Category: Creativity

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Haikus And The Power Of Economy

“If I Had More Time, I Would Have Written a Shorter Letter” – Blaise Pascal 

3 lines. Seventeen syllables. Five syllables in the first and third line, seven in the second. 

This is all you need to write a Haiku. A Japanese form of poetry so terse it requires more syllables to explain than write. Yet, it took me nearly an hour to write the Haiku below:

I’ll preface this by saying that I write at a pace that makes glaciers look like Formula One cars. But still, it’s a Haiku for fuck sakes! Why did such a simple poem take so long to write? 

Paradoxically, Haikus are difficult to write because they’re simple. When the infinite expanse of an empty page narrows to the confines of 17 syllables, you have to choose every detail with care. 

When you’re robbed of the luxury of inessential words and superfluous syllables, you’re forced to pair an idea down to its most elemental form. That’s what makes this a great exercise not just for writers, but anyone who makes a living teaching or sharing ideas. 

In many cases “more” detracts from your message. Especially with the vast competition for people’s attention, it pays to express ideas in a quick, simple way. 

So get your quills and start writing. Sayōnara folks!

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Creativity As Problem Solving

“Be creative? I don’t have time for that! I’ve got stuff to do.” 

A perfectly justified response when a “woo woo” right brainer, like myself says you should be more creative. 

And look I get it… 

It’s easy to think of creativity as a luxury reserved for the rare savant, the chronically underemployed “starving artist”, or the rich kid whose parents paid their way through art school. 

But the truth is you don’t need to work in a creative field to “be creative”. Hell, you don’t even need a so-called creative hobby. 

For the more practically-minded out there I want you to think of creativity as a form of problem solving. A way to come up with an abundance of solutions for everyday tasks you face. 

For example, for my be creative and shit challenge I tasked myself to write the word “VOTE” using different objects in my apartment. 

The task itself is simple, all you need is a circular object (for the “O”) and a few parallel objects (for the “V” “T” “E”) to construct the word. 

While the task is simple, there are an infinite number of ways to complete it. This is where creativity comes in! You can use solid objects like I did with these pins:

You can cut objects into the different shapes like I did with this cucumber.

You can combine and bend elastic objects, like I did with these receipts.

These are just a few examples. There are likely hundreds of ways I could have spelled “VOTE” with the paltry possessions in my apartment.

While I chose a relatively straightforward problem to solve, the same principles apply to larger, more complex ones. The type of problems you likely deal with at home and work. And the even bigger ones we collectively face as a society. 

Creativity is an expansive act. It widens our scope of the world, and allows us to manipulate mind and matter to create possibilities which previously didn’t exist. 

This is something that can be applied to all people, in all disciplines. So whether you’re an abstract painter or an accountant, I invite you to bring a creative mindset to the problems you face.