I’m pretty much a black and white, literal thinker. I see things as they are, the obvious things. I solve problems that way too. I suppose I’m a conventional, conservative, inside the box thinker. It’s safe that way.

I’m really trying to think more outside the lines. I even bought a coffee mug that has the words DREAM BIG in giant letters on it. It has nudged me a little bit. It’s usually early when I’m holding the mug so my brain is not quite warmed up yet.

I so admire people who see beyond the obvious. I was in an art museum recently. There was a painting that had such depth it almost looked 3D. The amazing thing was it had been painted in the late 1800’s before computer imagery. Do you suppose the artist looked at the blank canvas and could envision the finished product? I could stare at a blank canvas all day and only see a blank canvas.

That’s why I think artistic talent like painting and singing are gifts and we aren’t gifted the same. The American Idol auditions are proof of that. Creativity is different though. I think we all are creative. But we get stuck in rut thinking. I know I do. I suppose partly because it’s easy and we’re lazy. Change is challenging.

Routine can take over if we let it. Then we begin to stagnate like pond water. I know I need to get still and think about the what ifs. I’m sure the fear of failure holds me back. The new question to ask myself is, “What’s the worst thing that could happen if it doesn’t work?”

“Creativity is seeing what others see and thinking what no one else has ever thought.” ~Albert Einstein