Month: February 2017

creativity

In the pause: Built from fire

Christa Avampato

“Some women are lost in the fire. Some are built from it.” ~Michelle K.

Life can tear you down or it can build you up. Good times. Bad times. Joyful times. Sad times. Lately, it feel like the world is full of grief. I’ve had a number of moments of deep despair in the past few months. The kind of despair that wakes me up in the middle of the night, right out of a sound sleep. And despite that sadness, here’s what I know to be true: we will survive. It will be trying, frustrating, and painful. There will be times when we just won’t know how we’ll be able to get through this. Here’s my promise to myself, to you, and to the people who need us to be strong: when the tough times strike, I will remember that we are not paper but rather we are clay that is made shiny, brilliant, and beautiful by the fire that surrounds us. Hold that image in your mind and your heart, and don’t let go.

creativity

In the pause: A lesson about listening from Tupac Shakur

Christa Avampato

“If you let a person talk long enough you’ll hear their true intentions. Listen twice, speak once.” ~Tupac Shakur

Less than two months into my 2017 resolution to pause every day and really listen, I’ve learned a lot. Much more than I expected. It’s fascinating to hear what people really say, and what they don’t say. It’s surprising to me to hear the narrative that plays in my own head during certain situations. These days we are subjected to all kinds of glossy marketing, slick slogans, and catchy soundbites. To really see what’s going on, we have to take a step back. Maybe even a few steps back. Let things come into focus. Listen rather than waiting to speak.

People are very adept at elevator pitches. We’ve got biases, lens of experience that alter our point-of-view, and objectives. That’s part of being human and having this massive cerebral cortex. It’s a blessing and it’s also a curse; we often get in our own way. I’ve found the best way to combat this is to just stop and listen. It’s a highly under-rated and rare skill. Our society doesn’t reward it, but life in general does. When we listen, we make better decisions because we have richer information. When we listen, we increase our sense of focus because our perspective is more comprehensive. And this combination of information  and perspective gives us the confidence to take action. The actions I’m going to take in 2017 are beginning to take shape. They’re exciting and a little bit scary, but I can handle it.

So far on my listening tour through 2017, that’s what I’ve got. I’m looking forward to what happens next.

creativity

In the pause: The best innovation and creative processes have constraints

Christa Avampato

A canvas is only so big, a building so tall, a stage so wide, and a novel so long. The best creative projects have limits. Someone recently told me that people who work in innovation have to be comfortable with ambiguity and nebulous situations. I completely disagree. After nearly two decades of working in product development, innovation, and creative industries I can tell you that people who have an impact through innovation have to be comfortable with working within constraints.

Now, if you’re in the rare (and quite frankly, boring, at least to me) situation of not needing to have an impact, then do whatever you want. If you have all the time, money, and energy in the world, then the sky’s the limit. This article isn’t for you. It’s for the rest of us who have to operate in reality and who care about building projects that build a better world.

When I was just out of business school, I had an amazing boss, Bob G., who taught me that constraints are gifts. Now in my writing work with my Darden professor, Ed Freeman, we’re talking about how valuable the idea of limitation is when it comes to the human imagination. Constraints don’t prevent us from being creative; they actually free us. Once we have some definition, then we can let our imaginations run wild while being confident in the fact that we’re making progress.

We might be designing a product or service for a particular group of people. With that definition to the project, we can really delve into the process of discovering what this group of people wants or needs and why. That’s some of the most interesting work we can do in innovation.

Perhaps there is a specific social issue we want to tackle – ending hunger, alleviating poverty, or advocating for equality. Those goals have very different objectives and methods. To develop the most effective programs, we have to get specific about what we want to do and have a deep understanding of how what we choose to do will make a difference.

In short, to be creative and effective, we’ve got to eliminate the unnecessary so the necessary can speak. We’ve got to dampen the noise so the message can be heard. And the best way to do that is to define our limits.

So the next time you have a project in front of you that has constraints, don’t curse them. Thank them. They are there to help you focus and give you meaning. Use them wisely.

creativity

In the pause: This 5th grade basketball team in NJ exemplifies unity and equality

Christa Avampato

Need a feel-good story to fill your heart today? Here’s one. This 5th grade basketball team voted unanimously to forfeit the rest of their season because they refused to play without the two girls who are on their team. This is what unity and equality look like. So proud of these kids! Warning: you’ll need a tissue when you read the details in the article. It will bring tears to your eyes in the best possible way.

