What Box?^®

Imagine having an endless supply of great ideas at your fingertips.

Imagine reaching for your greatest aspirations.

Imagine becoming all you want to be.

It takes courage to push ourselves where we have never gone before, to test our limits and break through the barriers that hold us back. Think about the lion in the 1939 classic film “The Wizard of OZ.” The lion, desperately seeking the courage to face life’s challenges, is constantly looking outside himself for courage. In all actuality, the lion had an unlimited reservoir of courage already there; only he was unable to see that truth about himself.

Just like the lion, we have everything we need inside of ourselves to become all we can be. As Mike Munn, my good friend and former head physicist for Lockheed says, “you know more than you know you know” and I would add, can be anything you want to be. The challenge for us is to look inward for our strength to stretch and grow creatively instead of looking to the outside world for that strength. Too many times we are held back because we buy into negative outside influences that don’t encourage or support different thinking, creative ideas, inventions, or solutions.

In my life I have experienced many fears about being a writer. Growing up challenged by traditional learning institutions, compounded by my dyslexia, writing has been torturous at best. As a CEO, my Board insisted that I take writing courses to improve my skills because they were concerned that my “unique” style would not be embraced by the corporate world. For the past 10 years I have been visually representing my ideas about a series of creativity books I want to create and yet have not been able to put down more than one paragraph to start the darn thing.

Writing “What Box?” is a way for me to embrace the unknown and find the courage to become a writer. What area of your life are you holding back from? What are you not doing that you want to be doing? What do you want to create for yourself?

When we find the courage to go where we have never been before it does not mean that all of the sudden insecurity, fear and anxiety do not exist. Instead we consciously make the decision to move through these feelings as constructively and creatively as we possibly can.

By taking leaps of faith and stepping over the edge into the unknown we stretch our visible and hidden skills to new limits and promote exercising our creative potential.

So next time you find yourself saying, “oh I can’t do that” or “that idea is way to over the top,” take the time and remind yourself that hey, I know more than I know I know and can do anything.

Believe in yourself and your abilities and you can accomplish great things.

Tools for Exercising Your Creativity Muscles

Sketch and Doodle Your Thinking

One of the single greatest ways I have found to generate new ideas is to pick up a pencil or pen and start doodling my thoughts. This does not mean you have to possess exceptional drawing skills to draw out your ideas. Stick figures along with simple images have an amazing power to jog your brain consciously and subconsciously, supporting you to reach your goals. These doodles are for your eyes only if you choose. Let go of judgment about artistic merit and instead think of your doodles as a tool to generate new and winning ideas. We have all heard about the idea that was drawn on a napkin and became the next big thing. What idea do you have to draw out of yourself?

Take A Risk

When you are not failing every now and again you are at risk of stagnating yourself and your creativity. When you take a chance on something every now and again you exercise your creativity muscles and continue to strengthen it. Stop doing new things and you loose the creative muscle of risk. Go ahead, take a risk and find something new to do and see where it takes you.

No More Excuses

We have all heard the saying “just do it!” Sounds so simple doesn’t it? When I started writing “What Box?” I had to give up on all the excuses that were keeping me from reaching for and fulfilling my aspirations. In many cases it takes even more creativity to remove the excuses that hold us back than it does to develop the idea in the first place. What excuses are you holding onto? How can you remove these excuses and become the creative person you were meant to be.

Let me know what you think.

Until next week, remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.

I can still remember my mother sitting me down one day and in a very serious moment saying, “Sean how come it is, every time I tell you not to do something you go and find a totally different way to do the same thing. What am I going to do with you?”

Now, I am not promoting to go and change your middle name to “trouble.” What I am promoting is that reclaiming your childhood vision is one of the best ways to start breaking out-of-the-box. In so many cases we have forgotten how to play, imagine, and, even worse we have forgotten how to be ourselves. Anthropologist Ashley Montague once called adults “deteriorated children.”

