Unleash your Creativity

I have lost track of the number of times people say ‘Think outside the box’, Think Innovatively; think creatively. What no one says is how one can do so by staying within our work & life boundaries. I have just completed reading a book ‘Steal like an artist’ by Austin Kleon. I wouldn’t say that this book is a classic like the ‘Six thinking hats’ rather it’s more like a guide to make your creative buds get down to work. The book tag line piques up the interest by claiming “10 things nobody told you about being creative”. I found it a refreshing read which emphasized on certain points related to creativity and included a few which were general gyaan for living a creative life. Let us take a quick peek into the 10 secrets for creativity and I will share my thoughts as we move along.

So, the 10 things nobody told you about being creative are:

• Steal like an artist
• Don’t wait until you know who you are to get started
• Write the book you want to read
• Use your hands
• Side projects and hobbies are important 
• Do good work & share it with people
• Geography is no longer our master
• Be nice
• Be boring
• Creativity is subtraction

Personally speaking, I found the first 3 points most relevant to the topic at hand. I used to think that one has to be original with their ideas; that Original thinking is the best way of creativity. Austin has a different view.  Jonathan Lethem says that when people call something “original,” nine out of ten times they just don’t know the references or the original sources involved. One just needs to look at Kollywood’s music directors to understand the meaning of the above sentence. Quite a many South Indian music directors (except the two legends, of-course) who had supposedly composed great music in the early 90’s have seen the world figure out their secrets with the advent of Internet. They have been quietly stealing all along (or should I say choose innovatively) from their western counterparts. Anyways, returning back to our topic, the author says that one can steal good things to begin with and gradually you begin to find your own niche. 

The second point impressed upon the fact that it’s in the act of making things & doing the work that we figure out who we are. This stands true for anything in our life. Most of us keep hoping that things will turn out better and then we keep waiting for that ‘Inspirational moment’ when things will change & we will find the purpose to our life. I had went through this phase few years back, when I was waiting for an inspiration to strike down from heavens, and Voila, I find my purpose!!! Guess what the ‘good moment’ may never come. But the good news is that ‘no matter where you are, you always have the choice to try what you want to do. Things may or may not turn out as you had envisioned but at-least you have given it a try & learnt something useful.  You never know when Inspiration might strike you all of the sudden.

The third point is to do what you like doing. When you want to be creative, the best advice is not to write what you know; it’s to write what you like. The manifesto is this: Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to  run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use – do the work you want to see done. That is the secret of success! :)

Rest all things in the book are pretty straightforward.  In the end, Austin emphasizes the fact that we become what we focus upon. It’s about subtracting as much things from your life, that you will have time to add onto things you like doing.  If you want to achieve something, subtract all the useless, time wasting activities from your daily routine. The sooner you realize this, the better your life will be.

To summarize, one quote about copying brings out the gist of the book. It’s like this - ‘Don’t just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style’. The idea is not to rip off from someone else, but understand their way of looking at the world and then through their eyes, find your vision. If one could do that, in due time you will be on your way to walk the path of creative genius!

Make the ‘creative spirit’ be with you!

PERFECT SHOW WITH Dr.Murli Nagasundaram - Creativity Imbued !!

Folks, its been sometime, we had any food for thought.,. And the time spent waiting will not be for vain.,. Its my great pleasure to have Dr.Murli Nagasundaram as a guest in the Perfect Show. Dr. Murli Nagasundaram is a consultant on creativity, innovation and design thinking in business, government, education and society. He also conducts workshops on cultural sensitivity for business success in India.

Murli has a PhD in Management from the University of Georgia, Athens, USA, a PGDM from the IIM Kolkata, and a BE from the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirapalli. In the mid-1980's, Murli helped found Collaborative Technologies Corporation in Austin, Texas, and designed a groupware product called VisionQuest. He has a passion for and involvement in the arts, design, the written word, theatre and emerging digital interactive technologies. More details on Murli at: http://about.murli.com.

The PERFECT SHOW

Guest : Dr.Murli Nagasundaram - MN
Host : Prashant Sree - PS

PS: Hello Sir. On behalf of Perfect Show readers, i welcome you to the Show.

MN: Thank You Prashant.

And here we go !!

PS: What are you passionate about in Life ?
MN: I am very passionate about Originality, Beauty, and Harmony. These things really excite me. So how does this translate into my life? I would like to play some role in filling the world with ideas and things that bring originality, beauty, and harmony to life.


PS: Thats quite different from the norm.,. And quite exciting too. As Nnamdi Azikiwe said,

Originality is the essence of true scholarship.

Creativity is the soul of the true scholar.

