If  I remember correctly,  in the mid 1980′s  the Perl Art Gallery was located on Madison Avenue, in New York, near 78th street. It was a small, unpretentiously elegant and intelligent gallery, and among others sold work by one of my favorite artists, Alexander Calder.

This gallery was a regular stop of mine and during a particular visit on one of those beautiful New York City fall days, as  I paused over a small Calder piece that had my eye,  the attendant asked if I’d like to see something interesting.

We entered a tiny elevator by the entrance and descended to the basement. When the doors opened I walked into another world and a room packed with treasure and more maquettes of Calder mobiles, stabiles, toys and wire sculptures than I could absorb. For twenty  minutes I was part of that world handling and taking in the breadth of work of a man whose art I enjoyed so much.

The memory of this intimate moment was prompted by a blog post written by software engineer Jered Wierzbicki, who, on visiting a Calder exhibit at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art in 2010,  lamented that he couldn’t physically handle the pieces on display.

I understood his frustration, but his thinking that a tactile experience of interacting with Calder’s work could be replicated by writing a piece of software seems foreign to me. I think instead it would be much more satisfying to pick up a set of pliers, wire, blocks of wood, and bits of string, and follow Calder’s lead.

Norway’s Thor Hushovd crests the Col d’Aubisque minutes behind French riders David Moncoutie and Jeremy Roy. Stage 13 – Tour de France – 2011

One hundred ninety eight Tour de France riders participated in the 98th running of one of the great annual world sporting events.  Discipline, courage, grace.

Thor Hushovd
Start of professional bicycle racing career: 1998
First professional win:  2001 Tour de France, Stage 5,  Team Time Trial

Thomas Voeckler
Start of professional bicycle racing career 2000
First professional win: First overall, 2003, Tour de Luxembourg

Cadel Evans
Start of professional bicycle road-racing career: 2000
First professional win: First overall, 2001, Tour of Austria

Photo Credit: © Matt Moore 2011

There are things we have always wanted to do, to learn, to accomplish in our lives that sit just below the surface of awareness, untouched.

The realization that we can, if we move away from fear and allow ourselves a little bit of  freedom, dawns on us one day and we take those first faltering steps.

What are you waiting for?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN-koOtjnjs

A gem of a film: Carlos Saura – Tango

Additional Links.

The Tango Lesson – Sally Potter
Itzhak Perlman
Canaro Milonga
La Cumparsita

• Insight :: Seth Godin
• Generosity :: Michael Beirut
• Incisive :: Edward Tufte
• Timeless :: Paul Rand
• Treasure :: Boekie Woeki
• Limits :: Victor IV
• Gentle :: Origami Spirit
• Success :: Copyblogger
• Experiment :: Alan Fletcher
• Thought :: Daniel Eatock

Photo Credit: Leyla Torres; Origami folded by Leyla Torres of Origami Spirit

Life is one long string of problems waiting to be solved. There are personal problems, business problems, family problems, creative problems, economic problems, technical problems, social problems, small large, huge, and seemingly unsolvable problems.

Every day we’re presented with one challenge or another framed by its own level of difficulty. Some problems are easily solved. Others not so much and stubbornly resist our best effort at a solution.

So how do we approach these problems? How do we get out of the box of our restricted world-view and find that elusive answer and once out where do we look? How do we find those key ideas that unlock the gate?

STRATEGY

The journey begins with a strategy of clearly defining the problem. By asking penetrating and incisive questions our thoughts will be organized and focused on particulars. Working from a detailed view we will be in a better position to generate ideas that might lead us to a workable solution.

To formulate these all-important quality questions, we must understand our biases and cherished preconceptions that lead to inevitable dead-ends. The world of limited perspective is often defined as a box constructed of various constraints along with the fear of making mistakes. Together these limiters blind us to answers that seem painfully obvious, once found.

Here are four different approaches that can be profitably used to clearly define problems and find solutions through the cultivation of workable ideas. With patience, consistent and persistent effort paired with a strong motivation, no problem is insurmountable.

