There is nothing like being physically present with people. No amount of snail mail or online social networking bonds us like a meal, a walk, or chat over a fire pit. Being seen requires proximity. But do we still know what it’s like to be seen?
Mark, a good friend and a UK expat living in the Middle East, came to visit me several years ago. After years of spending a week or so together at conferences, this was a rare treat to finally host him. The time we spent together on my backyard patio and at the local neighborhood pub was one of the joys of my life. After we enjoyed pizza and beer at the pub, I introduced my well-traveled friend to another American delicacy. Kentucky Bourbon. Mark schooled me on the differences between the simple taste of bourbon in comparison to the complexity of Scotch whiskey. But he made another comparison that I’ll never forget. “Rich, I don’t understand why Americans don’t talk with each other. You have two political parties. In my local pub, I might have three or four parties represented and yet we sip pints and enjoy each other.” Besides…
Sometimes life is like waiting for a medical diagnosis to arrive. Doctors ordered lab work, scans, and combed through your medical file. But delays keep you from knowing the verdict. You might ask, “Am I in danger from a life-altering disease?” When we face such a dilemma, I call it the in-between. Cambridge dictionary says in-between means “between two clear or accepted stages or states, and therefore difficult to describe or know exactly.” This space keeps us in limbo while all the forces of the universe work do their thing out of our view or control. Our next phase is imminent but unclear. Uncomfortable, we pace the floor, bite our nails, or lash out at a friend. Such a lack of certainty is nearly as painful as bad news from a doctor. We know we will be different on the other side. But to know what’s next, we sit in…
As a young person at music school, I lived 1800 miles from home. It seemed like a big leap, jumping from High School to accept a full scholarship to a music trade school. Another leap raised me to start as an 18-year-old sophomore. We are taught, especially in the arts, to be inspired and dream big. But to compose a symphony, we must start with a simple motif. The truth is this. It is in the small steps that creative genius arrives. When we make a leap, we either fall into the chasm or pay for it on the other side. You can’t expect to rise too fast. Like good bread making, the dough slowly rises in a little heat. Are you ready for the heat? I would play through several of Bach’s chorales every single day, among other habits. All of my efforts trained my ear and solidified my…
Subscribe to the audio blog on your favorite podcast app: Subscribe What’s in a face? Sherlock, our new puppy, expresses many faces. These let us know when he feels proud about going potty, unhappy when he’s hungry, and crazy when he’s pouncing and playful. The face of a puppy is irresistible, even through the eyes of a sleepless dog owner like me at three o’clock in the morning during a puppy potty break. Creativity, like my puppy, has distinct faces with corresponding emotions. Three come to mind. They are faces of curiosity, dissatisfaction, and joy. While we may not feel as cute as a puppy, when we express these three faces vulnerably and honestly, we attract others to our creation. On the journey to create, our face signals growth or retreat. The hope is this. We can look more like a puppy, enthused, awake, and ready for action. Need ideas? Be curious…
Silicon Valley is where I grew up and now where I once again reside. We moved almost a year ago but it’s still a bit hard to adjust to a new city. For instance, one thing I miss is the creative culture in LA County. The large number of coffee shops, barber shops, food trucks, and the local vibe reflected the high percentage of creative residents. Many people aspire to be filmmakers, musicians, or the next fashion magnet. I used to drive for Lyft and in my car I had cooks to CEOs that all seemed to embrace the creative culture. Returning to the Bay Area is a bit of a culture shock.
Subscribe to the audio blog on your favorite podcast app: Subscribe I have been an Apple Mac person since 1990, owning one of the first little beige boxes containing an eight-inch screen and a one-megabyte hard drive. For years, this one purchase would be the largest for our young family. As years progressed, my household moved on to new and newer machines, offering a museum timeline of Apple upgrades worthy of the Smithsonian collection. With upgrading machines, it seems cables don’t always match. We now have USB C, replacing several other iterations of cables. With enough adapters, I have usually kept old-yet-expensive hardware longer than most. One such piece of gear is my 16-channel audio mixing and recording device. I thought retirement was in order. But today in my music studio, I discovered my FireWire 400 audio device still works! There’s a problem, however. It’s just not convenient to operate. Add to…
Subscribe to the audio blog on your favorite podcast app: Subscribe We celebrate the moment an idea is born. When a colleague or friend mentions their new idea, we find them in a state of euphoria and energy. New insights seem to arrive in a flash. Like Archimedes experienced, they might hit us in the bathtub. Observers treat us like the crazy mathematician running from his bath while he cried, “Eureka, Eureka!” We all know this part of creativity. A vision, a solution, or a new angle overtakes us. Everyone seems to think our best ideas come to us on their own, but the truth is this. It takes a lot of unseen effort and patience to bring them. Cut-and-Paste Mimicry or Originality What if we are cheating ourselves from our best ideas by simply hoping they either arrive on their own or are from our hustle? We might give up or…
Subscribe to the audio blog on your favorite podcast app: Subscribe I had one of those weeks where I felt like I was on a road trip, sharing stories on the winding drive, dreaming with new friends at the campfire, and learning that we all need people to watch out for us while hiking the treacherous inclines in our lives. The pandemic exacted a cost. We lost a bit of the magic of being present—more than I think I care to admit it. Zoom calls, texts, and socially distanced dining—known as takeout—could never replace the real thing. Sure, my favorite restaurant’s food is still tasty. But we’ve lost the carefree table banter that allowed the meal’s main entrée to connect us to each other. So, the past several days have been special with meals, coffees, and serendipitous encounters. With all the talk about mindsets, like some I mention in my new book…
Subscribe to the audio blog on your favorite podcast app: Subscribe To be human is to be creative Here’s something I’m sure of. Creativity is just another word for being human. One example of this is in how we approach the feeling of being awkward. Awkward is a word that comes from where we get the word backward. It is an opposing force, pushing against the grain. We feel more than annoyed. A powerful challenge to the way our brain is used to thinking ensues, testing our wits and composure. The awkward people we live with I imagine the scene at my dad’s wake where two family members trashed the words of the minister after attending the funeral. One was a white supremacist. The awkwardness was his lack of parenting his children as they said, “Ew, that’s gross” to friends who brought in food for the buffet. The other relative took every…
Why write a book about the creative process? Most people think creativity or innovation is something only a few have access to. I believe, with the help from brain scientists, researchers, and creative practitioners, that it’s a process we can learn. In fact, there is proof that we are ALL wired to be creative. What we need is a way to unlock this innate human ability. My book, MINDBLOWN: Unlock Your Creative Genius by Bridging Science and Magic, is finally here and shipping. I wrote this book after my experiences with institutions and leaders that were ill-equipped to guide creative ideas into reality. The focus on results over process fails us. What we need is a framework to allow us to be more human. Learn with me how to be a better person by being more human, which is the same as being more creative! Imagine your, your team or project generating more…
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