Found your post through Marissa Bracke and really enjoyed.

I tend to compartmentalize “creativitity” and “resourcefulness,” because they stem from different places in my brain, but with a little attenttion it’s relatively easy to see how they intertwine and support each other. And I often talk about needing “creative leaps” in my problem solving, yet even using the word doesn’t even let me give myself credit for the process.

I also feel sometimes that we elevate the creative process into realms that we feel -as mere mortals – cannot be reached without something inhuman, be it talent, vision, or suffering. The concept of the starving artist, the despondent writer. We put creativity on a pedestal (so that we can feel elevated if/when we reach it?) that leads to a pursuit of an angst that we feel we cannot be special without. So I truly appreciate the observation of creation in the modest and the everyday.

We don’t need angst to be special if we can see how powerful we are at creating on a daily basis.

Thank you for your post.
.-= Lori´s last post…I need a Mild-Mannered Alter-Ego, Too. =-.

Hi Lance: Thank you for sharing your very interesting story about the soccer team you are coaching. I think it’s awesome that you focus more on fun than the end result. I think that’s not only creative, but smart and I think it’s great for the kids, too, because they can hopefully take that approach to other areas of their life. Lance, I know you’re a great coach. My best friend has coached little league baseball and he frequently fills me in on his challenges, which are numerous. Thank you for sharing your creative example and I wish your team luck (and lots of fun) this weekend!

As I think about your question – I think about the soccer team I’m coaching – and our practice that just started up a couple of days ago. We are a real mix of players – with skill levels all over the board. We are also a recreational team. And some of the team we will play, I know will be much more skilled than we are. So – I focus our team around fun. Because the truth is – we won’t win a lot of games this spring (just like we didn’t in the fall). And the thing is – even though I know many of the kids also know that we’ll not win a lot of games (and that is just very much a simple fact…nothing more….) – we will go into all the games with an attitude that we can win. More than that, though, we focus very much around “fun”. And I think it really shows in how enthusiastic everyone is at practice and during the games. And – the creative shift is how “fun” can be just as powerful for us as a win can be. (and in fact, it sometimes feels like we win even when we have a lower score at the end of the game….because we have had fun out there…)

Tim, thanks for sharing this! It has brightened my day very much!
.-= Lance´s last post…There Are No Little Things =-.

I loved this post on so many levels.

First, the stacked Crayons bring so much color to the page! Bravo, matey.

Second, I love the vignettes of the people’s creative stories (but you already know that).

Third, highlighting everyday creative examples as ways to be creative — as opposed to what we normally think of as creative pursuits really struck me. Very cool!

Finally, about your questions — the first thing that comes to mind is actually with my post I just pushed live today. I wanted to write a ‘creative’ story about something in particular, but it just wasn’t coming together. But, what was really burning my mind was all the things I’ve been through dealing with something that’s been front-and-center in my life.

So, I took a chance and wrote about something I normally wouldn’t write about. I’m not sure if that’d qualify as being creative, but maybe it was. I wrote about something different, and out of my normal ‘routine’, I suppose.

Again, great post, Tim. Thanks for the questions and post. It’s a great way to usher in the weekend!

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