Category: Creativity

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A Whack on the side of the Head: How you can be more creative. Roger VonOech (2011)

Roger Von Oech has been a Creative consultant for large and small companies as well as individuals. This edition is the 25th year edition of this book. Creative thinking is a vital survival skill in this changing world. It is even more important to look at things in a fresh and different way. This book contains stories, anecdotes, insights and ideas from many different sources of how you can become more creative.

“Why be Creative? Why challenge the rules? Why run the risk of failing and looking foolish.”

Sometimes, what worked two years ago, does not work today. We live in an ever changing world and we need to adapt to the changes. Creative thinking is a lot of fun, sometimes things no longer work or become stagnate and we can either sit and complain or we can try to generate new ways of doing things. The real key to being creative is what we do with our knowledge. It requires curiosity and play with our knowledge and experiences.

Nobel Prize physician Albert Szent-Gyorgyi says: “Discovery consists of looking at everyone else and thinking something different.”

We don’t need to be creative for most of the things that we do. Most of us have certain attitudes that lock our thinking into the Status Quo and keeps us thinking more of the same. This attitude is necessary for most of our daily lives, but they get in the way when we need to be creative. It is hard to be creative if you are so focused on being practical, logical, afraid to make mistakes or with other mental blocks.

There are many reasons and phrases that we are told by others and by ourselves.

  1. The right answer
  2. That’s not logical
  3. Follow the rules
  4. Be practical
  5. Play is frivolous
  6. That’s not m area
  7. Don’t be foolish
  8. To err is wrong
  9. I’m not creative

To be open to receive the teachings of thinking creatively we need to first “unpack”, or as VanOech says: empty out what you have in your mental cup. We need to unlearn what we know.

The history of discovery and invention is filled with the people whose routines were interrupted and who were forced to come up with alternative solutions. Inventions, new ideas tend to be discovered because we are forced to break our routine. Most of our education system is geared towards finding the “right answer.” What if I told you there were many right answers – all depending on what you are looking for. If you think there is only one right answer you will stop looking after you find it.

Some games:

  1. Find the third right answer
  2. Metaphors, find metaphors for something specific. The meaning of life….a box of chocolates??
  3. Ask What if?

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Day 19 Copy Someone else’s idea

“It’s not where you take things from, it’s where you take them to.” Jean-Luc Godard

  1. Read poem

    MY SELF-PORTRAIT

I’m 12 years old
and I wear glasses and don’t
talk to nobody.
I’m 5 foot 3 and I weigh 90 pounds.
I’m in the sixth grade.
I’m weird and happy and
sad at the same time.
My eyes are light brown, and my hair
is the same color as my eyes.

MY SECRET SELF-PORTRAIT

I feel so trapped inside,
but I have peace on my face.
I love to eat candy and Chinese food.
I’m wild like a lion and sweet as
a butterfly. 

  1. Copy the structure and make it your own, however you can in 5 minutes.
  2. Share your poem with someone.

Extra points: Share your Poem with me. unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

If you prefer you can choose a drawing, a photograph, a song, a business idea.

This exercise uses convergent thinking.

Comments

AG My self Portrait
I am 60 years old, and I wear sneakers and like short conversations.
I am 180 cm tall and weight 85 kilos.
I am the co-owner of a VC firm, and unfocused, but brilliant and trustworthy at the same.
My eyes are light brown and my hair as well but beginning to turn gray and fall.
My secret self-portrait
I feel like an impostor sometimes but I command respect.
I love red wine, cheese and ham.
I am independent like a tiger, but reliable like an elephant

MON:
My hair
a perennial favorite,
thick, strong, good.
Mercurial,
wavy
like ocean water 
hitting the shore
on a windy day,
rigid
as a block of wood 
in an assembly line,
undamaged
because
my mom told me
never to 
color it.
About a year ago,
some gray strands
came in.
And I discovered
my hair
like everything
is not perennial.
Now it changes
by the minute,
nothing will 
stop
the 
passage
of 
time.
“I hate gray hair,”
my mom says.
I wince
and muffle 
the sound,
focus instead
on the softness 
in her eyes
the heated warning
transformed
into
a 
love 
song.
I recently discovered
a new type of flower 
in my garden
agapantos –
an African word 
meaning love.
They bloom 
here 
in Madrid,
and also
in my mom’s hometown
of Chiriquí.
Its lavender petals
open
during the first week in July,
(my birthday).
I watch the petals
spread wide,
purple legs parting,
like my perennial hair
and its new
gray limbs,
magically sprouting.

