one-on-one meetings, small group meetings, face-to-face meetings with government officials, bank representatives, and Common Ground members. It was a slow and sometimes tedious process. But every meeting had a strategic purpose. There was always a specific outcome in mind for every gathering.

Here’s where the creativity came in. Common Ground used creative ways to get recognition, respect, and relationship from and with partners that could join together with us to make things happen.

That creativity included:

  • Taking 400 pictures of run-down and less-than-well-kept homes in the local community
  • Brought together local anchor organizations in the community to personally get to know one another
  • Worked with state representatives to get a bill introduced in the legislature
  • Gathered people together in front of bank buildings to draw attention to significant thoughts and ideas
  • Sent representatives to Germany and San Francisco to appear and speak at bank shareholders meetings
  • Used the communication talents of individuals to push bank officials hard

Someone said that anyone could have done what Common Ground did. But no one else did. Sometimes all it takes is to do something no one else has the creativity or courage to do.

For Common Ground it meant nearly $2.5 million dollars (and potentially much more) to revitalize a community.

What do you have the creativity and courage to do, that no one else will?

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“Scoring” Life

When I go to baseball games the first thing I do is stop at the stand right inside the ball park doors and buy a scorecard. I love to score baseball games. It slows the game down (I know, I know…some of you are saying baseball is sloooooow already; well I disagree; it’s a game of skill, strategy, and quick thinking). I enjoy the information it gives me in the later innings of the game. And someday I’m going to have a priceless keepsake when I score a no hitter or a have the chance to record some other momentous record.

In her wonderful autobiographical book, Wait ‘Til Next Year, Doris Kearns Goodwin writes about what a joy it is to score a game. Her father faithfully teaches her how to score a game so she can do so as she listens on the radio. Finally, she has the chance to go to a game at Ebbets Field. It’s one of the highlights of her entire life:

I experienced that night what I have experienced many times since: the absolute pleasure that comes from prolonging the winning feeling by reliving the game, first with the scorebook, then with the wrap-up on radio, and finally, once I learned about printed box scores, with the newspaper accounts the next day. But what I remember most is sitting at Ebbets Field for the first time, with my red scorebook on my lap and my father at my side (p. 51).

“My red scorebook on my lap and my father at my side.” I know you are picturing that in your mind right now. And I know you are feeling it in your heart. Would that we could all feel that way at the end of every day.

What if someone spent a day “scoring” your life? What if there were a booth just inside your front office door, and people could buy a card, sit back, and pencil in the home runs, hits, doubles, triples, and strike outs? It might help to have a spectator watching what you do every now and then. It would be humiliating to record a strike out; but just think how awesome it would be to hit a home run! The person “scoring” your day would get to fill in the whole square.

Even if someone else doesn’t “score” your day, what if you did. What if each “inning”/hour/segment you recorded the “score” by jotting down a home run, hit, double, triple, or strike out? It might:

  • Slow down your day by putting it into manageable increments
  • Provide help in strategizing your next “move,” objective, or goal
  • Give information later in the day to help see where you’ve been, where you are, and where you hope to go
  • …Or maybe even be a keepsake of a momentous day where everything came together for a “big win”

More than that, maybe you could spend your last few minutes at work with your “red scorebook on (your) lap and (your) (F)ather at your side.” You could prolong that winning feeling, re-live the highs and lows of the day, and boost your productivity the following day. Your Father would be sitting there with a grin on His face, and you would be feeling a wonderful sense of accomplishment.

How do you “score” your day? Any insights?

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The Last Shall Be First

I don’t think it’s what Jesus had in mind, but I just finished reading Steven Pressfield’s Do the Work, and a major takeaway is that “the last shall be first.” Pressfield encourages the reader to determine where it is you want to end up with your project, weight loss, book…or whatever…and then plan how you are going to get there. Start at the end and then plot your journey. Set your goal. Get there. Do not pass go. Do not collect $100.


Resistance will get in the way, try to stop you, do everything It can to keep you from getting to the end goal. But it is your job to keep plowing through, don’t stop, don’t quit, don’t listen to the voices that will most certainly drag you down or keep you from crossing the finish line.

Seems to be to be a great way to start each day. Where do you want to be at the end of the day? What do you want to accomplish? Where do you want to be? Now go get there.

Start with the last and the first will be easy to determine. With the goal in mind the first steps are more obvious and easier to take. At the end of the day, the month, or the year you will find yourself right where you always knew you were headed.

