Well This is Some Darwin Type Sh$%
PBS recently aired a documentary on Miles Davis. And, seeing as how I've got some time on my hands, I thought I'd watch it to cleanse myself from all the Netflix that's melting my brain. I don't know much about Miles other than he's really cool and one of the most notable jazz trumpeters, maybe ever. But he said this quote at the beginning and I can't get it out of my head. "If anybody wants to keep creating, they have to be about change."
Evolve or Die
Now, I realize that not everyone wants to create or sees themselves as a creator. Even though we all are. We all create in one way or another in life and in our jobs. But the word create always connotes being creative, which makes people think of the arts. That's such a narrow view of creativity and creation and this quote especially hit home for me during quarantine. I don't know about you, but the amount of creativity people are either being forced to find or just tapping into is staggering.
Audience of None
Think about all the TV shows being produced with no audience and no crew. In people's houses or balconies. Cutting from one place to another to make it seem like they are together or coordinated. All the Instagram Lives happening with celebs and non-celebs just having conversations or putting on dance parties. Virtual cooking demonstrations. Zoom fitness classes and happy hours. Virtual workshops and webinars. New digital communities and platforms. In less than one month, the way businesses and people have shifted and pivoted out of necessity (the mother of all invention) and just creativity is insane.
Think Differently
It's also really exciting. Not just because we need people to think differently, but because people who never thought they could, are. People are making masks and starting charities. Finding ways to organize and mobilize on big and small scales. They're working remotely and teaching remotely. Some at the same time. Backwards. And in high heels (or slippers). We're creating virtual backgrounds and virtual relationships. But for all the virtual, things feel more real. More connected and more creative. We're doing things we didn't think possibly and never knew we could. It's amazing.
So what can you create? How can you think differently? What opportunities are there for you to stretch and do something you never thought you could? Or what have you already done? I'd love to hear about it. Or help.
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