A Little Trick To Read More Books
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more
that you learn, the more places you’ll go"
- Dr. SuessEarlier this week one of my most creative pals revealed to me how she conquered a recent artistic slump. How'd she do it you ask?
10 pages a day.
That's it.
"I used my busy life as an excuse to stop reading," she told me "but I never felt more creatively alive than when I was racing through books. Reading is fuel for the imagination. It makes me feel smarter. More interesting. It gets me out of slumps!"
And while 10 pages a day doesn't seem like much, it is 70 pages a week. And 70 pages a week is one (short) book a month and 12 in a year.
But here's the best part. Often when you set out to read only 10 pages, you end up reading more. So those 12 books just became 15. Or 20. Or more.
No matter if we're tired, grumpy, stressed-out or in a major need of a Netflix binge, we can make time for 10 pages a day.
For those of you who want to push it, consider this: Warren Buffett read 6 hours a day. Elon Musk brags 10 hours. But for the rest of us? 10 pages between dinner with friends and 3 hours of Netflix is probably just right.
A little holiday pick-me-upMary Katherine Backstrom was leaving a store when she saw a kind-hearted man cleaning her windshield. Or at least that's what she thought. Whether or not you believe in the "magic of the holiday spirit" watch the video below. Seriously. We bet it will be the funniest thing you've seen in all of 2019!
Be Your Weird Self
"Weird is a side-effect of awesome."
- unknown
"The most important piece of advice I can give you on the path to happiness is stop being yourself... and start being your weird self."
So says entrepreneur and angel investor Chris Sacca in a commencement address to graduates of the University of Minnesota.
"It takes too much energy to be anything but your weird self," Sacca continues. "We spend too much of our lives trying to live up to the expectations of others. We buy things we don’t really want with money we don’t really have, to impress people we don’t really care about. Forget that. Forget what other people think. Everyone is weird. Admit it. We each have our quirks. Celebrate those. Be goofy. Tell corny jokes. Dance awkwardly. Express your half-baked thoughts. And laugh about your failures."
And what does a venture capitalist who invested in early-stage tech companies such as Twitter, Uber, Instagram, and Kickstarter say is the secret to success?
"Quite simply, success is happiness. It all comes down to happiness.
Happiness is success because happy people get jobs.
Happy people create.
Happy people win.
Happy people fall in love and raise families.
Happy people lead and change the world.
Happy people get what they want because often happy people are the ones who realize they don’t actually need much more than they already have and they appreciate what they’ve got."
And happiness and weirdness go hand-in-hand. Weirdness is what we adore most in our friends. It's what bonds us to our colleagues. It's sets us apart and makes us interesting. It's how we make an impact. Weirdness lies in the heart of happiness... or maybe it's the other way around. But either way, there's no better time to start being happy. And no better time to start being your weird self.
Start Today
“A year from now you'll wish you had started today"
-Karen Lamb
As creative people working in creative spaces we've always got something that needs starting. Whether it's a side-hustle, a life-changing business idea or a looming end-of-day deadline, we almost always have a voice inside our heads whispering "start now". But where to begin? And more importantly, when to begin?
In a poetic and thoughtful rumination, blogger Josh Spector asks the question "what happens if you start today?" His answers are insightful, inspiring and worth sharing in their entirety.
You’ve got a thing and you know it.
A thing you want to do. Or need to do. Or are scared to do.
A thing which could change everything.
But you can’t get yourself to start it.
You’ve got your reasons.
Fear of failure. Fear of success. Laziness. Uncertainty. Time.
Let’s shove all that aside for a second.
Pretend none of it matters. Or exists.
(It probably doesn’t have to.)
For a moment, let’s talk about what will happen if you start today.
A bunch of things.
Some good. Some bad. Some scary. Some surprising.
If you start today, you’ll feel good today.
The plunge is exhilarating.
When “someday” becomes today, we get a rush of accomplishment, possibility, and pride.
Doing feels good. Way better than thinking about doing.
If you start today, you’ll feel scared today.
Because the hypothetical is now real.
And when things become real, they become scary.
Until we start, we can’t fail.
But once we start…our failure becomes likely.
If you start today, you’ll start looking for reasons to quit today.
You won’t quit today, but you’ll start to consider it.
You’ll consider it when an element of what you started doesn’t turn out as you expected.
When a moment is harder than anticipated.
The quit in you will start to bubble up.
We all have it in us.
But that’s ok. Get used to it.
That urge to quit is going to be around for a while —welcome it.
It’s part of doing things.