5th grade coed basketball team chooses to forfeit season instead of kicking girls off the team

creativity

In the pause: A wish for you on Valentine’s Day

Christa Avampato

“You deserve to be in spaces and relationships that make you happy; that feed your soul and help you grow.” ~Alex Elle

This Valentine’s Day, I hope that this feeling of love and respect for yourself shines through in all of your activities, all of your relationships, and all of your choices. I hope you find work that inspires you, a home that is filled with warmth and comfort, and relationships, be they platonic or romantic, that make you feel alive. I hope every day you have many moments of gratitude, and that you find a way to share your good fortune with others. I hope you find an energetic peace in your purpose, and that this purpose helps you wake up to the miracles, great and small, that surround us and are within us. And if there comes a time when things look lost, or sad, or hopeless, I hope you know that there are people who care and people who will help. I’m one of them.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

creativity

In the pause: Supporting refugee businesses

Christa Avampato

Entrepreneurial-minded friends, I read this story about Syrian refugees in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn who started an online bakery out of their small kitchen. If you are considering starting a business, I hope their bravery, resilience, and love for their work will inspire you and wipe away any sense of fear or doubt that you may have. That’s certainly what it did for me. I also just placed an order on their website at http://www.sweetrefuge.com. I feel that supporting their business is one of the best ways to help! I hope you’ll join me in supporting this new chapter in their lives.

creativity

In the pause: My Facebook feed was filled with these inspiring stories

Christa Avampato
On Saturday morning, my friends filled my Facebook feed with these inspiring, empowering, beautiful stories. If you need a boost, here are a set of links to lift your spirit. It reminded me that sharing good news is needed now more than ever:
 
Detroit health director set to make bid for governor
 
Sammy Irssak’s video “I’m Muslim and people call me a terrorist. Do you trust me? If yes, hug me.”
 
A sleeping hedgehog wakes up when he smells food
 
Artist Jason deCaires Taylor creates underwater sculptures as makeshift coral reefs to replaces the ones we’ve lost to climate change
 
The Dodo’s post about a bird who got sick, lost all her feathers and her home, and then got adopted by a kind human
 
San Francisco is the first city in the US to make college free for all residents who have lived there for a year or longer
 
A wheelchair that helps people who can’t walk stand upright increasing mobility, independence, and health
 
And an idea to make a donation to the International Rescue Committee this Valentine’s Day in honor of your love
 
And I love Ruah Bhay Yoga – Healthy Mind, Body & Spirit‘s sweet video of arm balances with her daughter riding piggyback
creativity

In the pause: When has your gut ever been wrong?

Christa Avampato

Yesterday, I was having a discussion in which I mentioned that I didn’t want my gut instinct to cause me to pass up what seemed like a good opportunity. The person I was talking to paused, and said, “Christa, when has your gut ever been wrong?” Never. My gut has never been wrong. And my biggest regrets in life happened when I didn’t listen to my gut. Sure enough, I did a little more research on the big, shiny opportunity I was considering and it has enormous ethical and financial issues that would compromise my personal values. I’ll pass on it with grace and professionalism, but pass I will. A big thank you to my very intelligent gut, and to the wise person who told me to always listen to it. Always. Message received.

 

creativity

In the pause: One of the giants of the investing world expresses concern about Trump

Christa Avampato

“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.” ~Thomas Jefferson

In my ongoing pursuit to understand the strange economic climate that Mr. Trump is generating, I read this article about non-partisan investor Seth Klarman one of the most interesting reads as of late. (Hat tip to my friend, Alex, for sending it to me.) While the societal impact Mr. Trump is having garners most of the press and public opinion, what his leadership style and actions are doing, and will potentially continue to do, to our economy makes me increasingly nervous. Mr. Klarman has communicated the same fears.

Though the journalist who wrote this piece doesn’t share the entire contents of Mr. Klarman’s letter to his investors, he pulls out some of the most salient and relevant points. One point is that Mr. Trump’s protectionist trade policies, which he dubs as “America First”, are dangerous and historically have proven to be harmful to the U.S. in the long-run. Eventually, it will drive prices higher, harm all manner of relations with countries around the globe, comprise safety, and increase interest rates and inflation. For all those voters who said their number one reason for voting for Trump was that he promised to cut taxes, Mr. Klarman also views that as a short-sighted reason. These tax cuts could ultimately harm the U.S. because they have the potential to balloon national debt with rising interest rates and cause societal unrest by growing economic disparity. Essentially, they make the poor poorer and the rich richer. And that my friends, is a recipe for revolution that has toppled leaders, and at times entire governments.

I highly recommend reading this brief article but if you don’t have time, here’s the crux of it: buckle up, keep reading and discussing to stay educated on the issues, and don’t be a bystander. To borrow Mr. Klarman’s turn of phrase, be an upstander. Democracy needs each one of us, now more than ever.

creativity

In the pause: Don’t be afraid of your great ideas

Christa Avampato

“All great ideas are dangerous.” ~Oscar Wilde

I love this quote my Oscar Wilde. If you are making big plans now, or thinking about making big plans, chances are you’re coming up against some scary realities or risky choices. It’s easy to shy away from dangerous circumstances. What if you fail? What if it doesn’t go as well as you hope it will go? What will other people think? I’m thinking about all of these things to. Despite the fear, I say we move forward anyway. Let’s do what scares us. Let’s stand in our light, speak our truths, and embrace the messiness of all our new ventures.