Values of a Fearless Climber: Creativity

The following is an excerpt from the book:

Grow a Pair of Antlers: The Fearless Climb to Lead Your Herd

Creativity

When I was twelve years old, I entered a drawing contest for the chance at winning a $25 cash award from a “prestigious” art school advertising in a children’s magazine. The challenge was to draw my favorite of three characters, between “Tippy” the turtle, “Tiny” the mouse, or a no-name pirate. I chose “Tiny” the mouse. I meticulously copied each line and shade in the little black-and-white sketch and mailed it in with my name, address, age, and telephone number. I eagerly awaited the response to my perfectly accurate rendition of their cute little rodent. Sadly, I never heard back from them. Several months later, they published one of the drawings that won a prize. It looked nothing like the image I copied. It was a talented young artist’s creative rendition of “Tiny” with all sorts of extra lines and squiggles that were not in the original masterpiece. That was the moment I realized I was not artistically gifted. I was a logical, methodical person, not an artistic, creative one. The thought that I was not a creative being became part of my self-identity.

Twenty-five years later, I started my own consulting service. I was developing systems and brainstorming ideas and building…