If you start today, you’ll be the kind of person who does things.
That’s not a minor thing. It’s meaningful. Important. Revolutionary.
All the time you put off starting vanishes the moment you start.
Once you start, you’re a doer. You’re no longer a procrastinator or avoider.
Starting is a way to shed your skin.
To become somebody new.
You are what you do today.
Not what you did yesterday.
Not what you might do tomorrow.
If you start today, you won’t regret it.
Nobody ever says, “I wish I would have procrastinated longer.”
Nobody.
Ever.
If you start today, you give yourself a chance to succeed.
You have a zero percent chance of success before you start.
Planning, research, and preparation is meaningless unless you actually start.
The start makes success possible. It gets you in the game.
That’s a big deal. Don’t overlook it.
Celebrate it.
If you start today, you no longer have to wonder, “What if?”
Starters don’t have to live in hypotheticals.
Don’t have to wonder what they might be capable of.
Or how their life could change.
Or if something’s a good idea or not.
Because when you start, you get to find out.
And even if you don’t like what you discover, you’re still better off for having started.
Discovery has value. Certainty has value.
And starting enables both.
And when you remove the “What if?” from your life, you get an opportunity people who never start will never receive:
The chance to start again.
Use it.
BONUS: Free, Printable Motivational Poster
This one comes from the good folks at Recomendo. It's is an action plan to defeat procrastination. Check out and download your copy by clicking here.
What We Can Learn From Tom Hanks
“It doesn’t matter why you do nice things; all that matters is that you do them”.
-Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Everyday it seems there's another story of a celebrity wrapped in scandal or a news bulletin of a tragedy, but we seldom hear about those in the entertainment industry who are doing good for the community and who brighten others' day just by existing. This is one of those stories.
This week, Taffy Brodesser-Akner from the New York Times detailed the time she spent with Tom Hanks in the article “This Tom Hanks Story Will Help You Feel Less Bad”, and the results are unsurprising - he’s just as nice as you think he is. Here are just a few of the reasons why:
He's Kind
Throughout the article, Brodesser-Akner references stories from celebrities and colleagues of Tom Hanks about the times that he went out of his way to make someone's day brighter or to make a project better - not because he had to, but because he could. It's no wonder he was cast as the Everyday man Mr. Rogers who was known for his kindness. On Mr. Rogers, Hanks said he was “always talking to a single kid, a single person two feet on the other side of the camera screen. They said when you were talking to Fred, you felt as though you were the only person in the world that mattered to him" - and Hanks exemplified it seamlessly. On Hanks, Director Marielle Heller says “It’s something in the energy and the essence and behind the eyes that you feel the same way looking at him as you feel looking at Mister Rogers, and that was what was so important to me". Kindness goes a long way, and this article was certainly not short of the proof of it.
He’s Respectful and Humble
Brodesser-Akner was on her way to interview Hanks on his new movie premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, "It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood" when she noticed he had been sitting there waiting for her: "he was sitting on a bench in a hallway outside a conference room, making jokes to a group of publicists, waiting for me ahead of the appointed time. That does not really ever happen, an actor waiting for me ahead of the appointed time". It's easy when in the spotlight to get caught up in the fame and ego of it all, or to become impatient but despite a few Oscars and decades of fame, Hanks' respect for others and their work is unwavering: "I think that you could respect the whole process even when the other people don’t."
He’s One of a Kind
Believe it or not, Tom Hanks still takes the time to send thank you notes and personalized notes letting people know he enjoyed their work, and the craziest part? He writes them all on a typewriter! “Every machine is as individual as a set of fingerprints. So, every time you type something on a typewriter, it is a one-of-a-kind work of art” he tells Brodesser-Akner. His typewriter was among the first things he owned at the age of 19, as he was constantly moving from home to home as a child - and he’s collected them ever since. Currently he has about 120 typewriters in his collection, and is giving them away until he’s down to his last. “I told him I make too many mistakes to work on a typewriter. But Tom Hanks is more optimistic than I am.”
While there are endless takeaways, the last one we’ll leave you with is this “it doesn’t matter why you do nice things; all that matters is that you do them”.
On Being Humble
What Drake Can Teach Us About Humility
If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace,
because you know what you are.
- Mother Teresa
This past weekend in California, the popular music festival Camp Flog Gnaw saw performances from artists of the caliber of Brockhampton, 21 Savage, and Willow Smith with great success. However, what made the headlines was a controversial performance by Drake.
