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Category: Creativity

Published March 31, 2020

The Truth About Our Creative Passion

Yesterday I posted an article on LinkedIn about 4 titles you need to read while in quarantine. One of the books on the list is Todd Henry’s Die Empty

You can read my thoughts on the book here.

One of the topics Henry talks about is the idea of our passion and what in reality it looks like in our lives:

“’Passion’” has its roots in the Latin word pati, which means “to suffer or endure.” Therefore, at the root of passion is suffering. This is a far cry from the way we casually toss around the word in our day-to-day conversations. Instead of asking ‘What would bring me enjoyment?’ which is how many people think about following their passion, we should instead ask ‘What work am I willing to suffer for today?’ Great work requires suffering for something beyond yourself. It’s created when you bend your life around a mission and spend yourself on something you deem worthy of your best effort. What is your worthwhile cause?”

I’m currently in the process of writing my first book. For as much excitement and anticipation I have, the actual writing part is a grind. The intentional focus and discipline needed are not for the faint of heart.

We walk away from Henry’s description understanding why so many people start but never finish. Our internal fortitude needs to be ready for the daily grind our passions lead us to.

Write this down somewhere you can read it every day: Falling in love with your passion is falling in love with the pain of hard work.

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Published March 28, 2020

The Innovation We Need Now

I always loved the Dyson vacuum commercials growing up.

They changed the game on how cleaning your home should be, focusing on making it more intuitive to how we move and where we actually need to clean.

It was innovative. They set themselves apart from their competitors with their design and high price point. They knew their market and never shifted from it.

Today, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve switched gears to provide help in light of the shortage in medical equipment.

In just 10 days Dyson has designed a unique ventilator specifically for COVID-19 patients. Here are the details from Inc.com:

“According to a letter from the company’s founder to its employees, James Dyson says the company’s goal was “to design and build an entirely new ventilator, The CoVent. This new device can be manufactured quickly, efficiently, and at volume. It is designed to address the specific clinical needs of Covid-19 patients, and it is suited to a variety of clinical settings.“

“Working with The Technology Partnership, the company says it is working on how to quickly produce the ventilators once they are approved by the U.K. government. Dyson also says it will donate an additional 5,000 units to different countries. Those ventilators will come in handy in places that are quickly running out of beds. It’s not an exaggeration to say that this is a life and death effort, as hospitals have become crowded with Covid-19 patients.“

Dyson has caught on to what real innovation looks like. They saw a need and utilized their creative genius to create not just a cool product, but one that can save thousands of lives. And can be produced quickly!

It can be a piece of equipment that can save lives. Updating supply chains to get vital supplies to the most vulnerable. Improving communication technology to expedite the flow of critical health information.

Real innovation focuses on the human needs of the moment. Because what’s more important than the ‘quality of life’ of those around us.

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Published March 22, 2020

Creative Connecting

A few days ago I wrote about thanking the individual unique content creators around the web for keep us entertained during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Social media has always been a hub for actors, filmmakers, musicians, speakers and comedians to make their mark and share their gifts with the world. Gifts often rejected by large production companies or taken for granted by those closest to them.

But in light of recent events, creativity of online content is evolving. Maybe even maturing.

The global social distancing directive has opened doors for more creative connecting between us. We’ve gone from merely consuming content to now using it as a means to connect with each other in a deeper way online.

Yes connecting over social media content is nothing new, but the spirit in which we are connecting is new found territory.

Just tagging each other on content to consume has been replaced by daring or in-listing each other to participate in different quarantine challenges.

Women have been challenging other women to post headshots of themselves representing strength, beauty and resilience. Not surprisingly Men have regulated each other to the more primal endeavour of a ‘Push Up Challenge’.

Having multiple gigs canceled, musicians have come together to challenge each other to cover their songs through online posts. And of course teenagers have come up with some unique challenge that only their generation would understand.

Through all of this there’s a sense of beauty to what’s actually happening online. Social media has finally become the place to truly be social. We are posting less about what we have or what we’ve accomplished. Connecting relationally has become our priority.

The Coronavirus has pushed our humanity into reset mode. We just might find that the world ahead of us might be better than the one we leave behind.

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Published March 17, 2020

Thank You Content Creators

Let’s just take a moment to thank all the amazing, unique, independent content creators out there posting daily on social media for our enjoyment.

They’ve always been there but with COVID-19 isolation happening all over the globe, the laughs and enlightenment they bring during such a dark time is more than needed.

That’s the beauty of social media and mobile technology. Its like it was designed for times like this.

When we can’t connect physically, it’s keeping us connected.

When a door closes for us to use our creativity, we can unlock our phones and start making magic happen for an instant audience.

We’ve seen the shift in the last 15 years in content. From just merely observing to now participating and engaging.

As more and more of our entertainment gets regulated, creators will evolve to the next level of instant entertainment. NBA players have turned into content masters for their followers on Instagram. And it’s just the beginning.

So go and create. Make someone smile. Inspire. Comfort. Uplift. We need each other’s gifts more than ever today.

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Published March 15, 2020

Creative Outlets

Some of you right now are reading this in COVID-19 quarantine away from family, friends, and possibly work daily workspace.

Whatever the reason, this is the perfect opportunity to take up a creative outlet.

Creative outlets provide a space to decompress from what could have been a busy day, a stressful week, or currently, a much needed distraction from the global coronavirus crisis.

Create outlets allow you to develop a cycle of contentment and happiness with your daily issues instead of what it could otherwise potentially be.

I encourage you to find that outlet where you can express yourself in a creative way. Writing, cooking, teaching, mentoring, even philanthropy. Try different areas and see what sticks.

There’s no one way of doing it and there’s no limit to the amount of creative outlets you can participate in. It might be a bit of a life adjustment to get started, but when you give yourself fully to any number of creative outlets you choose, the long term benefits will be worth it.

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Published March 14, 2020

Your Creative Stimulus

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian government has pledged a 10 billion dollar stimulus package to help the slumping economy.

Agree with it or not, this is the means Parliament uses to have the economy flow in dire times.

Writer’s block? Creative block? How do you overcome it? What’s your creative stimulus?

Sometimes the doing isn’t actually creating the thing. Its the reading. The watching. The listening.

When no creative juices are flowing, it’s okay to stop, turn on Netflix, and chill.

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