INDIVIDUAL BRAINSTORMING

“Individual Brainstorming” typically involves free writing, free speaking, word association, and the construction of mind maps as a visual representation of thought. Individual brainstorming is especially useful in creative writing .” [1]

1. Clearly define the problem
2. Develop a set of questions that generate ideas.
3. Evaluate these ideas.
4. Ideas should be practical and not require resources or skills we don’t or can’t have.
5. If specific resources or skills are needed these should be acquired first.
6. Steps necessary for implementing an idea must be clear.
7. Milestones should be defined to evaluate progress
8. Incentives and rewards are important to maintaini motivation.

QUESTION BRAINSTORMING

This approach has also been called ‘questorming‘ and can be done individually or in a group.

The immediate goal is not that of producing ideas or immediate answers, but instead maintaining an exclusive focus on shaping questions that form the framework for future action.

Removing the pressure to produce helps the mind to relax and ultimately encourages creativity.[2] Once a list of questions has been drawn-up they should be prioritized to find the best solution for the problem at hand.

MIND MAPPING

Also called webs, mind-webbing, or webbing, mind maps have been used for centuries as a visual thinking tool for problem solving.

Leaning more toward the intuitive while fully integrating logical thought, mind maps are a pictorial method for graphically representing in a hierarchical tree structure the relationships between central and supporting ideas. These maps are constructed using shape, line, text, colors, and symbols.

There area also many mind mapping software applications available that can enormously expand the scope of mind maps traditionally built on paper. These applications can organize large quantities of information including not only thoughts and ideas, but websites, spreadsheets, documents and images.

• What are the best questions we need to ask right now?
• Is there a better way to state that question?
• What are the standards by which we decide that one question is better than another?
• How can we best organize the questions in descending order of quality?
• Who or what should ask the question?
• To whom or what should the question be directed?
• How should the question be asked?
• When or under what conditions should the question be asked?
• Where should the question be asked?
• Why should the question be asked?
• Should the question be asked?

For a complete list of questions click here.

SIX THINKING HATS

The Six Thinking Hats System is a thinking tool of Edward De Bono. This method is closely related to de Bono’s work on the creative process and closely tied to his theory of  Lateral Thinking. Central to this idea that the human mind gains the most comprehensive overall view of any issue when thinking about it at different levels, and from different perspectives.

According to the Six Thinking Hats system, different facets of thought are each considered metaphorically as, not surprisingly, a hat. Each is assigned a color with corresponding characteristics or qualities. When a particular hat is worn, the predefined qualities of the hat dictate the perspective from which the issue should be viewed.

In this manner each problem is considered more broadly with these varied perspectives encouraging deeper and more creative thinking about the issue under consideration.

White Hat: Represents Facts and Information
Black Hat: Represents Logic, Evaluation, Criticism
Red Hat: Represents Feelings and Emotion
Yellow Hat: Represents Optimism
Green hat: Represents New Ideas
Blue Hat: Represents The Big Picture; Thinking About Thinking.

REFERENCES:
[1] Furnham, A., & Yazdanpanahi, T. (1995). Personality differences and group versus individual brainstorming. Personality and Individual Differences, 19, 73-80.]
[2] Ludy, Perry J. Profit Building: Cutting Costs Without Cutting People. San Francisco: Berret-Koehler, Inc, 2000. Print.

Further Reading:
Six Thinking Hats, Edward De Bono
The Mind Map Book, Tony Buzon

Don’t Miss Out! Subscribe for updates by email!

FTC Disclosure: The above book links are Amazon affiliate listings. If you click and buy a book then I receive a small commission. Thank you very much for your support and encouragement! And I do mean it… Thank You!

Lately I’ve been making a concerted effort to use the RSS feed-reader  to aggregate favorite spots in the cybersphere. It’s a practical tool and easy to use for collecting favorite blogs, news sites, Facebookers, or Tweeters under one roof. So many are way ahead of me on this, but I’ve finally realized what a time saver the feed-reader is. Every morning when I sit down at the computer, checking the feed is my first stop, along with LinkedIn. My RSS feed of choice is Google Reader.