The crowd was less than thrilled to see the rapper perform as they were expecting another artist to make an appearance, and proceeded to "boo" Drake off the stage. He responded by asking if the crowd wanted him to continue or not, ultimately leading to him thanking them for the opportunity to perform and walking off stage. What's most surprising about the incident was Drake's response. While many other artists might have been upset and responded with anger or resentment, Drake chose humility.
"It's been love... thank you for having me" said Drake as he threw up a peace sign and walked off stage. Further, Drake commented on the performance saying it was a "moment of humility which is always welcomed... was just not my night".
In Catherine Winter's article How To Be Truly Humble, And Why It’s Worth It she encourages us to acknowledge that nobody is perfect, but it's how we address our shortcomings that make us who we are: "Acknowledging the fact that we are flawed beings allows us room to grow". She also emphasizes the importance of accepting others for what they are, as Drake does when he speaks directly to the audience asking for their permission to perform, and accepting the situation without pride or ego.
As Winter so humbly puts it, "be kind whenever the opportunity arises, and own your mistakes with acknowledgement and sincere apology. You may end up having a surprisingly positive effect on another person’s life, and that will ripple outwards and affect everyone else in their circle."
Why Humility Is Worth It (4 mins)
Impulse Art Exhibit
Over the past few weeks, Torontonians have taken advantage of a cool new art installation that encourages art and play titled Impulse. Located at Harbourfront centre in front of the Power Plant art gallery, the installation allows users to play on Seesaws that trigger lights and sounds allowing users to create music and art at the same time. The exhibit has had overwhelming success and has been full of people at all times.
The exhibit is only on until November 12th, but if you haven't had a chance to check it out, don't worry - another installation titled Loop will be popping up at York St Park in February of 2020
Impulse is a great reminder of how important it is to find time in our busy schedules to play, and just how far a little magic can go.
One Crazy Original
Do what you believe in. Paint a picture of the future. Go there.
People will follow.
- Seth Godin
Sometimes all you need to start a movement is to be 'one crazy original'.
It's been over a decade since Seth Godin published his book Tribes: We need you to lead us but the message remains relevant. To illustrate how movements are started click here and watch this guy who starts a dance party in less a minute.
As a refresher, here are a few important takeaways from Tribes:
1. “There is an explosion of new tools available to help lead the tribes you are forming.”
2. “All of it is worthless if you don’t decide to lead. You can’t have a tribe without a leader– and you can’t be a leader without a tribe.”
3. Anyone can lead. Your tribe doesn't need to be large.
4. Money shouldn't be the point of your movement.
5. “Changing the status quo gives you the opportunity to be remarkable.”
Consider a recent movement against the status quo of garish Halloween costumes. 'One crazy original' in Japan started the "Jimi Halloween" movement which celebrates mundane halloween costumes.
But can 'one crazy original' save the planet?
YouTube sensation MrBeast seems to think so. After hitting 20 million YouTube subscribers, he was urged by his fans to plant 20 million trees in celebration. Using many of the tactics laid out in "Tribes", Beast took up the challenge and planted 300 trees on day one. Knowing he'd need more help he called out to his subscribers and raised the number to 1700 on the 2nd day.
And thus begun the movement.
As of this writing, over 600 YouTubers have joined in. Elon Musk donated 1 million dollars (and even changed his Twitter name to Treelon Musk), Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey donated $150,000 and Norwegian DJ/ record producer Alan Walker gave $100,001.
And although money wasn't the motivator, it should be noted that MrBeast's subscription base grew from 20 million to over 30 million in a matter of days.
Having the guts to be 'one crazy original' certainly has its benefits.
On Finding Joy at Work
If you be happy, you'll pee happy
- Valerie Washington
We at Orange pride ourselves in fostering a happy environment where all feel welcome and at home. But can we learn about customer service from a restroom attendant in a North Carolina airport? Wow, can we ever!
Click here to see a sample of Valerie - the world's happiest restroom attendant
Here are a few thoughts about Valerie's approach to customer service:
She makes everyone feel like a VIP
From first glance to final flush, Valerie treats everyone like a star. She learns your name and uses it to greet you. She holds the door for you and helps you with your things. If you have a extra luggage she'll make sure you get the largest stall (or as she calls it "the penthouse").
She "makes her own sunshine"
Valerie tell us that sometimes people are grumpy. "They forget to stop and look around. That's where I come in" she says. "I remind people that sunshine on the inside makes sunshine on the outside. Ain’t nobody responsible for bringing you sunshine but you. You gotta make your own.”
