STEPHEN BREWSTER

Mark Parker is the CEO of Nike. I am a sneaker freak. Nike has been a huge part of my life. In a recent article in Fast Company, Parker was talking about one of his philosophies. Edit & Amplify.

Edit. What can you get rid of? What is necessary and what is just in your way? What is keeping you from being your best you because your attention, creativity, and time is clouded by things that are just not that important? Get a short list of things that matter and do those. Delegate or delete everything else.

Amplify. Amplify the important things. The things that make a difference. The game changer ideas. The concepts that are important. The celebrations and the debates. Amplify the things that move the needle.

Creative people must build systems that will help them edit and amplify. Without this philosophy in our lives we will never be able to Just Do It.

Hi. I got lost. Im back. Here are some things I liked last week.

Behance did a piece on churches:

Love this art. Hope in all directions:

If you have to have signage like everyone else, don’t let it look like anyone else:

A couple pictures I took this past weekend:

Did you find anything this week you liked?

I love this quote: “Companies are actually living organisms, not machines. We keep bringing in mechanics, when what we need are gardeners.” ~ Peter Senge

I believe that the gardener is also the person who is considered a creative.

Gardeners plant. Creatives plant ideas. Creatives plant innovation, concepts, and solutions. The gardener tends to that which they have planted. They water, feed, and pull the weeds that could strangle the things that are planted. Gardeners measure the health of what they have planted and they do everything necessary to make sure it grows. Gardeners know the grounds. They know the soil, how to manage the sunlight, shadows, and seasons. Gardeners know precisely the right time to start harvesting their crops. Once the idea has grown and is ready, it is the job of the gardener to harvest and convert the harvested into something that can be consumed. The creative does all these same function, only we do them in our organizations around ideas.

Mechanics can identify problems. They are able to repair what they can diagnose.  They understand the mechanics, obviously, but they also only can think and process based on the old engine and the confines of of how that engine works. Mechanics are willing to get dirty and work hard, but they are not going to grow anything new. Mechanics are only going to repair the old stuff that is broken.

As a creative culture, it is important we are embracing the opportunity to grow new things. Growing new things takes a lot of hard work. Gardening requires getting up early, getting very dirty, and working really hard. Gardening happens in and out of season. Being creative also is the same.

Organizations have been full of mechanics. In our new economy, I believe businesses and churches are looking for gardeners.  As church leaders are we teaching people how to farm or how to be mechanics? Becoming the best gardener we can be will help us lead organizations into areas mechanics never could imagine visiting.

Are you being a gardener or a mechanic?

• Are you curious? If so, you are creative.
• Do you consider yourself self-motivated? It takes being self-motivation to be creative.
• Do you challenge the stats quo? If you do, you are creative.
• Have you every looked at a problem and seen a visionary way to work around it?
• Are you flexible? If you can adapt to situations you have the ability to be creative.
• Are you capable of being reflective? If you are you can revisit and strategize new concepts.
• Are you willing to take some risks?
• Do you recognizes patterns? This trait alone provides the structure of creativity.
• Are you committed to learning? If you are, you can always become more creative.
• Are you capable of balancing intuition and analysis?
• Are you resilient? Not giving up is a core necessity of creativity.

How are you going to challenge yourself and flex your creative muscle today?

You are not “a creative.” You are not the noun creative.

You are not what you create. You are not your song. You are not what you write. You are not your dance. You are not your video, art, design, band, or anything else.

You are not your creation, you are the creation.

Your identity is not found in creating, communicating or doing your art. Your identity is found in who you were made to be, not the stuff you make.

Sadly, our insecurities allow us to find our identity in our creations rather than finding our identity in our Creator. The God who created the entire universe created you, created a plan for you, and created you to create amazing stuff. Do not buy the lie that you are only as valuable as what you do and create. You are so much more than just those things, your value is in the WHO you are not the WHAT you create.

Finding your identity is going to be uncomfortable. Finding out WHO God created you to be is much more difficult than the alternative which is buying the imitation you and hope no one digs deep enough in your life to discover the lie your living. But when you do find out WHO you are, your creations get better. Your creativity soars because your identity is not tied to your creations being accepted. You become the most creative you have ever been because your confidence allows you to create from a healthy place and not a place of fear.

It all starts with you. Start digging in and finding out who you are. How have you discovered your true identity in your Creator? How did that effect your creative process?

It is so important to develop goals. Creative environments need goals…marks that can be tracked and evaluated. Our department has some lofty goals and this week we need to inch closer to completion of those goals. Here is my list.

• Attend less meetings.
• Pray more.
• Intentionally create.
• Take more pictures.
• Invest more in my family, team, and department. (keep healthy balance)
• Avoid drama.
• Read.
• Write down every idea no matter how good, bad, silly, or solid.
• Find inspiration in something I have not yet discovered.
• Focus on conversations for inspiration and ideas rather than the internet.
• Cheer people on towards their goals.
• Encourage someone.
• Develop new relationships.
• Motivate.
• Lead.

This is how I plan on leading this week.

Do you have goals? How do you goal set? Day, week, month? What are your goals for this week?

2 killer videos.

The Blue Note jazz label has become known for their iconic covers. Here is a visual display of their greatness. They always stay on brand without ever being copycat.

Hi-Fi from bante on Vimeo.

Herbert Matter was more than a designer. He was a designer who thought like an artist and a curator. There is a lot to be learned from this approach to creation.

Matter Teaser from Herbert Matter on Vimeo.

Behance has created these notebooks. I have been taking notes this way for some time, not putting everything into straight lists. Now there are notebooks to keep it all together.

This clock is just cool.

I have become a firm believer in the fact that you can share your ideas, your creative pieces, your behind the curtain stuff and it will not hurt you. The fact is, it actually will build your presence, your platform, your accessibility, and make you more likable. Sharing will not hurt you because no one can execute your idea like you can. They do not have the skills, the dna, the experience, the passion or the ability. Sharing creates new opportunity.

To often we become protective of ideas, creative, and our “Brands”. This posture  costs us the ability to really impact culture. The more we share the farther the ideas and influence can spread. Instead, however, we send cease and desist letters.

On May 16, 1964 the Cambell Soup Company found out an artist had used their name and likeness to create some art. They sent a letter. Not the typical letter that you would expect a corporate giant to send to an artist. This letter, that you can see below, praised Andy Warhol, thanked him for what he had done, affirmed his art, and even gifted him some of his favorite soup. A far cry from Cease and Desist. They shared their art, embraced Warhol’s art, and created a new era in pop culture.

Artists, creators, companies…share. Share you knowledge, share your ideas, share your insight. The days of being able to steal your swagger are over. You and the humanity of you make what you do unique. Technology has shortened the creative curve. If people want to they can imitate you with very little effort. So share freely and influence the masses, not just those in front of you.