Every now and then, I fall into the trap of thinking that you and the other readers of this blog want me to be something I’m not: an expert.

From the very beginning, I made it clear I’m not one. It’s right there in my About Page.

Hi. My name is Ken Robert and you need to know right now that I am not an expert.

And yet I forget because I’m not always willing to admit what this blog is all about.

Strange Business

Like it or not, I’m in the inspiration business, and sometimes that embarrasses me.

It sounds so corny when I say it out loud, and yet I know it’s true.

For better or worse, I want to inspire people to start things, try things, make things and, if they so desire, to continue and finish things.

My Fear of Seeming Phony

I know how suspicious some folks are of people like me. To them, I and others like me must look like a bunch of Tony Robbins wannabe’s, an army of motivational speakers with booming voices and gleaming, white teeth.

Personally, I think Tony’s great. I believe he’s passionate and a true believer in the things he teaches.

But I’m not him. I’m Ken, and everyday I’m trying to learn how to be the best Ken I can be.

That’s one of the things this blog is about. It’s an attempt to inspire people to do their best and be their best in a way that doesn’t require them to drive themselves crazy in the process.

How Should I Be What I Want to Do?

So it’s easy to understand why I might be tempted to become an expert, but I know I never will because there are so many things I’d rather be.

That’s what I’ve been thinking about for the past week. If I am, as I say, for better or worse, in the inspiration business, then how do I intend to conduct such a business?

Here’s what I’ve decided so far. These are the:

7 Things I’d Rather Be Than an Expert

1) I’d rather be an example.

Experts tell you how to do things. Examples show you how.

For a while, I felt torn between the things I thought I was doing purely for myself and the things I thought I was doing primarily for others. I never quite knew which was which.

When I drew pictures or wrote poems, I wondered who I was drawing and writing for.

But, when I remember what my work is, it’s a moot question. My drawings and poems are for me because I love making them, and they’re for others because, by making them, I inspire others to make their own things.

2) I’d rather be a friend.

Experts hand you things. Friends offer a hand.

I know I can’t be everyone’s BFF, but I can be a friend to anyone who needs one when the opportunity arises. A single exchange on Twitter or via email might be all a person needs and our paths may never cross again. So be it.

Understanding this helps alleviate the guilt that sometimes comes with realizing I can’t maintain deep, ongoing relationships with everyone who crosses my path. The truth is I don’t have to because people don’t require it.

Most people I meet will just need a friend for a moment, someone who can lend a helping hand or offer an encouraging word. More often than you might think, it’s possible to provide that, even to a stranger.

3) I’d rather be an advocate.

Experts promote themselves. Advocates promote others too.

One of the things I really love about blogging is the opportunity I’ve been given to showcase the genius of others. It’s the reason I started writing my 5 Cool Things posts.

I can’t do everything. I don’t know everything. No one can or does, but the world is filled with amazing people who can do a few things quite brilliantly or who know an incredible amount of information about some very interesting topics.

And one of the things I’ve discovered that I can do is point you to them and show you what good company you keep as a resident of planet Earth.

4) I’d rather be an explorer.

Experts have all the answers. Explorers have all the questions.

I’m just as curious as you are. I want to know what works. I want to know if there’s a better way to do things.

To find that out, I have to keep searching. I have to keep asking questions. I have to keep exploring.

When I find something, I like to pass it along, but it doesn’t end there. You have to try it out for yourself. You have to ask your own questions, conduct your own experiments, and apply your own experiences.

Digging for answers is far more interesting than dispensing them. I’d like to dig beside you.

5) I’d rather be a collaborator.

Experts give instructions. Collaborators give suggestions and welcome yours.

Not everything that works for me will work for you. I sometimes think I should I have a category called For What It’s Worth. (For what it’s worth, I found this helpful. For what it’s worth, this got me through a rough patch.)

Almost all the things I share here are just opinions, suggestions, and ideas. You have some of your own. I’d like this to become a place where we can share them and see what we come up with.

6) I’d rather be an artist.

Experts distribute. Artists create.

This is, at least in part as the name would suggest, a blog about creativity. I’ve said it so many times, you’re probably sick of hearing it. Creative people, artists, make things.

I want to make things: beautiful things, meaningful things, and, yes, even silly things.

I want to spend more time doing so in the days ahead, and I’d like to share the experience with you. I hope you’ll do the same.

7) I’d rather be a human being.

Experts are often found on mountain tops. Human beings are everywhere you are.

My best work, I believe, is always my most honest. I try to show you as much as I can, because I think we have a lot in common.

If I can share my excitement and fear, my joy and sorrow, my triumphs and failures with you, then you’ll know you’re not alone, that you’re not the only one traveling the hills and valleys and encountering the obstacles of life’s terrain.

I’d Rather Do My Work

So that’s how I see my work and how I plan to do it. I aim to inspire. It’s not corny; it’s my business.

Are you getting all the Quiet Inspiration you need? Subscribe to Quiet Inspiration, the Mildly Creative Newsletter. You can also subscribe to these blog posts via RSS feed or by Email.

I don’t know about you, but I love it when art and science dance together. I’m really looking forward to this upcoming movie, The Heart is a Drum Machine.

Check out the trailer:

Link to the video: The Heart is a Drum Machine

Are you getting all the Quiet Inspiration you need? Subscribe to Quiet Inspiration, the Mildly Creative Newsletter. You can also subscribe to these blog posts via RSS feed or by Email.

It’s cleanup week here at Mildly Creative. I’m rethinking categories, repairing links, polishing up my sidebars, and so forth. I’m trying to be a little more reader and search engine friendly before I move ahead.

