A quick look at creative practice
o Last week I watched my daughter swinging a yardstick in front of a full-length mirror. I thought hey, that’s creative practice! A yardstick is too light and the wrong shape but she was working on her swing and getting her game face on as we had a tee time booked for later in the day.
Did I mention that she’s competitive?
o A couple of years ago I was golfing with a friend and when my next shot was blocked out by some trees twenty-five feet away he gave me this advice. “Aim for the trees and you’ll never hit them!” So I aimed at the trees, took the shot, and blasted past them, perfect!
I think the premise behind this was that my brain would automatically calculate the variance and adjust the shot. Unless, of course, he just thought I couldn’t hit the tree. Hmmm…
Regardless, this little creative trick worked quite well for me until one day I hit a tree and the ball ricocheted back and forth in a myriad of directions before finally dropping back at my feet. Well that was it, back to the drawing board and chipping out safely from behind the trees until I came up with a better creative plan.
Creativity is so important in all that you do. It may mean the difference between getting through each day and living a life that is enjoyable and fulfilling.
Here's a similar phenomenon - have you ever played one of those video games where you're trying to ...umm... well, shoot the bad guys?! When the game presents you with one target you can probably manage.
ReplyDeleteWhen the game presents you with two targets, coming at you from slightly different directions it requires a huge effort of will to select one and shoot it! Your mind invariably selects a point midway between the two targets and you shoot at that - even though you know it's a waste of time!