Zebra, wildebeests & elands (the largest of the antelopes) scatter as our tiny plane lands on the dirt runway. The air is heavy & loamy after the recent rains. The sky is a whorl of mauves & grays, which will soon darken to slate as the rain starts again. The safari vehicle that takes us to our camp skids sideways in the heavy mud several times, before coming to rest beside a pack of hyenas. We watch in delight as 2 adults lope off in search of something, while other adults stay behind with the fluff ball babies.
Safaris never get old. I’m in the Maasai Mara – Kenya’s version of Tanzania’s better known sister, the Serengeti. I’m here to facilitate a client’s learning forum.
I adore the Mara – something about her wide open spaces inspires creativity, a sense of awe & wonder. As the sun has now set, & the loud calls of hippos in the river beside us have been replaced with the croaks of dozens of frogs, I reflect back on the day.
Doing more, doing better
Most of my clients are looking for ways to do better, to do more & to leave a positive impact on their communities. Part of that equation is polishing off sometimes-rusty creativity & innovation habits & skills. Why? In order to find ways to access new & creative ideas to approach entrenched, pesky &/or intricate issues.
Which is why I decided to incorporate a treasure hunt at the end of our day. Teams competed to answer the most questions correctly & for their troubles, the top four were rewarded with prizes. (lovely traditional Kenyan fabric wine covers for some & chocolates for others).
I’ve found that asking creative questions is a gateway to overall, more creative thinking.
Here are some of the questions. Give them a try (and post your answers in the comments!) I’ll provide the answers in next week’s post.
- Why are female ostriches gray & male ostriches black?
- How many sides does a circle have?
- What animal can you hear in the river by our camp (bonus points if you can imitate it) (the learning forum was at a camp – can you guess which animal kept us company in the river during the day)?
- What’s this? .
Your turn. Take action.
Here are a few fun and simple ways to get your creativity flowing.
- Assess your creativity skills through this quick assessment
- Answer the questions above, then let your mind roam – like a gate newly opened – particularly towards a situation that could use some cranked up creativity
- Still stuck? Look at last week’s post for added ways to gain a new perspective which was inspired by my real life tale of finding out my kid’s spring break started that very day & not a week later as I’d thought
- Please let me know how it goes, in the comment section below or by emailing me. I’d love to hear.
P.S. Stay tuned for next week’s post where I found the perfect response to a reader’s query about how to be comfortable in our own skin.
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