LAU:

Self Portrait
I am 50 years old and just turned
My size is Medium and my complexion is small.
My hair is brunette, my brown eyes and my olive complexion
I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend
I am reading and curious

Secret self portrait
I am a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend and sometimes myself
I’m a shy convert
I am freethinker
I enjoy my life, here and now
I feel pushed to achieve greater achievements that I do not aspire to
I live in a world with other values

ISA:
MY SELF-PORTRAIT
I’m 7 years old,
I wear glasses and cant do gymnastics.
I’m 3 foot tall and I weigh too many pounds.
I’m in the first grade.
I’m spiritual and happy yet
completely un content about my life.
I am trapped and tried to scape.
My eyes are light blue and green altogether, and my hair is in the same position every day.

MY SECRET SELF-PORTRAIT
I feel challenged inside,
but I have peace, and always keep a smile
on my face.
I love to eat strawberries and chocolate.
I’m curious like a monkey and move fast as
a hummingbird.

CAR:
My Self Portrait
I am 51 years old but feel 25, 
Except for my glasses to see small words on a book and talk to everyone.
I am the shortest in my family and weigh more than I should. 
I am a student. 
I’m creative and energetic and can be weird sometimes. 
My eyes are green like my favorite color and my hair changes color all the time. 

My Secret Self Portrait
I feel full of joy and about to explode but I am also sometimes sad and insecure. 
I love my chewable vitamin Cs and carrot cake. 
I’m curious like a cat and merry like a Hiena. 

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Day 18 – Get Bored


“Daydream, imagine, and reflect. It’s the source of infinite creativity.” Deepak Chopra

A break from your phone, computer, all electronics.

  1. Don’t take your phone to a place you usually take it. (the bathroom, a walk, while eating).
  2. Allow yourself to get bored for a little. Create space for nothingness.
  3. Instead observe your surrounding. Do nothing.

Extra: Send me a quick not how it made you feel.

This exercise uses: Emergent Thinking

Emergent thinking is a natural process that comes as a result of rumination. It is the most common form of creativity you may be familiar with because it happens when you daydream. “AHA!” moments typically come from here.

Comments

AG: Today I did not take my phone or any reading material when I went to the bathroom. I wouldn’t say it was hard, but it was different. I decided to stay there as long as I stay when I do have my phone and it felt long.

Rosario:

 I usually do today’s challenge regularly. I like to stay without communication at home, for example, because I move forward with everything I have to do, without distraction.

When I go to Madrid by train I also try to put my mobile aside so that I can enjoy the landscape, nature, which I love and gives me peace.

When I’m with people around eating or drinking something, I also leave it. Sometimes it is difficult but the important thing is to achieve it and really enjoy the moment.

When I forget it at home I never go back to look for it. In the end I feel that I am calmer without him.

Mon:

I’d been making time for about 20 mins of doing nothing until summertime rolled around. With the kids home I feel more pressure to be doing something all the time, I feel it’s harder to stop, I feel like I won’t get everything done (even though there’s actually not that much to do!!)

Every day this summer I’ve been waking up early to meditate, study for an exam I have to take, and write. Today I decided to change things up and spend the first hour of my day being really mindful. So I kept the meditation but refrained from multi tasking and paid attention while drinking coffee, eating breakfast, etc. What I found is that pockets of time opened up later in the day and that my study time was much more successful. I was also more open to spontaneity and let the day lead me, instead of me forcing everything to happen and then just feeling drained. I will attempt to take this attitude with me throughout the rest of the summer!
So, a couple more things clicked:
1- only by making space for nothing can I really follow my intuition, the little voice I hear but don’t always listen to because I’m too busy following self-imposed routines that lead me nowhere except to exhaustion
2- had an aha! moment about how to structure and move forward with my book, thanks to this attitude of nothingness I welcomed today 🙂

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Day 16 Upside Down World

Day 16

““We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

  1. Find a piece of paper and a pencil or pen.
  2. Look at yourself in the mirror
  3. Set your 5 minute timer
  4. Draw a detailed portrait of your face- upside down.
  5. If possible, use a photo you can flip upside down as reference.
  6. Note the areas of struggle to draw most and why the change in perspective make them difficult to draw.

If you are at the beach- draw it in the sand.

Extra points: Share your drawing with me. IG, DM or unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

When we flip things upside down, our brains have to struggle to spot the features we are used to seeing. Viewing familiar things from a new perspective (like being upside down) is an effective way to help you notice all the details you usually take for granted.

Comments

MON:

What would happen if everyone wore the same clothes?