In the meantime, you might enjoying reading some of my posts from the past. I’ve selected one from each month since I began the blog in May of last year. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.

10 Posts from the Past

May 2009: Make Today Your Grand Opening

June 2009: The Lousy Service at the Idea Cafe

July 2009: Take a Break from Being Excellent and Become Something More

August 2009: What’s Fun Got to Do With It? What Mary Poppins Was Trying to Tell Us

September 2009: The Top 10 Ways to Ruin a Good Idea

October 2009: Persistence for Writers – Stand Up Seven Times. Sit Down Eight.

November 2009: Why You Absolutely, Positively Have to Share Your Gifts

December 2009: Too Much Information – A Mildly Creative Poem

January 2010: The Wisdom of Wite-Out – How to Make Something New By Taking Something Away

February 2010: 7 Playful Ways to Overcome Your Page Fright

Are you getting all the Quiet Inspiration you need? Subscribe to Quiet Inspiration, the Mildly Creative Newsletter. You can also subscribe to these blog posts via RSS feed or by Email.

Today just has that feel about it. I can tell it’s going to be a cool one, so why not add to the coolness with another round of 5 Cool Things?

Cool Thing #1: 7 Ways to Do Great Work

Michael Bungay Stanier, creator of the popular 8 Principles of Fun video, has done it once again. He’s opened up his Box of Crayons and colored outside the lines in order to help us think differently about the work we do.

Stanier says there are three types of work: bad work, good work, and great work. Of course, it’s the latter he thinks we should be focusing on, and he’s put together a nice presentation of 7 ways to do so, most of them counterintuitive.

Check them out and start thinking about your work in great new ways.

The Presentation: 7 Ways to Do Great Work
The Presenter: Michael Bungay Stanier

Cool Thing #2: The Ta-Da List

Lisa Sonora Beam, author of the fabulous book, The Creative Entrepreneur, is a most colorful guru when it comes to getting unstuck. Recently, she posted a gem on her blog about the importance of giving ourselves credit for what we’ve accomplished.

We have a tendency to look at our to-do lists and note all the things we’ve yet to check off. Lisa’s asking us to turn that upside down and put together what she calls a Ta-Da List, a proud record of all the things we’ve started, finished, and put out into the world.

Read more about this terrific idea and give yourself a well earned pat on the back.

The Exercise: The Ta-Da List
The Inventor: Lisa Sonora Beam

Cool Thing #3: Idea Paint

A coworker once told me about a rather creative study technique his father used in law school. He wrote all his notes on the walls of his room.

The night before an exam, he would simply pace around and let the walls speak to him. Afterwards, he would paint over his notes and start anew.

That idea always captured my imagination, but the lazy man in me hates that kind of painting, never mind the repainting.

Then someone told me about Idea Paint. Basically, it turns any surface into a white board, which means you can write and draw on it, then erase it when you’re ready to start over.

It’s a little pricey, but not that bad when you consider the fact that one coat will do ya. I plan to order some soon, and I’ll show you how I’m using it once I do.

Take a look for yourself.

The Product: Idea Paint
The Inventors: John Goscha, Jeff Avallon and Morgan Newman

Cool Thing #4: Avalanches of Fun with Old LPs

The members of The Avalanches, an Australian electronic music group, stumbled upon stacks of old LPs while searching for musical instruments in junk stores.

Then an idea was born. They started sampling and remixing the audio from those old recordings to create something completely new.

The results are hip, fun, and entertaining. Here’s one of their most popular creations, Frontier Psychiatrist. Enjoy.

The Album: Since I Left You
The Band: The Avalanches

Cool Thing #5: Charlie and the Planner Factory

When I began this journey, time simply wasn’t a factor. I was wandering, meandering, and exploring. It was delicious.

But now I’m entering an equally delicious phase, one where I have some real objectives. I’m ready to take what I’ve discovered and do something with it.

It’s time for time management. Luckily for me, I’ve befriended Charlie Gilkey, the mastermind behind ProductiveFlourishing.com.

Charlie is a creative person’s kind of productivity expert, and he’s put together some amazingly easy-to-use planners that he offers on his website. I’m currently trying out the free ones and finding them most helpful. I’m sure it won’t be long before I pony up for the premium versions.

You might like them too.

The Planners: Productive Flourishing Planners
The Man Behind Them: Charlie Gilkey

Cool.

You stay cool now, ya hear?

Are you getting all the Quiet Inspiration you need? Subscribe to Quiet Inspiration, the Mildly Creative Newsletter. You can also subscribe to these blog posts via RSS feed or by Email.

“I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’ve already asked you to find the magic in your world. Now I’m asking you to look for the magic in yourself, to find the wizard within.

I’m learning that I possess magic powers I once overlooked.

I’ve always had the power to make people laugh, especially small children. I do pretty good imitations of Patrick and Squidward from Sponge Bob Square Pants.

I also give affection with ease, a power passed down to me by my father who was a real master.

And recently I’ve gained the power to see things I never saw before, approach things from odd angles, and make two seemingly unrelated objects fit together.

You possess your own unique powers, and, as Uncle Ben told Peter Parker (Spiderman), “with great power, there must also come great responsibility.”

You have a responsibility to identify, develop, and use your powers to the world’s benefit.

If you’ve been counting yourself short, stop it. Spend some time today taking stock of what you’re good at and deciding how you’re going to use it for both your own good and the good of others.

And if you don’t mind, share what you find in the comments section below. Naming your powers can help others name their own.

Think, Draw, Write.

Are you getting all the Quiet Inspiration you need? Subscribe to Quiet Inspiration, the Mildly Creative Newsletter. You can also subscribe to these blog posts via RSS feed or by Email.