Note: High summer seems an ideal time to hang low, retreat from the bright spotlight, and practice the art of Productive Loafing. Productive Loafing is the intentional act of retreating from “doing” and from public engagement. It can come in many forms as this series of articles will show. While “hanging low” during high summer, I’m posting ideas…
Note: As I hang low in high summer (working a little more behind-the-scenes), I’m printing and re-printing pieces this month in The Art of Productive Loafing series. Here’s an archived piece I think you’ll appreciate. Archived: The Secret Stance to Create What Matters 1. To Stand & Stare What is this life if, full of…
Note: High summer seems an ideal time to hang low, retreat from the bright spotlight, and practice the art of Productive Loafing. Productive Loafing is the intentional act of retreating from “doing” and from public engagement. It can come in many forms as this series of articles will show. While “hanging low” during high summer, I’m posting ideas…
We often hear about the importance of play when it comes to creating new things and ideas. John Cleese says, “If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.” But what about creating a new life? A whole new way of viewing yourself and of acting in the world? Where does play come…
1. Artists Do Not Make Art Here’s a paradox I witness every week: On one hand, artists and authors feel that business is alien to them, and on the other hand, business people feel that making meaningful art is alien to them. I meet, talk, and work with such creative people and business people every…
Why don’t we create as much as we want? What’s the one thing that keeps most Americans from being able to create? If you look at the results from the research firm StrategyOne, you will get one part of the story. The firm surveyed 5,000 adults – 1,000 each in the United States, Germany, the United…
The Courage to Create When Rollo May was a boy, his mother often left him alone with his schizophrenic sister. He learned early to empathize with those who view reality differently, and he learned early how to fend for himself. He went on to pursue studies in English, psychotherapy, and even ministry. In the post-World…
The piece on The Apprenticeship Gap prompted lots of thoughtful discussion about amateurs, apprentices, artists, masters, and mentors. I also recently corresponded with my friend Tara Mohr, whose work I admire, about the topic. She’s helping me think in new ways about apprenticeship and expertise. Chalk one up for conversation. Check out her piece “Understanding How to…
In 2005, where was wonder, this emotional state at the core of creativity, story, innovation, and wisdom? Newly divorced and fresh off a book tour, I hovered that year in a precarious in-between state. So what did I do? I started quietly but deliberately tracking wonder. I thought I would find it chiefly among poets and…
Time & wonder are partners at this blog and in our Outpost Shoppe. In fact, the Mind Rooms Guide came out of my own experience coupled with my research into time, creative minds, and wonder. As the video below explains, a new study shows how awe – wonder’s more reverent and exalted cousin – affects people’s…
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