CHALLENGE 1 | DAY 16 | 30 day challenges and learn to blog

19 january '14


If I want a good blog, I need to....

1. be clear on the subject
My subject is lifestyle design. Asking big questions and provoke people taking matter in to their own hands. I'm showing this by taking my own matter in my own two hands! Showing the world what you can do whit just 30 hours, spend focused, in a month on a special subject. Learning by trying. Trying to fail.

2. be authentic
This is me. Me is positive, hard working, realistic dreamer, game changer, life enthusiast, time manager, human being.
I need stimuli! I need inspiration! The world is full of inspiration and stimuli. This is me getting as much as I can out of this world.

3. try to write distinct, self explanatory, explicit
Learning by doing. For a dutch guy with no experience in language, this is very difficult. Especcially the sentence structure is hard.

How do you do it?

CHALLENGE 2 | DAY 14 | All about creativity

16 january '14

Lateral thinking, step by step creativity explained, part 2

Vertical thinking is all about rightness
Lateral thinking is all about richness

Vertical thinking selects a pathway by excluding other pathways
Lateral thinking does not select but seeks to open up new pathways

Vertical thinking selects the most promising approach
Lateral thinking generates as many alternative approaches as possible

Vertical thinking looks through approaches for the most promising one
Lateral thinking finds a promising one and keeps generating and keeps looking for more

Vertical thinking only moves when there is a direction to move to
Lateral thinking moves in order to generate direction

Vertical thinking is analytical
Lateral thinking is provocative

Vertical thinking is sequential
Lateral thinking can move in jumps

Vertical thinking follows the most likely path
Lateral thinking explores the least likely ones

Vertical thinking is finite
Lateral thinking is probabilistic

The vertical thinker says: I know what I'm looking for
The lateral thinker says: I'm looking, but i won't know what I'm looking for until I have found it



A small note about todays workshops

Teacher? You look exactly like Obi wan Kenobi of the Star Wars.

If I want to know about fantasy, I observe kids. If I want to be inspired, I converse with kids. If I want to be creative I listen to kids. 

CHALLENGE 2 | DAY 11 | All about creativity

13 january '14

How to capture your creativity

First note
Our creative potential is virtually shut don by early schooling. When there is no time for fun, eventually creativity will vanish.

Second note
The myths about creativity keeps us shore bound.

- With the right skills you can boost your creativity by a factor 10 or more.
- Creativity is an extension of what you already know
- New behavior and ideas emerge as old behaviors interact
- Behavior flows and it never stops changing
- Creativity is always an individual process
- Groups are better at selecting good ideas than at generating them.

4 techniques for a creative boost

1. Capturing
- Pay attention to new ideas that occur
- When an idea or thought flows in your mind, write it down
- Three B's for places, which are popular, to capture ideas. The Bed, Bath and Bus

2. Challenging
- Put yourself in difficult situations
- Go for open ended problem solving. As many as possible solutions
- Try to solve "Ultimate Problems"
a. You have 24 hours to create world peace
b. One year to stop pollution and prevent future pollution 
c. Stop the process of aging
- Failure is a great wellspring of creativity

3. Broadening
- Train often
- Train diverse
- Take courses in subjects you know nothing about

4. Surrounding
- Surround yourself by diverse and ever changing stimuli

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200910/capturing-creativity

CHALLENGE 2 | DAY 10 | All about creativity

12 january '14

Challenge yourself, know your space and die empty.

I started the session with a video. The video of +Todd Henry. Coincidence? Luck? I don't think so. Nothing happens without reason. An interesting video especially when he started to talk about "Unnecessary Creating". After that line I listened very intrigued and careful. 

It gives goose bumps to hear, see and notice this video. This moment at this time. This moment of doing challenges, planned everything ahead. And then hear someone on the other side of the world talking about the things I'm doing now. Without any knowledge at the start. 

Creativity as a challenge subject. Why the first subject? All questions that come to mind now! I don't know why, just a feeling. Coincidence? Hmmm.....

Question: What's the most valuable land in the whole world? 

Answer: The graveyard, because of all the unchallenged ideas, unwritten books, business ideas which stayed just an idea.

And +Todd Henry decided to write two simple words on his wall after hearing this.

DIE EMTY

Thank you +Todd Henry. I'm looking forward to meet you some day. 

Anybody who wants to know what I mean because you've been reading this blog? Just check the video below.