CREATIVITY Part 1: Creativity, Resilience and My Phoenix Moment

May 3, 2021

The Art of Applied Visual Thinking

The official newsletter of Applied Visual Thinking SUPERHEROES. Vol. 2 No. 9 May 3, 2021

Creative thinking is not a luxury, it's a necessity. Expressing yourself and your ideas authentically shouldn't be leisure time activities, they are essential to maintaining good health. These are two lessons I learned the hard way during the 2-year period I refer to as my "phoenix moment." It all turned out OK, and I built up a sturdy suit of resilience armor, but it was the hardest time of my life.

It all started with a sudden, painful break-up. Within a week, I packed up everything and moved in with a friend, transferring much of my stuff to storage. Next was the car crash. Everyone was fine, but my old Civic not so much. I had just received word that my long-term contract was not going to be renewed, so I had no idea how I would keep paying rent, never mind buy a car. I took these as signs that something needed to change.

I had been pretending everything was fine, but it wasn't. I was doing work I thought I had to do but didn't love, and tolerating relationships and roles where I felt unseen and unheard. Then my good friend Debbie (not my AVT co-founder) introduced me to a method of inviting positive change. We filled page after page of our new notebooks with lists of what we really, really, really wanted in various aspects of our lives in fine detail.

Within 2 years, every major thing on my wish list came true. That's how I came to believe in THE POWER OF MAKING THINGS VISIBLE.

If you can "see it" (write it, map it, draw it…) you can make it happen. I flew to North Carolina, learned to drive stick-shift and drove my brother's old Jeep home. I rented half a 9-room farmhouse on a working vegetable farm, and landed another long-term contract.

No sooner had I unpacked my kitchenware in my new digs, however, than I received news that I had a serious medical diagnosis. When my world as I knew it burst into flame and burnt down to the ground, I had no choice but to sweep up the ashes and keep going.

Then I discovered that CREATIVITY leads to RESILIENCE.

On the recommendation of a colleague, I attended a creativity conference attended by an amazing mix of artists, architects, facilitators, coaches, consultants, organization development and leadership professionals. Organizers Andre and Judy DeZanger have since become friends and mentors. I began to learn about the connections between the body, mind and our interactions with the world and how these impact health from the amazing array of presenters. All of these workshops were delivered in such engaging, creative ways, they felt like play. These were "my people" and I began to feel seen, valued and heard.

Most importantly, I began to grow some resilience muscles. I started to value my own voice, my own ideas, vision and creativity as worthy contributions, and understand how to put these tools to use in my life and work. I realized that I had been holding back my authentic, creative, change-maker self at work, and it was making me feel terrible.

Resilience is finding your balance to weather the storms of change. Here are the first few steps of what this process looks like to me now, looking in the rear view mirror. The remaining steps will be covered in our next newsletter. Does this model feel familiar to you in your life and/or work?

AVT Creativity - Resilience Model (Part 1)

Change, transitions, and major life events happen.
Some changes happen that are out of my control, like a layoff, accident or loss of a family member.
Some change is overall positive, perhaps even my own choice, like a marriage, return to school, or leaving one job for another.

I might take one of two paths, depending on how resilient I am feeling at the time. I can fall apart (no, thanks!) or I can look for a helpful perspective on the situation (yes, please!) such as taking a walk to clear my head, or having a friend remind me that I have support and resources in case I need them. Perspective helps interrupt the hopeless feeling that leads to the fight or flight reaction.
Sir Winston Churchill said toward the end of WWII, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." As soon as I can see that the situation is not so dire nor imminent, I find creative ways to explore the opportunities that might present themselves.

Enough about me. Grab your RESILIENCE TEMPLATE and start building those muscles.

To use the template, fill in each section in whatever order the ideas come to you.
Use a combination of words, shapes and icons to practice your visual vocabulary.

Download Your Free Template Now!

The CHANGE – Name the change that's shown up, whether in or out of your control
What I KNOW to be true – Record some verifiable facts about the situation
What I THINK is true – Add what you think, feel, or have been told
WHO I can contact for PERSPECTIVE – You don't have to go through this alone! List helpful people, local and national groups and organizations and websites.
HOW I will get Creative – Make an intention to learn about yourself and take charge of your future. Write, list or draw what you will DO – learn about something, read something, make a painting, write a poem or song, buy a journal, or schedule weekly "me time" for example.

In the next newsletter and in our upcoming course Applied Visual Thinking for INNOVATION, we'll explore further the link between creativity and perspective, two essential principles for successful INNOVATION. Are you ready to be a catalyst for innovation? AVT for INNOVATION is coming soon! Make sure you are on our list to be the first to know when it is released!

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