Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Literacy of any kind

I'm tickled by the ever-expanding literacy dialogue. It started with reading and language/culture, then engulfed physical and is chomping on leisure. I'm curious about CREATIVE literacy - understanding, enhancing and applying creativity in our lives; at work, play and home. A session that I've had success with, Leading with Creative Intention, encourages leaders to explore and expand their leadership ability using my POPE principle - Prepare, Open, Practice and Experiment.

In one session five groups had the challenge of presenting 'skipping' routines. One group was given a long skipping rope, three were given short ropes and the last had no rope at all. All presented unique routines.


 The one with the long rope laid the rope on the floor and jumped over it while reciting a childhood nursery rhyme and falling down on the floor at the end.


The second and third collaborated by tying their ropes together and performed a synchronized swimming/modern dance type of routine, holding onto the rope in a circle.


The fourth with their rope, had two turners and the others skipped through the turning rope in a fluid routine, with only a few missed beats.


The fifth group who had no rope at all used their wild imaginations and focused on 'skipping' as they tossed a pen around their circle, skipping every second person, then expl  expla  expla  explaa ined wh wha wha what they they they were do do do do ing as they ski ski skipped their wor wor wor words.

Now how can that occur more often?
The power of our creative selves far outweighs the limitations we place on ourselves and others. By Preparing ourselves to intentionally look for unusual and creative opportunities, Opening our minds and senses to accept new stimulants and to provide and/or embrace opportunities, Practicing and playing with unique experiences so that we feel comfortable in them, and then continuing to Explore our creativity with intention, we build creative literacy.

It's time we embrace literacy in all aspects of life.
Interested in a creative literacy snackshop? Let's talk! 

Karen
www.fourward.ca 

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Moment to Movement

A snowflake falls, then another.
They look exactly alike.
On closer inspection they are different.

A leader gives individuals each a single, white piece of paper and asks them to fold it, then fold it again. They are asked to cut the top right corner, then fold it again and cut the bottom right corner. Again and again they are directed to fold and cut. The group opens their papers and all are different.

Each snowflake combines to create a blanket of snow. Piles and whisps, directed by the wind and collected by the land in formations and peaks that glisten.

All papers resemble lacy, white snowflakes that decorate the walls to celebrate winter. Together they collect to invoke an atmosphere of diversity and unity, seasonal change and annual rhythm.

One action, intentionally or not, snowballs reactions that knowingly and unknowingly impact us. The combined actions collectively generate a landscape shaped by ideas, will, experience and need.

We have the present moment; mine, yours, our neighbors, people across the world. Together they build drifts and banks, mountains and swirls of action and silence, space and focus. Our moments culminate into movements when each flake joins the other to create an atmosphere in rhythm, when the the snowplows join the charge to pile and scrape each one, clearing the way for movement.