Think Inside the Box

The short and the long of this practice (Practice #6 if you are keeping score) is essentially "necessity is the mother of invention." While it is wonderful to free our imaginations by challenging and questioning the structures and strictures that contain us (and maintain us), it is also useful to force the imagination or to pry it open as the authors describe in this practice. In many real life scenarios there are real limitations that cannot be moved or rethought or made to disappear. So, in this practice, the authors propose the idea that sometimes you have to be imaginative and inventive inside the box. I think most of us, at least in our work lives if not our home lives are familiar with this. For example, planning for how you will make the rounds of family and friends during a major holiday...generally many limitations are in place and a great deal of ingenuity is required.

Consider the Imagination Playground work of David Rockwell. This concept essentially uses basic elements and lets children create there playground within the relative limits of what is provided.

Fast Company did an article on this much anticipated work last year. It is a great read. And, I think that forcing ourselves to think creatively inside of the box is a good exercise. Think about doing this for dinner, for example.

Do you ever just go to your cabinets and freezer, see what you have around that needs to be used, and create a new combination, delicious meal from it? I have over 100 cook books and cooking magazines...but guess how I prefer to cook? You got it. Select some ingredients and create something new. It is fun. It exercises my imagination...and it keeps us out of the food rut. And, yes, generally it is delicious.

More than once while thinking about this topic I am reminded that sometimes we adults need to give ourselves permission to think more like children. Have you ever watched your children play? They are completely creative, making artful use of imagination. Children are not stopped by the limits of "reality" or "practicality"...but they do think inside the box. They do play and create within limits set by their surroundings. Can you recapture your childlike love of imagining? It does require giving up some limits our adult minds have placed on us (at least temporarily). But, it is fun! Try it out. Think inside the box today and see what you can pry out of your imagination.