This morning I started by reading a collection of posts in  discussion groups at LinkedIn. And then I moved over to Mike Magnuson’s blog: Mag’s Sentence. I’ve always liked Mike’s writing –like it a lot actually, and it was great to see so many of his posts in one spot. I was riveted to the screen for half an hour. No exaggeration.  His descriptions of the Tour Of California and the luminaries that raced there this year, along with his personal accounts of training in Los Angeles, remind me of a cross between John Belushi and Hunter Thompson.

I was first introduced to Mike’s work a few years ago when I found his book Heft On Wheels in my  local book shop, The Northshire Bookstore, here in southern Vermont. In this book Mike describes how rediscovering the bicycle turned his life around. He would probably say this is an understatement. Mike’s book was an inspiration for me and reading it accompanied a turning point in my own life. But that’s another story.

I’m not going to tell you about Mike or his work work, except that he’s taught creative writing at the graduate level, and that you should read his blog. If you have a creative bone anywhere in your body, you’ll learn something valuable. I promise. Whatever you take away from his work is yours to find and have, but what I see in his work is a raw honesty that is non-the-less genuine, a quality which I believe everyone should try to emulate if not as a writer, then at least within the privacy of inner dialog.

Yes, I know, in business there are taboo subjects. If you’re building a presence on the web or on any other platform  one of the last things you want to do is to risk offending potential clients by expressing points of view  that that might be perceived as coarse or controversial and therefore offensive to some. Right?

If you’re genuine, and honest, and have the courage of your convictions, it’s almost a certainty that ruffling some feathers is unavoidable. But in the end, honesty will take you down your own path and not that of the herd. Walking your own path you’ll find the right people who want to do business with you, who want to associate with you.  And you’ll also have a lot more respect for yourself.

The high-pitched whine of a high performance motorcycle sped into the intersection and woke me up. It’s a beautiful Easter Sunday morning in Southern Vermont, but it doesn’t feel like Easter, except for the weather. The sky is blue with wisps of high altitude clouds to the North. I think it will rain later today, but I’m not sure. I haven’t heard the forecast.

Breakfast: no orange juice in the fridge, and not much butter. But it’ll have to do since I don’t really want to go to the store. There’s a ruby-red grapefruit to squeeze anyway. Turned the frying pan on too high, crisped the eggs, and managed to stretch that little dollop of butter to cover two slices of warm French bread.

My workshop is cool, but it feels good on bare arms. I’ll just stay long enough to glue up a few pieces of wood for the new cabinet I’m building. Don’t want to make a mess this early, and on Sunday morning –an Easter morning, and don’t think I’ll have to. I don’t. When I get out here to work, which isn’t often these days, I feel nostalgia for older dreams. But once I dust things off and start rearranging the workbench and sweeping up, it feels comfortable and familiar and I’m in the present. The smell of freshly cut lumber, and the noises made while puttering around, is a balm.

Easter dinner is at two this afternoon. We’ll be driving north about 40 miles, a little after twelve. The trip is pleasant passing through the lovely Mettowee Valley. It’s even nicer when we leave early enough not to be rushed. The big three holiday dinners are seasonal rituals at my sister’s in-laws. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter dinner. By default, for many years now and always a beautiful table. Pretty much the same crowd, though the faces come and go now that the nieces and nephews are growing and finding their own lives and patterns. The average age at the table, keeps creeping up. We hold hands and my mother says an impromptu grace. Some will listen; others will fidget and be a little less respectful than I like. Lots of conversation and laughter, and maybe even material for a YouTube video. Only for private viewing though.

Daffodil blades are peeking through the grass, the forsythia bush near the front garden fence is blooming and beautiful –earlier than any other forsythia in town, and the lilac buds are growing fatter. The fragrance of the lilac, not here yet, but soon. Just thinking of that smell is heaven. All those promising signs of things to come, and that the next 5 months will be warmer, are so welcome. Every year, it’s the same. Thankfully.

-photo credit: Leyla Torres

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” Albert Einstein

Answering the question of why we do something, should take precedence over how it should be done. Having a clear understanding of why we take a particular job, build a business, get in shape, move to a new place, go to school, write a book, develop a website, plant a garden, or do anything else will save us time and effort as we decide how to accomplish a task or achieve a goal.