She smiles at everybody.
According to Valerie, something as simple as a kind word or a warm smile can change a person's day. "You never know who might need a smile" she says, "that's why I smile at everybody."
She believes in spontaneous acts of kindness.
This could be the secret to Valerie's euphoria. Performing random acts of kindness has been shown to boost our mood, raise our self-image and increase our sense of gratitude. Just like Valerie says, "if you be happy, you'll pee happy".
Her positivity rubs off.
What I love most about Valerie's enthusiasm is not just how it affects her customers, but how it spreads to her co-worker's as well. Watch how a much more conservative employee creeps in near the end to promote his own work.
She's content with what she has.
When asked if she wants more out of life, Valerie responds like this: "why would I want more? People come in grumpy and I make them forget what they were grumpy about. I send thousands of smiles out into the world every day. What more would I want than that?"
Your Brain on Music
Music makes practically everybody fonder of life
than he or she would be without it.
- Kurt Vonnegut
It's no secret that listening to music makes you feel better but research has shows that it can also make you smarter, a more creative problem solver and scientifically happier over all.
"Music activates every area in the brain that we've so far mapped" says Daniel Levitin, author of "This is Your Brain on Music". "In fact there's no area of the brain that music doesn't touch."
So what exactly does music do to us?
Culture and tech writer Peter Rubin hopped in an MRI machine to find out. Without music his brain was relatively at rest, but when the melodies started playing, above-average activity appeared all over the image map.
Studying an instrument can take this even further. As few as 5 years of music training shows cognitive benefits, better decision making and even changes in the structure of the brain. Children who study music show stronger connections between the left and right hemispheres.
A study in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who listened to upbeat music could improve their moods and boost their happiness in just two weeks. Even passive listening (songs playing in the background) revealed positive effects.
“There are few things that stimulate the brain the way music does,” says one Johns Hopkins otolaryngologist. “If you want to keep your brain engaged throughout the aging process, listening to or playing music is a great tool. It provides a total brain workout.”
Test it out for yourself
According to a study by the Montreal Neurological Institute, the 5 songs below have been shown to trigger a dopamine release – and can subsequently increase your happiness.
1. "Clair de Lune" -- Debussy
2. "Adagio for Strings" -- Barber
3. "Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor -- Beethoven
4. "First Breath After Coma" -- Expolsions in the sky
5. "Adagio for Strings" -- Tiesto
What Makes a Good Life
Lessons from the world's longest study on happiness
Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success.
- Albert Schweitzer
Happiness is one of the most sought-after states of being yet it is also one of the hardest to study. Most of what we believe about happiness comes from people "remembering the past" but hindsight is hit-and-miss at best.
But what if we could study entire lives from the early teen years all the way into old age? The Harvard Study of Adult Development did just that, and it very well may be the longest, most comprehensive study of what creates and sustains happiness and well-being.
Since 1938, the study tracked the lives of two contrasting groups, well-to-do Harvard Sophomores from good homes and disadvantaged youth from Boston's most impoverished neighbourhoods.
According to the director of the study, Dr. Robert Waldinger, the major lesson was not one of wealth, success, accomplishment or fame. The clearest takeaway is simply that "good relationships keep us happier and healthier. Period."
Waldinger breaks down the findings into three sub-lessons. First, people socially connected to family, friends and community are happier, healthier, and live longer. Second, the quality of our relationships matters more than the quantity of our connections. Third, having good relationships actually protects our brains, reporting that those with strong social support experienced less mental deterioration as they aged. Curiously, the study also suggests that those with the stronger relationships earned substantially higher income.
When asked if he personally made any changes as a result of the study, Waldinger said he now invests more time and energy in his relationships than ever before. “It’s easy to get isolated" he states. "We're told to 'lean in' to our work but this study shows we should lean into our relationships as well."
The littlest tweak
What is the effect of a tiny bit of change? Of doing something a little differently from how the person before you did it. Or a little differently from how you yourself did it yesterday? Can a little bit of change make a difference?
L.A. Composer Isaac Schankler created an experimental take on one of the most recognizable pieces of music of all time, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. In his rendition, Schankler plays all the right notes in all the right order but with one small difference – he plays the left hand one bar late and the right hand one bar early.
The results are spectacular and a reminder that even the littlest tweak can change everything.
The Art of Digging
(This week's post is dedicated to our pal DJ Lady Bass. Although she's not exactly an old skool hip hop DJ, she's likely done her share of "digging"!)