There would be less shopping, fewer stores, less waste. There might be more space to plant trees. We might all start to look beyond our material personas and start to notice basic shapes and colors, like each other’s pupils. We might begin to connect with each other more, or we might become more creative with other body parts, like our hair. A certain kind or color or hairstyle may suddenly be the defining factor between you and the next person. 

Our minds might be more clear. What would happen if we never had to think about what shirt or skirt or dress to wear? What would happen if we collectively released all clothing-related thoughts and decided to concentrate our attention on something wild, like love? What if we chose to express ourselves through art, using our words and hands and song? 

Or, we might all just get really bored. We may decide to give up clothing all together and go back to being naked. We may start to appreciate what God gave us, stop covering ourselves up and feel shame, start to notice our individuality, our sameness, our beauty.

CECI:

What would happen if there was no gravity?

Without gravity, everything that stands on this Earth would go floating into space, humans, animals, stones, water, etc. Furthermore, the Earth itself could not exist as a planet, nor have an atmosphere.

Grateful to have the pull of gravity 

JESS: What would happen if…
…everybody wore the same clothes.

Andar desnudar seria la única opción para mostrar  algo diferente 
…everybody over 20 could fly,  caminar o nadar seria lo más cool
…all the trees in the world had no leaves. Seria el día más triste de la humanidad 
…no one ever cleaned their house.las casas se parecerían al océano hoy
…all the cars disappeared. Podriamos btrletransportarnos holograficamente a donde quisiéramos con dolo cerrar los ojos
…there was no gravity.llevaría de abajo hacia arriba 

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Day 15 What would happen if…

Day 15
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” – Maya Angelou

Answer any or all of these questions today.

What would happen if…
…everybody wore the same clothes.
…everybody over 20 could fly
…all the trees in the world had no leaves.
…no one ever cleaned their house.
…all the cars disappeared.
…there was no gravity.

Extra Points: Choose one and send me your thoughts….
IG, DM or to unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

Comments

CECI:

What would happen if there was no gravity?

Without gravity, everything that stands on this Earth would go floating into space, humans, animals, stones, water, etc. Furthermore, the Earth itself could not exist as a planet, nor have an atmosphere.

Grateful to have the pull of gravity 

LAU: If everyone wore the same clothes it would be like taking the color out of the world.

if the over 20’s could fly it would be an injustice to the top 20’s.

if the trees had no leaves it would be a permanent winter.

if we never cleaned the houses it would be as if the Diogenes syndrome had taken over the world and a liberation for women.

If all the cars disappeared, the health of the planet and the living things that live on it would improve and the next evolutionary step would be teleportation or the appearance of wings.

if there were no gravity it would be like living in an amusement park.

REBECCA:

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Day 13 – Random Interactions

Day 13
“Fear is not a problem; allowing yourself to be consumed by it is.” Patricia Ryan Madson

Today…. Talk to a stranger.

Connections with human beings make us more creative, believe it or not.

During the day find a person you know little about or even a stranger that you can interact with, someone on the bus, grocery, taxi driver, old lady crossing the street.

Have eye contact
Say Hello.
Introduce yourself
Ask them an open ended question.

Some suggestions of open ended questions:
What has been your favorite part of today?
What is something that makes you happy?
What makes you laugh out loud?
What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?

Extra points: Share your experience.

Happy Sunday!

Comments

CECI: We are in Sardinia on holidays this week. A handful of salespeople walk the beach selling different things such as hats, sarongs, accessories, coconut water, etc.

Today, I met Dani, a man from Pakistan who sells bracelets along the beach. 

I bought two bracelets for my twins and asked him about his life, after telling him a bit about myself first. Otherwise, it could feel like an interrogatory rather than a genuine conversation.

He told me that he migrated to Italy from Pakistan with his family. He has 2 daughters and his dream is to get his paperwork sorted to move to the UK where he could give his kids a better education.  I wished him good luck and he gave me a bracelet as a present for “being nice”.

Carolina, being Latin-American you know I would have had this exchange anyways, because we easily talk about our family life with strangers, and don’t struggle much starting this kind of random interactions 

Like this, I also learned about Gonzalo, a vet from Argentina who is working as a waiter this summer to make some money
 before going to Barcelona to be part of a research project on  cancer (on animals). His sister leaves there, had a baby, etc etc.

JP: I went to get a pedicure and the person next to me was very smily and I saw she was reading a book in English so although I’m in Madrid I started to talk to her in English. She lives in a residencia next door which is for NYU students, she is doing her PHD and working on her dissertation and they sent her to Madrid for a month. She is a teacher at the new school in NY and a philosophy grad. I asked her what she liked so far about Madrid and it was interesting she said a) everything is soooo cheap, I love that I can fly anywhere with a few hours, the light oh the daylight!
Talking to strangers is something I loved to do in NY and I did it much less here but I have been getting back in the habit, I love the scary first seconds and then the humanity and I was in it !
Thanks for this special treat!