What have you learnt in your life( other than academics), which you would like to share with others ?
MN:That life really is much shorter than one might imagine. That there is no time to waste. And this doesn't mean one should rush through life -- one should slow down and relish every moment the way one relishes some truly tasty delicacy or intoxicating fragrance. Time is wasted when it is not lived intensely. Life is wasted when you rush through it. And it takes a while to both understand this and to find a way to strike a balance. That life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. So take in everything that is going on around you, because you have much to learn from it all. That it is good to be kind and generous to others both because there is much greater joy in giving than in receiving and because you never know when you might require someone else's generosity.


That children, especially small children, are the most beautiful and wonderful creations of this universe, and time not spent with children (one's own or those of others) is a priceless treasure lost or wasted. That all ideologies are man-made and hence highly flawed, so abandon all ideologies but keep your mind constantly awake and alive to everything around -- there is no greater teacher than nature, and what you learn from her is the only (non)-ideology you need. I could go on, but I will stop here.

PS: That was quite useful Sir. Iam sure all the readers will definitely agree with you. Now,If you are given a wish to change one thing in world, what would you change ?
MN:Doing dishes, washing and ironing clothes, cleaning out cobwebs and dust, repairing broken appliances and machines, the production of sewage and waste, air pollution -- in short, the ugly muck that is the Collective Effluence of Modern Civilisation. Gimme a magic wand to get rid of all this crap.

PS: That change is required as well.,. Who is your Favourite Mythological Hero and why ?
MN: The term 'mythology' was invented by Westerners as a pejorative term for traditions and literatures other than their own. So it is time we flung it overboard along with other such detritus from our colonial past such as 'vernacular', 'native' and 'idol'. My favourite traditional hero is Karna -- favourite in a tragic sense -- because of his utter decency and loyalty.

PS: Well, thats a new learning for me.,. No more mythology, but traditional heroes.,. :) Now,What would you like to evangelize in your life ?
MN:Constructive change, a fresh look at every aspect of life through the eyes of both hard science and traditional wisdom. Design and Innovation, simply for the joy of creating beautiful, yet functional things, and also to have a positive impact on the world.

PS:What do you consider as your charm ?
MN:It would be presumptuous for me to claim to possess any charm at all, so I hesitate to answer this. But if I reflect on what I have to offer another human being in a relationship of any kind, it is perhaps a willingness to listen deeply, empathize, find common ground and engage in something -- a conversation or activity -- that brings much joy and mirth to us and to others.

PS: Quite humble of you. What is your Thumb Rule for Success in Life ?
MN:First, there is not, and never will be, any finite set of metrics to determine whether one has achieved 'success'. 'Success' (or lack, thereof) is something one realizes in retrospect as one grows older, and the meaning and purpose of one's life gain clarity of some sort. I have learned that one has to be true to oneself. And one can discover who that 'oneself' is only by flinging oneself at every possible opportunity for varied experience in life. And the sooner you start doing that the more ground you can cover in the very limited time you have. Experience brings confusion and then clarity and then self-discovery, and thereby lights up the path one is truly destined to tread.

PS: An apt way for self-discovery !! Its like "The more i fail, the more i increase the chances of my being successful". The next question- Who have been role models in your Life and Why ?
MN: Fail often, fail early, as some like to say. Neither the terms Role Models nor Mentors could possibly truly describe the persons who have played a massive role in shaping my life. First off, is my late uncle, Dr. V. Ramachandran, the first in our family to obtain a PhD, the first to have traveled to and studied in the US, and most importantly for me, the one who brought home a set of model missiles from a visit to NASA that fired up my imagination at age 7. This eventually led to my pursuing mechanical engineering. He was also a management specialist of some sort, and that motivated me to pursue an MBA, even though I didn't even know what one was supposed to with an MBA (we were innocents then, mostly). The man had a book by Edward de Bono in his library which got me interested in creativity.


My professors, Jerry Wagner and Skip Ellis, who opened my eyes to an entirely new field I had no idea existed. My dissertation advisor, Bob Bostrom, a scholar, gentleman, philosopher, guide, and magnificent human being who gave me the space to pursue my passions. Steven Paul Jobs, Apple cofounder, and father of the Apple Macintosh computer who set my mind on fire, the searing heat of which caused me to ditch my dull, lifeless, managerial job and go off to do a PhD. I still salute the guy every day. President A P J Abdul Kalam, in my opinion, the greatest Indian in public service since Independence and a fantastic inspiration to young people who will shape India's future. If I had the wherewithal, I would hang a photograph of him in every public space to inspire Indians to rise above our petty quarrels.

