This post doesn't have a title... (yet) until it came to me.
An exploratory article on unsent, still being perfected thoughts, songs, or movie plots, or innovative ideas at work
Hello everyone, happy Sunday or happy Monday, depending on where you’re receiving this from!
As you know, I’ve been dedicating Sundays to Pop Culture references, so at Innovation from Within there’s a weekly post connecting a lesson or key takeaway to inspire you for the week ahead regarding how to get more innovative, creative, or disruptive at work (or wherever you want to apply this!). And today, I hope, we continue with that mission.
This post, “This post doesn’t have a title (yet)” seems unfinished, right?
Well, sometimes, you need to ramble, walk, digress, or like they say in German… do an Exkurs. I like this word, because in Portuguese, we say Excursão for school field trips, and who didn’t enjoy those back in the day? I could barely sleep with all the excitement the day before a field trip!
Was this a literary Exkurs just now? Yes, so let’s go back to the point.
First things first: a small celebration to share with all of you! There’s 100 of us. 100+ readers, innovators, creative change-makers (thanks for inspiring me to use that term already from the very start!) that want to innovate at work, learn how to do it in an easy to digest way, to get the best examples, ideas and inspiration to change how they work. As you get on reading these twice a week posts, I hope that you keep on growing. The exchanges we have here truly make it an inspiring thing!
Want to join the crowd? There’s space for you too:
Deadlines and Blocks: where are you when inspiration comes to you?
Have you ever been at a point in life where you have a deadline, something you need to bring to fruition, and you’re not procrastinating, but you’re just… stuck? Writers call it Writer’s Block. But what about musicians? I don’t know, and in order not to procrastinate, I won’t google it.
The first movie I watched in the cinema this year, back in January, was She Came to Me, and that’s what I’m bringing to you today.
I highly recommend you to watch this trailer before I talk about the movie.
She came to me is a very unexpected romantic comedy that follows Steven Lauddem (Peter Dinklage), a composer grappling with a creative block. His past attempts had not been so successful, which might be adding more stress to the process to create his comeback opera. While his wife Patricia (Anne Hathaway) is cleaning (you’ll understand that she’s a psychiatrist with OCD), he eventually rants again about not having inspiration, and his wife urges him to walk and let inspiration come to him.
During this quest, he meets Katrina (Marisa Tomei), a tugboat captain with a problematic past regarding romantic entanglements. Their unexpected encounter leads to a brief affair, which reignites Steven's creativity, allowing him to finish his opera. However, this connection sets off a series of dramatic events that affect not only Steven and Patricia's marriage but also intertwine with the lives of Patricia's son, Julian, and his girlfriend, Tereza, as they navigate their own relationship challenges.
Blocks, Creativity and Innovation from a Need
Innovation and creativity often thrive when we embrace the challenges of “blocks” rather than resist them. Hitting a mental wall can feel frustrating, but it’s often a signal to step back, reflect, or approach the problem from a different angle.
Just like Steven in She Came to Me found his spark by stepping away from his desk and into the world, we too can uncover breakthroughs when we loosen our grip on the outcome and allow space for unexpected ideas to surface.
Whether it’s through a walk, a conversation, or a new environment, stepping into the unknown often leads to those “aha” moments that can change everything.
And at work, that means sometimes allowing others to join the conversation. In coding, we have the Rubber Duck, where you explain what you’re facing to the rubber duck, and a lot of times, you’ll find the (digital, technical, not-eatable) bug.
Creativity isn’t just about the final product, but consider the process itself too! When you welcome creativity in how you’re leading the meetings, asking for help, or brainstorming, it can really do wonders to what you’re doing.
Creativity at work can be messy, nonlinear, and, at times, uncomfortable. Innovation requires patience and a willingness to work through the discomfort of not having answers immediately. The key is to reframe blocks not as failures but as part of the creative journey. Sometimes the best insights come when we shift our focus away from the goal and immerse ourselves in the act of exploration: whether that’s diving into a new perspective, tackling a different project, or, as Steven shows us, finding inspiration in the unlikeliest of places.
Because:
The best ideas come out of a need the majority of the times. I’m talking: cars, spoons, anything. They had a very specific needs, they weren’t invented for invention purpose. And innovation, as much as invention, sticks and endures when it is a need. So let your needs run your creativity.
The best ideas come when you’re just doing something else, so if you don’t know what to do, maybe try getting distracted in a conscious way: let your mind wander while you’re walking (your dog).
So this week, consider: what can you do to welcome creativity, to welcome a new way of looking at a problem and finding a potential solution. From drinking at a bar and eventually finding yourself in a tug boat, to just running a meeting in a more creative, ideation-welcoming way, you can do it!
This one is short for today! There’ll be a part two on Wednesday about this, stay tuned!
Remember: creativity is like a tugboat: it might not always be pretty, but it sure knows how to pull you through murky waters!
Enjoy your week ahead!
I think just telling yourself that you are open to inspiration is what does it. And when you notice something and allow it to propagate in your mind, then it becomes easier the next time until eventually, you can't do a thing without wanting to take notes so you don't forget.
A song lyric, an idea from an overheard conversation, an advert on the side of a bus, something your kid said.
There are ideas everywhere if we just open our eyes to them. They can't all be Eureka! Moments but the more you're open to them, the more you'll have.
"Whether it’s through a walk, a conversation, or a new environment, stepping into the unknown often leads to those “aha” moments that can change everything." - exactly. Personally, I have always felt a shift in surroundings can create a change in mindset, which can be a boon for creativity!