Written by: Lisa David Olson, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Read only if you are ready for new ideas about finding new ideas. Remember the 64-count box of new crayons, the one with the fancy sharpener built into the back? It’s been said the sense of smell is our strongest connection to memories. I can recall the scent and the thrill of the possibility of what I might create with the brand new, not yet broken, colorful sticks of potential.
We set timers and fill our calendars with meetings and calls and zooms. Have you ever set the timer or made a date with yourself to explore and play? I heard you say “No” so I’ll share what that might look like and why it’s as important as the appointments that make money or keep your business running.
Making time to be creative is a wonderful way to scrub your brain. You can release stuck thoughts and make room for fresh ideas.
There are times we need to stop pushing hard to finish a project and instead take a break, step back and try something new! With so many wonderful videos on YouTube, we can all be faux experts at almost anything.
I once stopped editing a podcast episode (gasp!) and went outside to lie in the grass with my dog, Munch. We found it fascinating to watch cricket (or is it grasshopper?) climb to the top of a blade of grass, wobble in the wind, and then leap about a foot when Munch went near for a sniff. The dog jumped back and I laughed at the sight. While this example is probably not how penicillin was discovered, it is a way I was able to reset my energy and my mood.
Taking micro-breaks from tasks or projects is a healthy way to re-engage when we return to them. It’s of paramount value to check in with our playful side. You don’t have to learn how to juggle bowling balls or walk on stilts (honestly, now I want to learn how to do both), but what tiny thing could you do right now to instill the other side of your thoughts? Original ideas are already inside of you, and like getting your buddy to come out to ride bikes, all that’s needed is the invitation.
Some of my best thoughts occur when I’m in the shower. I’m certain it’s because I’m away from computer or phone screens. Water is soothing and my mind is free to roam. Also, making fun hairstyles with shampoo and singing into the back scrubber is exhilarating. My other favorite brain playground is in my yard, weeding the flower beds. I call it Dirt Meditation. My guard is down, and my thoughts can float around like the butterflies who try to visit each blossom.
My background is in writing and performing comedy sketch shows, speaking, and all things improvisation. I’m so fortunate to have found improvisation at a time in my life when I was desperate for something – anything – that would help steer my thoughts into a shiny new direction. I was brave enough to audition with a group of people I had yet to know. They became family to me because I chose to explore and play. Two decades later, they are still my people.
An article I read in Brainz outlines the importance of connecting with our partners. It is a fantastic submission by Shauna Harris; https://www.brainzmagazine.com/post/looking-to-improve-your-relationship Harris writes, “Just like a garden needs water, nutrients, and sunshine, your relationship needs nurturing too.” The sentiment was written about tending to each other in a couple-ship, yet I think it easily transposes to how we are nurturing ourselves as well. This goes beyond the healthy eating and exercise that we are consistently bombarded with in the media.
Grab your favorite crayon, and it’s quiz time. Which of the following is true:
To be better for our kids, we need to explore and play.
To be better for our partners, we need to explore and play.
To be better for friends, we need to explore and play.
To be better for our coworkers, we need to explore and play.
To be better for our projects, we need to explore and play.
To be better for our potential clients, we need to explore and play.
To be better for our careers, we need to explore and play.
To be better for ourselves, we need to explore and play.
Bonus points if you said, “all of ‘em”. This makes you a winner and you can have pancakes for dinner and pizza for breakfast. Being creative doesn’t just happen. We must look for opportunities and realize when it is right in front of us. Ever boogie to the music in the cereal aisle at the grocery store? (I have.).
An article in Gottman Institute reminds us, “As you engage in new experiences or forms of dance as a couple, it gives you abundant opportunities to play and explore with a sense of wonder.” https://www.gottman.com/blog/choose-partner-can-playful/ I want to permit you (not that you needed permission) to dance when you feel it. Not just when you have a partner at your side. Explore movement and a joyful fluidity of feeling the music move you. Find the beat or create your own, but never pass up the chance to dance, even in the cereal aisle.
If you have an idea, write it down. Never believe the fable that “I’ll remember that”. Because four scrolls and a traffic light later we don’t even remember what we needed from the store. I record into my phone if I’m on the road. I have a list of ideas and not all of them make sense, which later makes me laugh. Sometimes this list will create a new thought when you place two random things together. Think of the chocolate and peanut butter candy bars! That is a delicious example of ‘why not’ type thinking! I keep paper and pen beside my bed to write the ideas that hit me when I’m trying to drift off or as I awake. That beautiful “in-between” time is the superb and deep thoughts we don’t want to lose.
Fusing thoughts that aren’t normally put together is how unique ideas are born! I love to play this – ask someone for an adjective and ask another person for a noun. Then you tell them you’ve all just named a new rock band. I’m sure Tattered Casserole will be a great concert. It’s not just silly fun; games of word association keep us sharp, while shared laughter connects us in the moment and into the next interaction.
The next time you are stuck with a blank page that needs to have some words added to it, or your kids are bored, or you need a solution to a problem that you haven’t yet resolved, be brave enough to take a creative break. Go explore, change where you are sitting, play on the floor or turn on the music. Find an idea that is removed from your problem. Entertain anything else and be ready. Fresh thoughts await you.
Lisa David Olson, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Lisa David Olson is a humorist speaker, author, podcaster, and performer who shares how humor saved her life. Her interactive style and improve-for-real-life flair demonstrate how humor is a genuine connector. Olson’s two decades of improvisation and performing are pivotal to coaching workplace teams or play-shops for adults.
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