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This is a transcript from my “Story Slam” presentation for IDEO U. It’s an excerpt from my longer talk.  I’ve wanted to give this talk for years!!! Actually, it’s been percolating since I first began teaching. I thought about all my favorite things and realized that I could use my love of Star Wars to […]

GOONIES NEVER SAY DIE!

I’m a child of the 80s… which also coincided with the best childhood adventure movies of all time like The Star Wars Trilogy, Raiders of the lost Ark, ET and the goonies.

The Goonies has continued to resonate with me. I love the sense of adventure and the end result of the kids saving the day. I literally was chunk, my friends made fun of me in the same way and I was overweight and naïve.

Yogi was known for his, yogi-isms, sayings that Resemble the truth. Its this truth That informs what I mean by second shots. If I was the motto if it first you don’t succeed try, try again. This is the creative process in a nutshell. Sure there are windows of time that stop for no one. We do physically outgrow things. Here comes a time in each of our lives where our bodies physically can’t do what they once did. Even our faces change every seven years.

I grew up A Yogi-ism fan because of my grandfathers deep appreciation for him and the New York Yankees. He often respond with it ain’t over til it’s over when times looked tough. So much so to this day I love that saying and It’s message of hope. To my grandfather’s chagrin, I chose the Mets as my team. And as a fan, I never want to walk out of the game early. That extended to leaving a movie, play or lecture Because you never know what you may mess even if it’s not good. The worst Broadway musical I ever saw which was written by a favorite performer, Harry Connick Jr, was a disaster, but even within that disaster, I watched the brilliance of a star being born in Norbert Leo Butz.

I think of anyone Who wants to share their ideas, their talents and their creative genius with the rest of the world as a creative. That’s right I said genius.I believe that everyone has an innate creative genius, a super power if you will that is specific to them. It’s an energy that they can feel. It drives them. Whether or not they choose to embrace it or use that power for good is a different story. 

The creatives I work with embrace this energy. 
Creatives want to share their ideas with the world. These ideas take many forms like books, scripts, talks, products, businesses, new ideas and policies.

Creatives are courageous. 
It takes courage to express oneself completely. Especially if the idea is new or ahead of its time.

Creatives are vulnerable. 
When Creativity is shared, it is open to other peoples opinions and critiques whether fair or not.