Worth Repeating: Thinking Outside the Box

 I'd like to demonstrate the concept of thinking creatively using this box.  The only problems were that this box was too small for me to sit in and contemplate creative thinking.  The box was too big to fit on my head so it sort of floated around when I tried to use it to think.  The box was too fragile to hold my weight if I sat on it.  So, it was time to think outside of the box, literally. I put the box down on the floor, an I sat next to it.  Creative solution?  Yes, because I realized I could put in some of the smaller items I was taking to  the thrift store.  They were more fragile and needed some protection.  Creativity in action.

I define creativity as the flow of ideas and actions that happens when trying to solve problems or develop new concepts.  Usually in the arts, these two ideas are one in the same.  Innovation comes from creativity.  Creativity flows outside of the box.  Sometimes it bounces inside the box and out again.  Sometimes the flow of new ideas or ways of doing things circles the box and never goes inside that box. Sometimes the creative flow takes the old ideas and meshes them together to see the problem in a new way.  Wouldn't it have been fun if I could have developed a way to sit on the box and have it on top of my head at the same time?

Creative ideas lead to action.  Actions lead to innovation.  Then the cycle begins again, and it doesn't matter what you do.  You might not make glass beads, but you love to cook.  Do you always follow the recipe or do you add your own touches to your family's favorite dish?  Do you play golf?  You have to develop certain skills in this game, but creativity flows when you have to decide where and how hard to hit that ball so that you can  get that ball in the hole with the fewest strokes.    Getting dressed each day can be a creative challenge for a 4 year old.  Look at some of the wonderful outfits a child can find in their closets and drawers.

See?  Creativity is everywhere.  The best thing is that everyone is creative.  Most of the time, we just don't recognize our gift.  Every time you solve a problem.  Every time you make a change in what you do or how you see life.  This is creativity.  Now go sit next to that box.  Let the creativity flow.