A friend recently asked me impromptu questions about innovation and creativity. As I spoke, previously unthought ideas appeared from hidden caves in my mind to form an unexpectedly clear picture. I said that it seems like each of us are given a box of crayons that are uniquely us. Some crayons are available from early on in life and others become available – as if getting unlocked – over time as we gather experiences and perspectives. Sometimes the crayons are the same color as before, but get more vibrant and saturated with pigment over time. Other times, we may get entirely new and unexpected colors as we progress through life, and these colors may challenge and change who we think we are. Examples started popping up on the fly too – Chimamanda Adichie, one of my favorite writers, and Schitt’s Creek’s, Dan Levy surfaced as examples of pigments that became more saturated over time and John Krasinski as an example of progression, from acting to writing, directing and producing.
The question isn’t who is innovative and who isn’t. It might be more useful to ask who isn’t holding back on experimenting with all their crayons and who is, for reasons within and outside their control. Will I tune-in to my unique box of crayons? Will I play with the sometimes unexpected and often evolving color palette that is uniquely mine?
“We are notes in this beautiful concert of existence. If we don’t play ourselves, nobody will.” – Rodrigo De Souza, Mozart in the Jungle