Understanding our purpose, our why, gives us the necessary motivation and stamina to persist when our endurance begins to diminish. Generally speaking our motivation for doing something is a metaphysical concern that depends on the intuitive and the intangible.

Then there is the how, the process of accomplishing a task. The how is based in the material and rational world of cause and effect; it is left brain function, a repeatable process that produces results we can see and touch. It’s my impression that most of us are more comfortable with the how than the why. What do you think?

While the reason for doing something depends on the goal and to a large extent the urgency of accomplishing that goal, here are some thoughts that might help when clarifying the reasons, the why, for doing something.

• Study and Understand All Relevant Factors.
• Relax and give yourself time.
• List the short and long term benefits.
• Understand that there are many unknowns.
• Look forward to surprises.
• Cultivate optimism.
• Consider that the why might be found in the doing.
• Accept the presence of risk.
• Try not to control everything; let things happen.
• Let go of preconceived ideas.

In the early morning of a summer day in 1974, Phillipe Petit and his crazy band of co-conspirators attempted what would be not only a daring act of inspired madness, but a beautiful and compelling testament to courageous dreams. His was an act that rippled throughout the common day of common people all over the world. It was an act of defiance that set up a sympathetic vibration in the hearts of millions upon millions who yearned to find and consummate their own inspirations, which, for most, had been obliterated by the relentless grind of survival and denial.

Over a thousand feet above the streets and sidewalks of lower Manhattan, Petit and his team had strung a cable between the still unfinished structures of the twin towers, and, on that seventh day of August in 1974, just after 7:15 in the morning, Phillipe Petit stepped out onto his wire and danced in the ether to the muffled cries  from the city streets, rising from the underworld below.

“This is the first crossing. Wire and I together, we voluptuosly penetrate the cloudy layer that melts as we approach, as we pass between the twin towers of New York City’s WOrld Trade Center. I walk on air that softens under each step. I glide each foot. I cut through the whitish lump of breeze with my balancing pole.” [1]

For 45 minutes Petit crossed eight times between the two buildings. At one moment Petit even lay down on the wire, on his back. Everyone was awestruck, speechless, mesmerized and Petit carried all the world in his pocket to marvel as witness. One of the nearest to him was an officer of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Sgt Charles Daniels, who, unsuccessfully of course tried to talk Petit off the wire. Afterwards Daniels said in a statement,

“I observed the tightrope ‘dancer’—because you couldn’t call him a ‘walker’—approximately halfway between the two towers. And upon seeing us he started to smile and laugh and he started going into a dancing routine on the high wire….And when he got to the building we asked him to get off the high wire but instead he turned around and ran back out into the middle….He was bouncing up and down. His feet were actually leaving the wire and then he would resettle back on the wire again….Unbelievable really….Everybody was spellbound in the watching of it.[3]

What Petit accomplished that morning so many years ago, by example, was the encouragement of mastering our fear; of striving for fulfillment and the manifestation of our dreams and goals in the face of irrevocable consequence; of living fully. It was not for self aggrandizement or fawning admiration of his talent that he walked so close to the edge and risked his life. No, that marvelous feat was just the beginning of Phillippe Petit’s gift to history. Just as he was drawn as by a magnet to the compelling poetry of the wire, so are we drawn to our own wire. Our challenge, what it is that we too must allow ourselves, is to be drawn into and then  embrace the void, despite our fears, despite our flaws, and despite our misgivings.

“Whenever I tackled the impossible and the miraculous of the World Trade Center adventure, I remember the magician René Lavand -did I ever tell you?- he had only one arm. Poet and extraordinary card manipulator, he baffled fellow illusionists by concluding his brilliant demonstrations with, “What I just showed you can also be done with two hands!”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqzkGEvOOTc

1. To Reach The Clouds, phillippe petit, p.168
2. IBID p.218
3. “People & Events: Philippe Petit (1948-)” Episode 8: The Center of the World of New York City: A Documentary Film broadcast on American Experience, Public Broadcasting Service in 2003