In 1968 a scientist named, George Land shared among 1,600 5-year-olds a creativity test used by NASA to select innovative engineers and scientists. Ninety-eight percent of the children scored “highly creative.” Land retested the children five years later. Only 30% of the 10 year-olds scored in this category. By 15-years-old, just 12% of the adolescents tested “highly creative.” And when Land gave the test over a period of years to 280,000 adults, he found that only 2% fell into the “highly creative” category. “What we have concluded,” wrote Land, “is that noncreative behavior is learned.”

Wow!

Why is it that we tend to lock ourselves into paradigms that only box us in more?

Anyone who spends any quality time with children has at one time or another witnessed their natural ability to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Their imagination is in all its glory, where anything is possible and play is their great passion. Children see the world differently because they have not been influenced by the outside constraints of our increasingly complex society.

Daily routines, predictability, television, boredom, and mental plaque only support constricting our creative and innovative abilities.

As adults, thinking with childlike vision is hard work and takes courage. In many cases it means you may have to sacrifice long held beliefs, paradigms, to gain new perspective. Check out these classic examples from history. In 1899, the U.S. Patent Office director announced that “everything that can be invented has been invented” and requested that the patent office be shut down. Just twenty-eight years later, Harry Warner, president of Warner Brothers, asked, “Who wants to hear actors talk?”

Children are not afraid to try new things and fail because they believe anything is possible. They learn very quickly from their failures and apply those lessons to their next experiment. Failure can be one the most effective ways to break out-of-the-box. When we are not failing we are not stretching ourselves and only continue the patterns of doing the same drab thing we have been doing all along. When you fail and learn from those failures you grow and so does your creative abilities.

Like a wise sage that cannot be understood or solved through traditional thinking, we have to ask ourselves puzzling questions to break out-of-the-box. How can I think more childlike once again? How can I add play to my life? How can I break free of the constraints of society? How can I learn to embrace failure and change?

Our children have the answers.

When you get back in the sandbox you do too.

Tools for Breaking Out-of-the-Box

What Box? thinking has to be practiced all the time. Here are few ways to exercise your creativity muscles.

Transform your brain into a sponge

Think about this for a second. Like a computer humans only use 8-12% of their brains potential. That leaves a lot of room for improvement. Next time you are in need of a creative solution, bombard your brain with relevant information. Speak to experts, read books, search the Internet, watch videos. Noodle it around and see how your conscious and unconscious work to support What Box? thinking.

Have Sheer Fun, Play

Get yourself into some mischief because it stimulates creativity. One of my favorite places to play is a toy store. Have fun with the toys that make you laugh, think and in general have fun. Buy what makes you feel like a child again, Twister, bubble machines, maybe a water slide. If you were to visit my studio you would find toys all over my space. Keep toys and fun things in your workspace as a way to remind yourself not to take life to seriously.

Daydream The Day Away

Have you ever been caught daydreaming and told how unproductive it is to just sit and do nothing by daydream your day away? Turns out that daydreaming can be one of the more effective ways to solve problems or invent things. Thomas Edison would actually make time each and every day just for daydreaming. Next time you need some creative ideas quickly, find a quite space, close the door to your room or office, get comfortable and let your mind wander. Who knows what great idea you will come up?

Take Regular Breaks

The ability to slow down and pause will allow you to see that which you might miss otherwise. Frustration, dullness, fatigue are one of creativities greatest enemies. They are also giving you the clues to take a break. You can increase your creativity by taking a peaceful walk, focusing on your breathing patterns, or visiting an inspiring nature environment. Take a power nap. Thomas Edison would sit in an armchair his hands extended holding heavy objects in each. When the objects would fall and wake him, Edison would jot down the first thoughts that came to his mind. When you take breaks you allow your subconscious mind to do its creative work. Your subconscious is always working for your greater success, trust it and take breaks regularly.

Ignore the Nay Sayers

Not much is more delicate and sensitive than a fresh idea. Nay Sayers are those people who discourage new ideas before they get the chance to be nurtured and developed. Protect your ideas from the Nay Sayers who tell you “It won’t work” or “That’s not in the budget.” Take some time and share your creative concepts only after you have them more fully developed.

