Livin la Vida Leo
When I was choosing my classes for this quarter, I asked a lot of people--especially those I was working with during the summer--what they thought I should take. I was considering four classes but ultimately only wanted to take three. The dilemma was which one to drop? I was evaluating negotiations, crisis management, creative seminar and values-based leaders (a class at the business school). Almost everyone I spoke to said I should drop creative.
I'm so glad I didn't.
This is the first time I can remember in a LONG time that I have focused specifically and intently on idea generation and getting inside my own head. Each week, we're given a topic or a project and our only objective is to come up with creative, intuitive ideas about how to present our message. One of the recommended books to guide us through the process was a work called Blink that's all about harnessing the power of your own intuition—a skill I find I often overlook or let my head overrule.
I'm not really sure what causes you to lose touch with your own creativity as you get older. When I think back to my childhood, I remember being vividly imaginative; playful. It's almost as if the years of schooling and living in an adult world slowly erode that energy, that optimism. Just like everything else in life, it becomes something you work at, not something that simply is.
Until it simply is again. Until the "work" you do every day at finding that feeling again becomes so automatic that it recedes into second nature. Like falling back into yourself after a long leave of absence.
I’m not there yet, but I can feel myself coming back around. I haven’t felt so inspired and energetic in years. And I think with a little more practice, the training wheels will come off.
The real challenge is, of course, extending that feeling after school is over. It’s really easy to practice creativity and self reflection when you’re in school, a place that demands that kind of behavior. Being in the workplace has a way of stifling it for me. I’m learning that one of the things I need to look for in my next job is an environment that is going to challenge and encourage me to stay creative and focus on bringing new ideas to the table.
Surrounding yourself with inspiration never hurt, either. I have so many other people in my life who live creatively every day, and looking to them can keep me in the right frame of mind.
I’m also on the lookout for materials that can help me push myself. Right now, I’m reading How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael Gelb (another class-recommended book). It’s got some great exercises and advice about maximizing your potential. If you know of other good ones, I’d love to hear about them.
Any other Leos out there?
I'm so glad I didn't.
This is the first time I can remember in a LONG time that I have focused specifically and intently on idea generation and getting inside my own head. Each week, we're given a topic or a project and our only objective is to come up with creative, intuitive ideas about how to present our message. One of the recommended books to guide us through the process was a work called Blink that's all about harnessing the power of your own intuition—a skill I find I often overlook or let my head overrule.
I'm not really sure what causes you to lose touch with your own creativity as you get older. When I think back to my childhood, I remember being vividly imaginative; playful. It's almost as if the years of schooling and living in an adult world slowly erode that energy, that optimism. Just like everything else in life, it becomes something you work at, not something that simply is.
Until it simply is again. Until the "work" you do every day at finding that feeling again becomes so automatic that it recedes into second nature. Like falling back into yourself after a long leave of absence.
I’m not there yet, but I can feel myself coming back around. I haven’t felt so inspired and energetic in years. And I think with a little more practice, the training wheels will come off.
The real challenge is, of course, extending that feeling after school is over. It’s really easy to practice creativity and self reflection when you’re in school, a place that demands that kind of behavior. Being in the workplace has a way of stifling it for me. I’m learning that one of the things I need to look for in my next job is an environment that is going to challenge and encourage me to stay creative and focus on bringing new ideas to the table.
Surrounding yourself with inspiration never hurt, either. I have so many other people in my life who live creatively every day, and looking to them can keep me in the right frame of mind.
I’m also on the lookout for materials that can help me push myself. Right now, I’m reading How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael Gelb (another class-recommended book). It’s got some great exercises and advice about maximizing your potential. If you know of other good ones, I’d love to hear about them.
Any other Leos out there?
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