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Day 12 Never Have I Ever…

Day 12
“I’ve learned so much from my mistakes, I’m thinking of making a few more.” Anonymous

  1. Come up with at least 20 things you’ve never done before, that you’ve never really thought about doing.

This is not your bucket list (things you want to do before you die).

It’s an opportunity to think of things you have never considered but would be nice to do…….kitesurfing, becoming president, visiting Iceland – whatever you can think of.

Extra points: Send your list to IG, DM or unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

Don’t forget to put your timer for 5 minutes! Happy Saturday!

Comments

LAU:

visit iran

learn japanese or german

climb the Himalayas

take a journey through the desert

learn to play the guitar

take a trip on a catamaran

read Ulysses by James Joyce

do paragliding

JP: Jumping out of a plane
Going to the South Pole
Spending a month traveling alone around the US
Being ambassador
Learning to sail
Being a step mom
Living in an ashram for a while
Going on a silent retreat
Writing a book
Sitting with the oldest person of a village and hearing their stories
YouTuber for good
Teaching life skills

Tough creative task! To think opposite bucket list pero still apetecible;)

ISA: Direct an Orquestra
Fly to the moon
Go out of space
Climb beyond 5,000mts
Eaten jellyfish
Drive a boat on my own
Mount a Bufalo
Feed a lion
Make a pond
Paint a car
Plant a coconut tree
Hold a live hyena
Play fagot
Sing an opera at the theater
Go underwater for more than a minute
Play with fire until burned completely
Spend the whole day looking at the phone
Become a clown
Create an app
Register as candidate for elections

MON: Go deep sea diving
Travel to China
Take a skateboarding class
Paint a huge painting and hang it in my living room
Become part of a traveling circus
Learn to cha cha
Become a professional photographer
Mow the lawn
Interview a celebrity
Go sky diving
Go to an escape room
Live without electricity for a week
Live in silence for a week
Tell everyone the truth for a day
A yes day, only for me
Jump off the roof of my house
Befriend someone I find annoying
Go on a moon fast
Visit Canada
Go pole dancing

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Day 11- Looking through Windows

“I discovered windows one afternoon and after that, nothing was ever the same.”
Anne Spollen

Today, during the day, notice all the windows that you come across. In your home, on your way to work, anywhere, all types of windows.

  1. Observe, what is happening in the windows.
  2. How does it make you feel?
  3. What is the story behind each window.
  4. Choose one window and finish these sentences:
    I think….
    I wish….
    I wonder…..

Extra points: Send me a photo of the window with your answers. DM, IG or email unpackyourcreativity@gmail.com

Comments

I think about the rush to move and to always do something

I wish I could stop thinking too much

I wonder if the overwhelming stream of thoughts is a curse or blessing

think about the holiday feelings and the sense of relaxation

I wish I could travel more freely

I wonder if I am missing out by being in London over summer…

Im a huge window watcher, every day I take time in the morning to open the windows in my house and also close them again at night. I meditate in front of two big windows in my office too and I am constantly seeing nature through the windows. Took this picture of the almost full moon out of my favorite window in the house, with the purple flowers, and felt very connected to it. As usual the camera doesn’t do the moon any justice 🙂

As someone who has lived all over , nowhere and everywhere can be home, as my mom
Says, home is where the heart is and I leave behind part of my heart today.

I think I’m going home
I wish I could stay here where it feels like home
I wonder if I will ever know where home is

MAR:

I think that plants sleep in winter, they sleep long and restful dreams so that when spring comes they have the audacity to spread out and grow.

I wish you have beautiful dreams of arms raised, of infinite seeds and of a splendid green.

I wonder if we can ever tell each other our dreams and our longings. I love plants and they love me

My window says I look amazing yet I think I am not ready to show. And very different from the rest.

It appears there is so much going inside, it may feel safer and Free staying closed.

I wish this window could understand the impact to the rest of us if it opens and shares what’s inside.

I wonder if it simply can’t or just don’t want to. Maybe it isn’t ready?

MAR:

I think that plants sleep in winter, they sleep long and restful dreams so that when spring comes they have the audacity to spread out and grow.

I wish you have beautiful dreams of arms raised, of infinite seeds and of a splendid green.

I wonder if we can ever tell each other our dreams and our longings. I love plants and they love me