The Art of Digging -
what hip hop DJ's can teach us about finding inspiration
The people that dig, don't stop digging, 'cause it's a part of who we are.
- DJ Shadow
In a companion piece to his book "The Art of Noticing" author Rob Walker writes about how we can find inspiration, spark creativity, and discover joy by embracing the creative spirit of Hip Hop DJs.
With "The Art of Noticing" in mind, Walker ruminates on ideas from the 2001 Hip Hop turntablism documentary "Scratch". In particular, he focusses on the concept of “digging”. Digging (or "crate digging" as it is often referred) means "spending endless hours patiently rooting through stacks of records, looking for that one cut that everybody else missed."
From the documentary: "Of all these records of shit... there might be that one diamond in the rough. You're digging all day and you find that one record. Then all of a sudden... you're at the end of the crate... you're dusty and you stink... and it's worth it."
Walker suggests that "digging" should be applied to all creative pursuits and to every day life. "You have to spend the time to sort through the junk to find the treasure. The only way to find the good stuff, the special stuff, the genuine moments and the true inspiration, is to first engage with the everyday, the mundane, the seemingly useless, the things nobody else seems to care about."
So engage, says Walker. There is no shortcut; there is no algorithm. If all you do is track what’s trending, then all you’ll ever know is exactly what everyone else already knew.
To discover, you have to dig.
Get Better The Beatles Way
A simple method to boost confidence, enthusiasm and creativity
I have to admit it's getting better. A little better all the time.
- The Beatles
Whether we want to admit it or not, there are times when we suffer from a poor self image. Creeping moments of doubt, creative dry-spells, and/or feeling like a fraud, are all signs of an image in need of a boost.
It's hard to imagine beloved rockers The Beatles, feeling this way, but it's well-documented that the Fab Four explored many "self-help" approaches. One example is how the band used the work of French psychologist Emile Coué to overcome self-doubt and boost their confidence and creative output.
Emile Coué was widely considered to be the founder of the power of positive suggestion. As historian Mitch Horowitz writes in his article on the subject, long before self-help giants like Napoleon Hill, Zig Ziglar and Anthony Robbins were on the scene, Coué proposed a simple formula of using mantras to reprogram your psyche to improve confidence, enthusiasm, wellness and creativity. Simply put, Coué had his patients repeat a positive mantra up to 20 times a day, and his research showed that those patients, well... "got better" – with no medicine at all. For fans of the Beatles the mantra may sound familiar: “Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.”
Can it really be that easy to curb a negative view of yourself? Coué argued yes, stating that a waning self-image "becomes unconsciously reinforced by one’s habits and self-perceptions". In other words, change your habits, change your self-perception.
So what effect did this have on The Beatles? According to Horowitz, Paul McCartney used Coué’s mantra in the infectious chorus of Getting Better “It’s getting better all the time,” and perhaps paid further tribute to Coué himself with the line: “You gave me the word, I finally heard / I’m doing the best that I can.” John Lennon also recited Coué’s formula in his 1980 song Beautiful Boy, “Before you go to sleep, say a little prayer: Every day, in every way, it’s getting better and better.”
Whether you’re in a creative slump or your self image needs a boost, start here... and then read the article below which includes a detailed step-by-step on how to practice Coué's Conscious Autosuggestion.
Think Like Walt Disney
First, think. Second, dream. Third, believe. Finally, dare.
- Walt Disney
For the creative mind in need of ideas, brainstorming can be equal parts exhilarating and terrifying. Maybe that is why the legendary Walt Disney devised a simple approach to the task. As a master at converting fantasies into reality, Disney used 3 simple questions and a 3-phased system to generate and refine his ideas into a shortlist of smart, workable action items.
The Dreamer
Phase one, called “The Dreamer” was Disney’s chance to think big. The Dreamer welcomes fantasies and childlike imaginings. There are no rules in this phase, only limitless, raw ideas. The question Walt would ask while in this phase was “Why not?”
The Realist
In phase two, the ideas conjured up by The Dreamer are re-examined and re-imagined into something more practical. Phase two is never about the reasons something cannot be achieved, but only about how it can be done. The question asked in this phase is simply “how?”
The Spoiler
In the third and final phase, Disney plays the role of the critic. Not to criticize the fancy of The Dreamer or the insight of The Realist, but rather to critically examine possible risks, gaps or improvement opportunities. The question asked in this phase is - "is this the best we can do?"