The very One who said “the last will be first” is the One who already knew in eternity what the end goal was and had to be. In the manger  the end was already in sight. On the morning of Good Friday it was already known what the end would, could, and should be. With His eye on the only goal He came to accomplish, Jesus began with the end in mind and went ahead and accomplished it for the world. The First became last for you.

He was perfect and we, of course, are not. Our nature often keeps us from following through and making it all the way to the ends that are important for life and faith. But He promises to be with you always, even in seeming minutiae. He is there to help you plow through, keep going, and overcome the voices that would overtake. He wants what’s best for you. And what is often best for you is to follow through all the way to the end…to do what needs to be done for your own good, for the good of others, and for the good of the Kingdom.

I challenge you today to make the last first. Where do you want to be at the end of the day today? Get there. Where do you want to go this month? Get there. Where do you want find yourself at the end of this year? Write down the end, envision what the final scene will look like, and allow yourself to have a taste of the final feast. Now go take the first steps toward getting there.

How can putting the last first make a difference in your life?

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What’s the Inspiration?

Recently I’ve been thinking a great deal about inspiration. I guess that’s because I’ve been inspired in many and various ways in the past few weeks: I saw a weekend of theatre; I discovered a blog that’s all about inspiration; I saw The King’s Speech.


I’ve even been inspired by playing Words with Friends.

I’ve been inspired by a friend who got a brand new job…the kind of job that fits him perfectly…the kind of job for which he has dreamed. I’ve been inspired by watching hard working young men see their dreams come true in the NFL draft.

I’ve been inspired by some Twitter friends who are currently attending a seminar to improve their public speaking. I’ve been inspired by a friend who recently celebrated the one year anniversary of starting her own business.

I’ve been inspired by looking out at a congregation on Easter Sunday morning filled with people of different ages, races, and financial backgrounds. I’ve been inspired by someone bravely facing serious illness and surgery.

I’ve been inspired by Seth Godin whose book I just read. I’ve been inspired by a brand new baseball season and a brand new computer that makes my work so much easier.

I’ve been inspired by the college students I teach. I’ve been inspired by the men I have the privilege of mentoring.

I’ve even been inspired by two new windshield wipers on my car. (I’m a little obsessed with a perfectly clean windshield on a rainy day.)

But today I’m really curious as to what it is that has recently inspired you. I genuinely want to be inspired by your inspirations.

Would you please leave a comment below and let me know how you have been inspired in the past days and weeks?

 

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It’s Live!

When was the last time you went to see a play, musical, or show? I sincerely hope it hasn’t been too long. If it’s been a while, there’s a piece of you that needs to be awakened…and will be as a result.

I liken seeing the live performance of a play or musical to having something resurrected within me. As I sit and watch I feel joy, get chills, experience pathos and sadness, and see myself reflected in the story. I get to view life from a different perspective. I see the human experience up close. I am a richer person having had the opportunity to lose myself in a live story, re-presented by living, breathing people.

One of my favorite quotes about theatre comes from Cathleen McGuigan, who wrote a piece for Newsweek:

The experience of theater is one of the few satisfying live entertainments available in our virtual culture. There’s nothing quite like the risky thrill of sharing a space with breathing, sweating actors—with no possibility of editing, photoshopping, voice dubbing or blue-screen special effects. The relationship between the characters onstage and each member of the audience who’s willing to suspend disbelief is a unique, delicate and deeply personal experience.

I got to experience that again recently as I watched a young lady do a cabaret type performance the Senior Project of her B.F.A. in acting. (Disclaimer: No, it wasn’t my daughter…although she did have a small part in one of the pieces.) The actress used the cabaret format to explore love and relationships from the female perspective. She did songs from 110 in the Shade, Guys and Dolls, The Last Five Years, Into the Woods, Avenue Q, and Legally Blonde. I learned some new songs. I was drawn in by her emotion. I thought about life in a different way. As the actors said on an old Saturday Night Live skit: “I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats.”

The great thing about live theatre is just that: It’s Live! It not only brings a story to life, it brings life to a story. It draws the audience in and asks each member to do two seemingly contradictory things at the same time: 1. Suspend disbelief; and 2. Believe that the story is her or his own.

I guess that’s why whenever I watch most any kind of (good) live performance I feel more alive myself. I feel tears welling up as the performance brings to the surface heartaches and hard times in my own life. I feel exhilaration as the performance brings to the surface particular joys from my own life. I find myself re-thinking a situation in my own life as I see it literally being played out on stage. I even feel melancholy as the performance drudges up my own regrets, failures, or simply a time that has long since passed. Even the melancholy that I feel makes me feel living and alive.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that theatre expresses emotion and shows the diamond facets of life. It’s living. And it’s live. And I love it.