PS: Quite true... Which books(atleast 3) have had an impact on your thinking as well as your attitude.,.
MN: Here are some, off the top of my head:
1. Metaphors we live by -- George Lakoff and Mark Johnston
2. Language, Thought, and Reality -- Benjamin Whorf
3. The Sciences of the Artificial -- Herbert Simon
4. The Social Psychology of Organising -- Karl Weick
5. Jonathan Livingston Seagull -- Richard Bach
6. Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid -- Douglas Hofstadter
7. Lateral Thinking -- Edward de Bono
8. The Design of Everyday Things -- Donald Norman
9. General Systems Theory -- Ludwig von Bertalanffy
10. Computer Power and Human Reason -- Joseph Weizenbaum
11. Orientalism -- Edward Said

PS: A few more questions regarding your experienced life Sir. About entrepreneurship, What do you think is more apt : "Are entrepreneurs made or born". A brief illumination will be great :)
MN:Entrepreneurship is but one manifestation of a more fundamental set of strengths and qualities that can show up in a variety of ways. Qualities that entrepreneurs possess include: high need for achievement; capacity for risk; tolerance for ambiguity; freedom from ideology; tenacity and persistence; stamina; an almost delusional belief in themselves and their futures; resilience (to bounce back from failure); an ability not to dwell on failures (I call this Constructive Amnesia); capacity to absorb criticism; belief in the importance of their pursuit; tolerance and ability to bend or break rules they don't believe in; and a lot more, besides, I'm sure. These qualities can be developed, or uncovered to some extent, but you either have a lot of it (more than some 'threshold level need to get up and act) or you don't.

Of course, there is the sticky issue of 'nature' vs. 'nurture'. Does the environment play any role? Of course it does -- notice how people who might have never risked their futures in India, become first generation entrepreneurs after they move to the US. So there are some that are in the 'beyond four sigma' outlier range who would become entrepreneurs no matter what (even in Communist China during the height of the Maoist regime), many others blossom in the right environment, a few are compelled by circumstances to turn entrepreneurial when they are left with no feasible alternatives, and a few just luck out -- right place at the right time, as in the case of many dotcomboomers. Most people probably can be entrepreneurial in a small way (for reasons of survival), but big-time risk taking entrepreneurs, it is my belief, are born, not made.

PS: Since you have had an extensive experience in Business Creativity, how do you sense the business environment changing over the coming years. In the fast paced world, when even a new technology becomes outdated in a short tenure, how can business realign themselves so as to cater to the customers need as well as innovating themselves.,.
MN: First thing -- we're no longer living in the License Permit Raj culture in which I grew up. I call that the Typewriter Economy. Did you know that when the original typewriters were created by Remington, they deliberately jumbled up the sequence of letters so as to slow down typists? -- if they typed too fast, the mechanism would get jammed. Thus, people were made to work less efficiently than they could to accommodate the inefficiency of the mechanism. That, exactly, was what India was like from 1947 onwards, and still is, to a great extent. The power of people demands to be unleashed. And to do that, we need to blow up the existing Typewriter Socio-Politico-Economic System and build a system that lets loose the innate creativity that is in everyone.

Since we now live in a globalised economy, where, if one economy sneezes, the whole world catches a cold, India has no choice but to get rid of the Typewriter System. This means big time innovation in every sector and level of business, industry, government, education, and society at large. Innovation never comes from on high. You don't have highly qualified pointy headed people who call themselves 'intellectuals' (this is a piece of nonsense that we inherited from the British; guess why the Brits are nowhere in sight in the world of innovation?) sitting in an ivory tower innovating or setting innovation goals. Innovation is a people thing -- people innovate, and organisations and societies structure themselves either to encourage and advantage of it, squelch it, or ignore it altogether.
We need to set the grassroots on fire, the way Kalam saab tells it. The flames of innovation will then engulf our nation, burning away the deadwood, and regenerating a fresh, vibrant, rich, and varied new Rainforest!

PS: That was quite insightful again Sir.Though i would very much like to go on with the questioning, one should know one's limits.,. :) The learnings which you have shared with us have provided us a perspective of life and also the importance of Creativity, art in the day to day life.,. On behalf of my readers, i would like to thank you for being a guest in the Perfect Show and wish you the very best in all spheres of life.,.
MN:Its been my pleasure to be in the Perfect Show. All the Best to you too.,.

Thats it folks, we reach the end of this edition of Perfect Show. I am sure you found it equally refreshing and invigorating.,. As always, i would love to hear your thoughts and feedback about the Show.,.

Thank You.