It's been said that the ideas that survived the above process were the ones that the Disney Corporation would act upon. By compartmentalizing the stages, Walt never let reality get in the way of the dream and vice versa. The Dreamer was allowed to work without the harsh filter of The Spoiler. The Realist could spend time wondering what was possible without the interruptive fantasies of The Dreamer, and The Spoiler could focus on giving the whole thing much needed structure.
When we brainstorm, whether alone or in groups, we too often fill the room with all three voices. Dreamers, Realists, and (often an abundance of) Spoilers make for tight quarters. Give each their own space to do their thinking and watch your ideas flourish.
For more creative insight and idea-inspiration read (or re-read) How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life by Pat Williams.
The Keanu Reeves Way of Life
There isn't anything wrong with you or your achievements... there's something wrong
with the way you're thinking about it. - Dan Sullivan
Do you find that even though you have an outwardly successful life you're often not satisfied? The problem may not be with the quantity of your achievements but rather how you're measuring them.
In his book The Gap and the Gain, entrepreneur coach Dan Sullivan tells the story of a client who made many successful strides in his life but constantly felt like a failure. While trying to work out why, Sullivan hit upon the idea that maybe his client was measuring his progress all wrong. He realized his client defined his self-worth by measuring his current success against an ideal picture of success he held in his mind. And since an ideal state isn't real and is always changing Sullivan's client was left perpetually chasing something unattainable.
The distance between where you are presently and what you hold in your mind as the ideal is what Sullivan calls "The Gap". Measuring your progress this way only leads to unhappiness.
Sullivan compares our ideals to the earth's horizon line. If you're goal is to jog to the horizon and back, you're bound to be disappointed as it will always move away from you. Although you made progress the fact that you missed your goal supersedes it and you're left feeling like a failure. But if your goal is to run one kilometre more than you did last week, that is a specific and measurable objective. Once you achieve it you'll feel happy. This way of "measuring backwards" is what Sullivan calls "The Gain".
And it gets better. According to Sullivan, measuring "The Gain" not only makes us feel happier, but it also "multiplies our ambition". The more time we spend in "The Gain" the more progress we'll make. And the more progress we make, the more confident we are about our ability for future progress. "You’ll experience an endless strengthening of your vision of what your bigger and better future can be, and all it requires is measuring your progress today."
Want to dig a little deeper including tips to stay out of "The Gap", ways to expand your "Gain" and reasons why our brains are "made for measurement"? Download the free e-book below.
A Lesson In Art, Patience, and Discipline
Lessons in creativity:
I drew every day for a year – this is what I learned
“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad,
whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”
- Andy Warhol
If you've ever wished you were better at your creative craft, you're not alone. However, what separates those who dream and those who achieve is action and persistence.
This week, we highlight Kristin Taravella and her fascinating experiment: I Drew Every Day For a Year - This Is What I Learned. Taravella wished she was a better artist, but realized she wasn't doing anything to move towards that goal. In that moment she decided to make a change. By committing at least 10 minutes everyday to drawing, she learned not only about her craft, but about herself.
In doing this experiment, Taravella set realistic expectations, "I never promised I would do a ‘good’ drawing every day. I just said I would do a drawing every day."
The first lesson she learned is "it doesn't matter if a drawing is 'good' or 'bad', people will like what they like. Certain drawings she thought were dismal were applauded by her social media audience and inversely, pieces she was most proud of made little impact. She reminded herself that her job was not to self-critique, but rather "to draw every day and leave it at that."
Taravella discovered that her self-imposed limitations – such as removing the option to rectify mistakes –actually created more freedom. "Switching from pencil to Ink was completely liberating. I found myself confidently drawing with a ‘don’t look back’ attitude. She also found that boredom was a useful tool that often lead to discovery. For example after many line drawings she switched to watercolour and explored the unfamiliar creative ground that the new medium offered.
Perhaps what is most inspiring about this experiment is that lessons were learned, positive habits were formed, goals were achieved and a modest body of work was created – and it only cost the artist 10 minutes a day.
A fun and highly recommended read for anyone working or playing in the creative space.
Gratitude and Happiness
"Gratitude turns what we have into enough"
- Anonymous
Beautiful weather, meaningful relationships and exciting projects have made for another remarkable summer here at Orange. In fact, we're feeling pretty thankful for those many extraordinary people we come across in our day to day. Now as fall approaches and the collective mood starts to shift, we thought it a good time to reflect just a little on gratitude and happiness.
In his TED Talk "Want to be happy? Be grateful" Benedictine Monk Brother David Steindl-Rast says "The one thing all humans have in common is that each of us wants to be happy, and the master key to our happiness starts with gratitude." Put another way, we’re not grateful because we’re happy, we're happy because we’re grateful.