What is it that makes you feel truly alive? What particular performance drew something new out of you?

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Back to the Backstory

I love a good backstory. It’s surprising. It’s scintillating. It takes the hard edges of a story and makes them soft.

ESPN and former Sports Illustrated writer, Rick Reilly, is the master of the backstory. I was reminded of it again when I read this. It’s the story of Chris Paul, the NBA star, who lost his beloved grandfather to a brutal beating by some early teen-aged hoodlums, just to get the man’s wallet.

The surprising part is the backstory about Chris Paul himself. The backstory is about Paul’s grief; about his humility; about his compassion. He was the president of his high school class three years running. He’s the one other people want around at important moments of life. And now, even though some of the criminals have been sentenced to life in prison, he wants the people who killed his grandfather to be set free.

He hates that they’re in prison. He hates that they will never see the outside world again. He hates that their lives are ruined.

It’s surprising. It’s scintillating. It takes the hard edges off of the story and makes them soft.

I’m the last person in the world to care one whit about NBA basketball. I don’t like the personalities. I don’t like the perceived laziness. I just don’t like the game.

But through the backstory of Chris Paul, Rick Reilly has made me care. He’s made me care about at least one NBA player who seems to be a genuinely good guy. I don’t necessarily agree with what Paul is pushing for, but it’s not mine to have a say one way or another. It was Chris’s grandfather that was murdered. Not mine.

I found all that surprising and scintillating. It took the hard edges off of just another NBA story and made them soft enough for me to care.

It’s an important lesson for writers and creatives:

  • Dig a little bit
  • Everyone has a story
  • People love stories
  • Stories connect
  • Stories draw people in
  • Surprising stories bring surprising reactions from readers

Go check out Rick Reilly’s writing. It’s filled with wonderful backstories.

Someday I’ll tell you the backstory about the mini-bike crash that made me lie to my parents. It’s surprising. It’s scintillating. It takes the hard edges of a story and makes them soft.

What’s a good backstory you’ve heard? How do you use backstories to enhance your creativity?

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Reading is Key

A couple of weeks ago I attended a “literacy night” put on by the day school operated by our church. It was a popular event for the students and families of our school. There was dinner, free books for the kids, breakout sessions by age group, and a special guest speaker named Jane Marko. Although Jane was gearing her remarks toward the kids who were present, what she presented was applicable to most everyone.

As a speaker myself, I was impressed by her energy, and her knowledge of the topic. The topic for the night was, of course, reading. Jane Marko made a compelling case that we all ought to be reading, reading more, and reading often.

According to Jane, reading is the key to:

  • Success
  • Knowledge
  • Being who you want to be

Who couldn’t, wouldn’t, or doesn’t, need those things? In fact, all three of them go together: knowledge brings success in being who you want to be. But it takes time and commitment to be a reader.

Here’s what Jane Marko recommends in order to make it happen in your home:

  • Turn off the TV
  • Have lots of books around
  • Create a book shelf just for kids’ books
  • Read the books that your children are reading
  • Read with your child
  • Set aside time for reading each day
  • “Make it a date” to go to the library weekly

Jane makes clear what we already know, but need to be reminded: When you read you get smarter. We need to know everything we can about the world. In this day and age, when information explodes exponentially literally every minute, filling our brains with knowledge is critical not only to treading water in school or our career, it is critical to get ahead in an extremely competitive world.

It’s a good idea to make reading a habit. Jane Marko recommends reading at least (or just!) twenty minutes a day. Those twenty minutes every day add up and put one ahead of those who read less, or are not reading at all. At our literacy night Jane appealed to my competitive nature. She challenged everyone present to commit to reading more than the next person. I took it as a challenge to read more than I already do.

According to Jane it takes twenty-one days of consistent change to make something a habit. If you’re already in the habit of reading twenty minutes a day, good for you! If not, I challenge you to commit, along with me, to reading at least twenty minutes every day for the next twenty-one days. That takes us to May 18th. That would be only seven hours of reading between now and then. You can do it!

If you’re going to accept my challenge to read consistently these next twenty-one days, please post a comment below.

Let’s make ourselves smarter than our next door neighbors, co-workers, and fellow students these next twenty-one days. What tips do you have for making reading a habit in your home?