The Orange Girl - Part I

Hmmm, seems a pretty yummy name for a topic, Isnt ?? Permitting our imagination to spread wings for sometime, one might be tempted to assume that the Girl is orange in color. Well, thats too fanciful.

There are white girls, black girl, even yellow( when down with Jaundice), but Orange simply doesnt agree with our notion of a color of a person. Or maybe we can assume that the Orange Girl is a girl selling Oranges.,. This definitely appeals to our mind and to our imagination, but sorry to upset the ingenious find, it is much more cheerful than that. The Orange Girl, is a girl wearing an Orange dress.

Well i have been thinking about it for sometime, and i really feel that it was a divine plan that i met the Orange Girl. I tell you, it was definitely premeditated, How else can you explain the cancellation of my bus ticket and the unexpected obtainment of a railway ticket. You might be asking why the cancellation of bus ticket,for which we need to rewind back our watches for a while.

I was returning back to my college after what you can call a Vacation. It didnt go quite as one would expect on a vacation, it was boresome, mainly because of the fact that most of my friends back home, were having their exams that time.So, i was left all alone contemplating ways to kill time.

Well, i did visit few places on my own, but that damped my spirits rather than enliven it. You see where-ever i went there were lots of couples [Mostly IT people], which made matters worse. It was like adding salt to wounds. You see, you are already single and the sight of doubles, makes you look more isolated... It started a chain of thoughts in my mind about thinking on ways and reasons for me being single.

I got affected by what you can call a Single Syndrome(SS). .Now, you might ask what is a Single Syndrome. Its a kind of feeling wherein you are single and are happy about it, (for having escaped the trap), at the same time, occasionally you have bouts of times, where you regret the fact that you are single.

It has been a much widely discussed topic and we have had many discussions,back at college where we ,a dedicated group of friends who were proud to be single the pros and cons of getting stuck up with a girl. But you know deep down, there always is a soft voice crying out for your soul mate , which no matter what you tell , simply refuses to subside. So All in all, my vacation passed off with a good piece of time, being spent on musing over the Single Syndrome.

To make matters worse,the bus which i had reserved made headlines. Rather it was the route which the bus takes which made the headlines. Thanks to few people among the junta,who were unhappy with few of the regulations passed by Govt and they had protested by alighting (Read--> set fire to) a bus My parents who were very much concerned by this new development were strictly against me travelling by bus(as if the group of people were waiting to strike again in the bus which i take) and suggested me to travel by train. (As if the same kindred junta wouldnt dare to think about a-lighting a moving train, other than the fact that iam yet to see anyone who dared to stop a train by lurching ahead in its path,as they do with a bus).

I couldnt care more about the mode of travel,(still recovering from the effects of SS), atleast to please my parents agreed to go by train. Somehow i got my ticket and had to take one day extra leave as i got a ticket for monday(weekday tickets were over). I tell you again , this was another proof of premeditation.

Setting aside all matters, the important thing to note is that i was a bit fussed due to SS, and was cursing every Tom,Dick and Harry who had one. Now coming back to the moment in the train journey, i had come an hour earlier and found the station aloof, unlike during week end, where you can see a horde of people flowing here and there.

The train had come and i took my seat in the First Class Compartment. I have this habit of carrying a book whenever i travel, yet due to reasons known, i simply didnt have the mindset to read it.. So it was at this moment that the universe in all its grandeur, decided to make a move in the unexpected game , what we call life.

It was then the Orange Girl entered the train.,. I was like looking outside the window, when i felt an impulse to turn. First it was a fleeting glance. Then i turned my head again. And there i see the wondrous image.,. It was as if the Almighty had given a physical shape to your imaginations about your dream girl. I felt as if the time had slowed down and that only the two of us were the only people around. I must have lost sense of time because when i came back to my senses, there was no one at the entrance. I whirled around to see where she had gone. She was standing at the opposite entrance, looking here and there. Probably she was looking for her seat.

I had read Alladin's Story before yet Iam not sure if i had ever wanted a genie lamp as i wanted on that moment. I somehow wished that she be put up in the same cabin as mine. Images of me being the Alladin and 'her' as Jasmine, began floating in my mind.

You see it only in movies, but believe me, i had never thought that happens in real life, yet what to say, creativity has its own ways of manifesting itself.. It indeed was a sensuous experience(Imagining youself with your lady love).People have said that i very creative, but i hadnt thought much on that and havent considered myself worthy of such extolments. But lost in my pleasant reverie, i got a proof of my hidden creative talents..!!

To be continued...

Check out @ the-orangegirl-partII

A Day with an IIM Educatee !!