But what do we really mean by grateful? Brother David defines it as a feeling that swells inside of us when we're given something valuable. We haven’t worked for it. We haven’t earned it. It is purely a gift.
When we acknowledge these gifts with gratitude, we also acknowledge that there is goodness in our lives. And we begin to understand that the source of that goodness lies outside of ourselves. In other words, being grateful helps us connect to something bigger.
In fact, suggests Brother David "every single moment in our lives is a gift". Every moment is something that we haven’t earned, it is something that has been given to us. And within each moment lies an opportunity– an opportunity to seize, to tackle, to overcome or to simply ‘enjoy'. When we seize the opportunities it brings us happiness.
In his inspiring talk, Brother David not only reveals a solid strategy on how to seize the opportunities presented in each moment, but also a way that gratefulness can change the entire world.
The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers
Some see what is and ask 'why'. Others see what could be and ask 'why not'?
- Pablo Picasso
Have you wondered what separates original thinkers from the rest? Some say it’s I.Q. Others say it's confidence. Some believe it's genetics. But according to psychologist Adam Grant, it’s none of these things. In fact, he says that what really separates original thinkers are their habits.
"Originals" as Grant describes them are non-conformists; people who not only have new ideas but take action to champion them. Originals drive creativity and change in the world. They're the people you want to bet on.
In his Ted Talk, Grant reveals the unexpected habits of original thinkers and offers up ways to recognize them. Surprisingly their habits aren't all together different from those of the average person. For example, original thinkers procrastinate.
The night before Martin Luther King Jr. gave the biggest speech of his life, he was up past 3 am rewriting it. Then, while sitting in the audience waiting to be called onstage he was still scribbling. When he got onstage, he left his prepared remarks altogether to utter four words that changed the course of history: “I have a dream”.
That was not in the script.
By delaying the task of finalizing the speech until the very last minute, MLK left himself open to the widest range of possible ideas. Procrastinating can be a vice when it comes to productivity, but it can be a virtue for creativity.
Another surprising habit of original thinkers is that they doubt their ideas. Elon Musk didn't think Tesla would succeed. And he was convinced that the first few SpaceX launches would fail to make it to orbit, let alone get back. But it was too important not to try.
And Originals have plenty of bad ideas. They fail often. But Originals have a different approach to failing. They understand that you can fail by starting a business that goes bankrupt – or you can fail by not starting a business at all.
Originals are not that different than the rest of us. They feel fear and doubt and they procrastinate. They have bad ideas. Grant's research reminds us that being quick to start and slow to finish can boost our creativity. That we can motivate ourselves by doubting our ideas, and that we need a lot of bad ideas to come up with a few good ones.
So here's a question: which Internet browser do you use? Watch the talk below to find out why Firefox and Chrome users significantly outperform Internet Explorer and Safari users.
The Experimenter’s Mindset
Curiosity about life in all of its aspects is the secret of great creative people.
- Leo Burnett
While working as a copywriter two things happened to Barry Davret that lit up his creativity and changed his thinking about his creative approach. First, he came across the ancient concept of "non-attachment", a state of detaching yourself from outcomes and desires. Second, he received the following advice from a mentor: "the most important skill to master is to learn how to generate your curiosity."
This was Davret's light bulb moment: when trying new things, cultivate a mindset of insatiable curiosity, but remain unattached to any particular outcome — the experimenter’s mindset.
For those looking to boost their own creative thinking, Davret gives suggestions on how to live a more experimental life, while reaping the benefits of being less fearful of the results. "Approach every day as a series of experiments," he suggests. "You'll find yourself more open to taking risks and free from the anxiety of the outcome."
What if you're just not curious? Like many things, the experimenter's mindset needs to be practiced. Infuse it into everything you do," Start small and develop it like any other exercise. "The key to cultivating it lies in strengthening your curiosity muscle." And embrace possibility, as possibility breeds curiosity. When we focus on what's possible, we can't help but get curious.
And when you're genuinely curious, your creativity will soar.
Want To Be Happier? Change One Thing.
There isn't anything wrong with you or your achievements... there's something wrong
with the way you're thinking about it. - Dan Sullivan
Do you find that even though you have an outwardly successful life you're often not satisfied? The problem may not be with the quantity of your achievements but rather how you're measuring them.