To paraphrase Picasso, “We are all born artists, the challenge is to stay one.” Even in the best and most supportive of circumstances the creative path is not an easy one. We can all recall times during our early years when our creative talents were shut down, leaving us thinking and feeling as if there is no possible way I can be creative or anywhere near as artistic as Picasso. Guess what? You are and you can.

The truth of the matter is we are all made up of pure creative energy. Yet people have a tendency to dismiss, discount, and rob themselves of their most powerful essence, the characteristic which supports defining who they uniquely are as individuals, their creativity.

If you desire to increase your creative thinking and reach for your full potential then What Box? is for you. You ask, what is What Box? More and more of us are being defined by the limiting parameters we set for ourselves, a box. People have them, communities have them, corporations have them, governments have them, and maybe even animals have them.

If we sit back for a few seconds and think about the idea of a box, we might see that some of the greatest discoveries in history have been uncovered by individuals willing to take a risk and think outside-the-box. Just by saying “I really need to think outside-the-box” we acknowledge that a box exists in the first place. What if there were a place you could turn and find creativity tools that support your ability to be the best you can be? Creativity tools that support new and different thinking where there is no box. A place where anything is possible, miracles happen, and where creativity reigns supreme.

Welcome to What Box?

Creativity comes when we view any given situation with a fresh and different perspective. One of our greatest keys to more fully accessing and utilizing our creativity potential is a positive and open attitude. When we lock ourselves into old and non-productive paradigms we box ourselves in. My motivation and goal is to support you so that you can consciously exercise your creative muscle each week with real-life stories of creativity and inspiration, along with creativity tools and exercises that I have researched, experimented with and created over the years.

What Box? can help to whack you out of your old and tired patterns with new and different thinking, allowing you to generate fresh new perspectives in all aspects of your life. Your creative muscle will increase and you will start seeing the positive effects of a creative life. Together we will exercise the creative side of our brains and use more of the brains potential. Some of the things we will explore at What Box? include the art of visual thinking, how to embrace your creativity, keys to success, breaking out-of-the-box, the power of dreaming, creating the life you want, and how to unlock more of your full potential.

Your creativity is such a gift. When you begin to act on your creativity what you find inside may be more valuable than what you produce for the external world. You have everything you need to be all you can be. Where do you want to go?

Have you got wonderful creative story you want to share? Is something holding you back from reaching for your creative potential? What situation do you find yourself in that could use What Box? thinking. Send me a note. Each week I will share personal stories and those of others, along with a challenge or two. This will allow us an opportunity to share and gain new perspective along with the creativity tools to support you in our efforts to break out-of-the-box.

Get ready, the What Box? adventure is about to begin.

Away we go. . .

Sean Griffin is an entrepreneur, artist, business consultant, educator, visual thinker, and community builder living the Grand Life in North East Oklahoma. You can learn more at www.whatbox.info. Sean can be contacted directly at sean@whatbox.info or write The Chronicle of Grand Lake PO Box 757 Langley, OK 74350.

What Box? is a weekly creativity column written by Sean Griffin and published in The Chronicle of Grand Lake. At What Box? there are no boxes to think outside of and no limits to what is possible.Have you been looking for a place you could turn and find creativity tools that support your ability to be the best you can be? Creativity tools that support new and different thinking where there is no box. A place where anything is possible, miracles happen, and where creativity reigns supreme.

Welcome to What Box?

What Box? is for anyone who desires to generate new and different thinking. What Box? can support you in the generation of fresh new perspectives in all aspects of your life. Each week real life stories of inspiration are shared along with creative tools to support you to think beyond the box.

Do you have a wonderful creative story you want to share? Is something holding you back from reaching for your creative potential? What situation do you find yourself in that could use What Box? thinking. Send me a note. Each week I will share personal stories and those of others. This will allow us an opportunity to share and gain new perspective along with the creativity tools to support you in our efforts to break out-of-the-box.

Sean Griffin is an entrepreneur, artist, inventor, business consultant, educator, visual thinker, waller, preservationist, gardener, and community builder living the grand life in Tulsa and on Grand Lake of Oklahoma. Sean can be contacted directly at sean@whatbox.info or write The Chronicle of Grand Lake PO Box 757 Langley, OK 74350 c/o What Box?