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Finding Creativity in Shades of Gray

We are in what seems to me a very gray period. No I don't mean the Northeast Ohio weather. I feel right now in society throughout the world we are seeing that the world is not black and white, rather shades of gray.

It seems for some gray is very disturbing and they are struggling to put things back into the black and white categories they feel they belong. The bickering in several states over union versus non-union a conflict between the way things "used to be" and a new way to operate. The turmoil in Middle Eastern countries where technology has created a voice for those that have embraced it versus those wanting things to stay as they've historically been. In the entertainment world we're witnessing a split between reality TV and creative programming, forcing many to seek out entertainment on their own terms through online programming not found on network or cable.

For many creatives, gray is beautiful. A black and white photo is not truly only black and white, its beauty comes in the many shades of gray and patterns and textures that stand out. The same goes for life, the practices, organizations, governments, and entertainment we've created have never easily fit into two little categories, and the variations are what keep these concepts relevant to our lives.

If I could offer advice it would be for everyone to observe the world around you with open eyes, to see the amazing variety we live with in both nature and manmade things. One experience I had that has driven my desire to spread creativity to all supports the idea that not everybody is observant of the world around them. At one place of employment, a fellow marketing employee stopped by my desk while I was away and wanted to leave me a note. Later on when I was back at my desk this person stopped by to ask a question. When I reached for my pad of stickie notes in my recycled tissue box desk caddy (chosen as a way to recycle and because the box had a beautiful pattern in a contrasting color to the cubicle around me) the fellow employee stated, "oh, there's where you keep your stickie notes, I never would have looked in a tissue box."

Sadly this person was not observing the world around them. A very limiting habit, for someone in marketing or advertising, a profession where one would especially be expected to be very observant and on the look out for new ideas. My theory is they were looking for a note caddy the black and white expected version of where a notepad should be. In doing so they completely missed the gray. An observant person attuned to looking for the possibilities in the gray, would've scanned the desk and seen the yellow contrasting color sticking out of the blue box. This habit should not just be applied to advertising and marketing professionals, but people everywhere. Find the possibilities in the impossibilities, the new path because the other has vanished.

I think we could be more understanding of people and situations if we looked at all sides of the situation, rather than trying to fit something into one of two opposing categories. Our solutions and businesses would be more productive because the solution that was not immediately obvious would be discovered in the gray. This is why all creative genres visual arts, music, literature, and performance are so important to society. Involvement and observation of the arts, allow us to open our minds to things we had not thought of. Then we can apply these thoughts to many aspects of our lives.

What an amazing amount of grays that will produce!

*Photograph: Sunlight Patterns by Janet Pahlau

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