In his book The Gap and the Gain, entrepreneur coach Dan Sullivan tells the story of a client who made many successful strides in his life but constantly felt like a failure. While trying to work out why, Sullivan hit upon the idea that maybe his client was measuring his progress all wrong. He realized his client defined his self-worth by measuring his current success against an ideal picture of success he held in his mind. And since an ideal state isn't real and is always changing Sullivan's client was left perpetually chasing something unattainable.
The distance between where you are presently and what you hold in your mind as the ideal is what Sullivan calls "The Gap". Measuring your progress this way only leads to unhappiness.
Sullivan compares our ideals to the earth's horizon line. If you're goal is to jog to the horizon and back, you're bound to be disappointed as it will always move away from you. Although you made progress the fact that you missed your goal supersedes it and you're left feeling like a failure. But if your goal is to run one kilometre more than you did last week, that is a specific and measurable objective. Once you achieve it you'll feel happy. This way of "measuring backwards" is what Sullivan calls "The Gain".
And it gets better. According to Sullivan, measuring "The Gain" not only makes us feel happier, but it also "multiplies our ambition". The more time we spend in "The Gain" the more progress we'll make. And the more progress we make, the more confident we are about our ability for future progress. "You’ll experience an endless strengthening of your vision of what your bigger and better future can be, and all it requires is measuring your progress today."
Want to dig a little deeper including tips to stay out of "The Gap", ways to expand your "Gain" and reasons why our brains are "made for measurement"? Download the free e-book below.
On High Achievers
Achieving Amazing Things
Just when the caterpillar thought the world was ending, he turned into a butterfly.
- Chuang Tzu
Most of us think about doing great things. The difference between the average person and the high achiever is a commitment to belief—because possessing the belief that you are capable of doing something is the first step to achieving it. Actor, Will Smith put it this way: “There’s a redemptive power that making a choice has. Decide what you’re going to be, who you are going to be and then how you are going to do it. From that point on, the universe is going to get out of your way.”
In his article, How Do High Achievers Really Think? Carl Beuke breaks down the psychology of the high achieving human. Beuke suggests that high achievers are driven (unsurprisingly) by a strong push for success, whereas less accomplished individuals are more concerned about embarrassment and avoiding failure. The former are driven to try and try again while the latter are more likely to give up if success is not readily forthcoming.
Beuke has a few suggestions though for those who want to adapt a high achieving mindset:
• Failure-avoiding individuals perceive striving towards a goal as stressful, whereas achievement motivated individuals associate it with enjoyment. Try to find the pleasure when chasing a goal.
• Similarly, high achievers perceive demanding tasks as opportunities where failure-avoiding types view them as threats or obstacles.
• High achievers aren't afraid of their goals. In fact, they write them down to make them concrete and speak them aloud to further ground them in reality.
• The high achieving mind celebrates incremental progress. This group understands that small improvements now can turn into tremendous improvements down the road.
• And lastly, the high achiever believes in persistence. They understand that those who keep at a task will usually achieve it.
To dig a little deeper into the psychology of the achiever's mindset click below:
Finding Meaning at Work
How to find meaning in what you do
(even when you're not really feeling it)
“The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it.”
- Carl Jung
Sometime ago we at Orange altered how we articulate what we do. Our new definition was simple: “we help people”. We help producers by making their already stressful jobs less stressful. We help creative people by helping them realize their visions. We help clients by offering them an organization they can trust. And when we find ourselves in a position where we can't help, we happily connect those in need to others who can.
This simple shift in how we define what we do made a big difference: the work became more meaningful.
In her article, "How To Find Meaning In A Job That Isn't Your True Calling", Emily Esfahani Smith asks the question: why do so few people find fulfilment in their work?
Smith states that "meaning" is the top requirement Millennials want from a job. And yet her research shows that less than 50% of people see their work as a calling. This leaves many feeling anxious, frustrated and unsatisfied by what should be considered very good jobs.
"What they fail to realize", says Smith, "is that work can be meaningful even if you don’t think of it as a calling."
Smith suggests that common occupations such as salespeople and office clerks have something in common with jobs typically considered to have more meaning such as teachers or doctors: they exist to help others. And as Adam Grant, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, has shown, people who see their work as a form of giving consistently rank their jobs as more meaningful.
Smith recounts a story about a janitor that John F. Kennedy ran into at NASA in 1962. When the president asked him what he was doing, the man said, “I’m helping put a man on the moon.”
Not everyone finds their one true calling, says Smith. But that doesn’t mean we’re doomed to work meaningless jobs. If we focus our minds on the daily opportunities we have to help others, anything and everything we do can be meaningful.