We are the creative force of our life, and through our own decisions rather than our conditions, if we carefully learn to do certain things, we can accomplish those goals. - Stephen Covey.

ME: Host - Prashant Sree
VJ: Guest - Vishal Jalan

Today we have a guest who has not only excelled in his professional work career, but also pursues his interest in moviemaking which made him get a nomination in Berlin Short Film Festival. It is none other than Vishal, who is now pursuing his management studies in crème de la crème Institute- IIM Indore. He is a versatile and creative individual who loves to takes initiatives and to bring innovations.He did his graduation from daiict, gandhinagar, Worked for 2 years with HP as a software engineer.

ME: Hi Vishal, I welcome you to the PERFECT show on behalf of my readers and thank you for agreeing to be a guest in the show
VJ: i feel privileged :)

ME: Thats humble of you:).,. Here we go, What r u passionate about in Life ?
VJ: I am passionate about many things in life... The most important one being looking for creativity and innovation in whatever i do... I want to bring something to this world which can affect million of people around the world for better and I strongly believe that I have in me to do so...

ME: Interesting.,. How do you do that ?
VJ: I have this knack of looking at things very differently... I always give innovative solution to problems.. my creativity is manifested by my movies... I have made around 15 short movies till date..One of them being nominated to Berlin short film festival. I also took part in bringing together IIM-Indore 360, a student portal for knowledge dissemination.

ME: Can you share something about IIM Indore 360 ?
VJ: IIM Indore 360 is a student portal of IIM Indore. 360° aims to live the vision of the institute of instilling pride in all its stakeholders by following the participatory model. We believe that every participant brings with him/her a wealth of experience and a diverse skill set. The participants at IIM Indore are actively involved in ensuring that the institute becomes a pinnacle of learning, where learning is not simply a part of life, but a way of life.

ME: I agree with you completely. Goin on to my 2nd Q, what have you learnt till now, which you would like to share with others ?
VJ: The most important lesson i have learnt in my life is that pursue things which interest you.. never go for a rat race... you'll only excel at things you enjoy doing... and are passionate about it.. if that passion and hence the interest is missing you can not succeed.

ME: Thanks for sharing that.
VJ: u r welcome :)

ME: Now you should be way different from t crowd, as some philosophers put it, Now if u can change anything in the world, what would you like to change ?
VJ: Now thats a tough one... :) I think the resources I have and the capabilities i have they tie me to certain extent and as said before...I want to give something to this world which would change the lives of many in this world.. it could be a product or an idea.. something which will reduce the divide... inequality and a world which is better.

ME: Right.,. Assuming that God gives u one wish which u can have, an specific wish of yours.
VJ: place to live in than it would be a world without boundaries... and discriminations... no racial discrimination... no castism a single world where human treats human as human.

ME: I appreciate your thoughts and t wish.,.Who is ur fav mythological or imaginary character ?
VJ: I have none.. I dont believe in them...

ME: Do you have any role models ?
VJ: I like steve jobs.. i like dhirubhai ambani... and how they could achieve wat they did but again... as i said i wont call them role models.. and i dont like this concept because by doing so you are constantly defining a domain of what you should be doing and what u can which i dont think is correct

ME: Hmmm.,. Thats a different & unique perspective.,. ;)
VJ: i strongly believe in so :)

ME: Ok, what do u want to evangelize in you life ?
VJ: Everything in my life revolves around that mission which i talked about before... and that i what i would like to be remembered for..

ME: what do u consider as ur charm ?
VJ: my confidence.. my sense of humour..my ability to understand people.. :)

ME: Talk of multi talented :) Ok, Your thumb rule for life ?
VJ: do what you like... dont do what others want you to do..

ME: Well said.,. Now, some offbeat Questions.,. since you have been a CAT Achiever ;), what do u think should be the strategy to bell the CAT ?
VJ: practice and lot of it... identify your strong areas.. fortify them... if something is weak.. dont go for correcting them unless it is major chunk in cat..for example if probability is not your forte... forget it.. instead of wasting months of time in this..strengthen other things.. no body does complete cat paper in the given time..

ME: Thanks a lot for the strategy :). Now, how do u inspire or keep oneself motivated in staying on course ?
VJ: I envision a future for myself.. i try to see myself there.. and this is wat works as the driving force..which keeps me pushing all the time..

ME: Thank you for that one..! Your favourite books till date ?
VJ: The godfather... god of small things.. the tipping point.,. freakonomics..

ME: Cool,., Thats it Vishal.,. Thanks a lot for being with us And for sharing your quite unique perspectives.,.
VJ: my pleasure :)

ME: All t best in your endeavours.,.
VJ: Thank You. :)