This book is split into two sections as you will see from flipping

through the pages. Part one is the story of how creativity helped
save my life. Part 2 is the practical action steps you can use dai-
ly to find and nurture your own creative superhero. Just like this
book, the creative process has many angles, many sides, and
many surprises. My promise to you is this:

If you do the provided creativity challenge, as well the CREATE

morning routine, daily for 30 days, you will transform your life in
ways you could never have imagined.

My goal with this book is to share with you the tools and stories
I have used to find my inner creative superhero. Creativity tru-
ly did save my life and this book is my gratitude prayer to it. My
hope is that it adds value to your life and sparks a creative inferno
inside you that changes the way you look at the world around you.
Copyright © 2017 by Adam Wilber

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except where
permitted by law.

The information provided herein is stated to be truthful, in that any liability, in terms of
inattention or otherwise, by any usage or abuse of any policies, processes, or directions
contained within is the solitary and utter responsibility of the recipient reader. Under no
circumstances will any legal responsibility or blame be held against the publisher for any
reparation, damages, or monetary loss due to the information herein, either directly or
indirectly.

The information herein is offered for informational purposes solely. The presentation of the
information is without contract or any type of guarantee assurance.

Edited by Keira Faer

Cover Design by Adam Wilber
Layout and Graphic Design by Branden Wolf

Adam Wilber
2017

Printed in the United States of America

This book is dedicated to the most important and beautiful things I’ve
ever co-created: my children, Carter Blake and Alina Malia.

I wish nothing more than for you to go through life knowing your true
worth. Never allow another’s perception of you alter your actions or
motivations. I love you both with every ounce of life I possess.
 CONTENTS
C reativity Is…
Finding Creativity

The Spark

The Creative Ritual

What Worked For Me

Realizing Magic
CREATIVITY
The Magic Formula
“Creativity is
contagious.
Pass it on.”
– Albert Einstein
C reativity is … an integral thread, woven were tapped into their own creativity, openly
tightly into the fabric of our society. The sharing their passions with the world.
struggle is the manner in which creativity
has been advertised and skewed to appear in- “Technology is rapidly changing the global
accessible, as though meant only for the gift- workforce,” says Elon Musk, chief executive
ed elite, or those born with a specific genetic officer and founder of Tesla, SolarCity, and
ability. And while scientists have discovered SpaceX. As there will most likely be more and
that about two percent of the human race is more job losses due to foolproof, automated
born with a specified type of creativity, that machinery over the next twenty years or so,
in no way suggests that creativity is limited the only surefire way of securing income for
to that two percent. I don’t believe so, any- yourself is to become an expert in the one
way. Though it may be a bit of a mystery, thing that can’t be automated: creativity.
creativity is absolutely everywhere, found in
each and every one of us. Dallas Mavericks owner and Shark Tank
judge Mark Cuban notes that “automation
All we have to do is find it, harness it, and ap- is going to cause unemployment, and we
ply it to our lives. With all the technological need to prepare for it.” Musk often speaks
advancements, we need creativity more than on this point as well: he believes that com-
ever. The individual experience is something puters, intelligent machines, and robots are
no technology or automation can conquer. the workforce of the future. As more of our
This is because creativity is an essential, enig- jobs are replaced by these technologies,
matic piece that contributes to the puzzle of there will be less and less work for us to do.
who we are. It’s human, and random enough He foresees that humans will eventually
to exist outside of technology’s advances. receive sustaining payments from the gov-
ernment while they focus their energies on
The harnessing of creativity will only grow other areas, such as creative endeavors. This
in importance as technology continues to automation will offer us opportunities for
develop and transform our society. Thus, we more complex and interesting interactions
need to prioritize creativity so our children with the world, and will usher in a new kind
can access and incorporate it from the start. of workforce: one that is built around the
Just imagine how phenomenal our society individual and the creative!
would be if it was fueled by individuals who

2
By focusing on becoming a super creative book, Thinkertoys, “Once you believe you
person, your mind becomes your talent. All are creative, you will begin to believe in the
you will need to manifest success for your- worth of your ideas, and you will have the
self is … yourself. You can create what you persistence to implement them.” He goes on
desire, and I want this book to show you why to say, “the artist, after all, is not a special per-
and how this is all possible. son; every person is a special kind of artist.”

Plus, just imagine how incredible and im- We all spin magic from what we see, feel, and
pactful this surge of creative energy could be experience in the world around us. The goal
for our world, especially if it stemmed from of this book is to showcase just how each and
epicenters across the globe! What I’m speak- every individual is a creative. I want to lead
ing of is the beginning of a global creative you back to a fundamental part of who you
revolution. And I don’t think it’s too far out are, using the wisdom I’ve found in my own
on the horizon. journey with creativity.

I have split this book into two parts to mirror After you open yourself up to the idea that
how the creative process unfolds. The cre- you already possess limitless creativity, you
ative process consists of two equally essential need to ready your mind to exist within a
pieces: mental effort and physical stamina. If playful mentality, where absolutely every-
you’re not in the right headspace, creatively thing you feel, touch, or experience could
speaking, then the physical will never come turn into art. Then, once you’ve opened your-
to fruition. And even if you are in the right self to the creative and playful sides of your-
headspace, but don’t follow through on turn- self, the physical side takes hold, producing
ing those ideas into reality, you won’t have art. Beautiful, potentially life-altering art.
anything to show for your efforts. Just like Your art.
anything else in life, the balance is key.
But art takes on so many forms. Though
The first step in this process is convincing your creations may take shape as a poem,
yourself that you are creative. And believe painting, or song, creativity is not limited
me, you are a creative individual. We each to writing, fine art, and music. Creativity is
have an innate ability to transform our real- more than just art… heck, art is more than
ities. Michael Michalko says in his incredible just art! It can take shape as a product that

3
you create, patent, and sell, or it could be
a new way of thinking about communication. It
could be a fresh perspective on relationships, or merely the
new way in which you structure your day-to-day life. Creativity is
found wherever we take it; art is found wherever we make it!

This brings me back to the book layout. The white-covered side encour-
ages your mind, whereas the black covers the actionable techniques
and steps that you can take to practice your creativity. Please delve
in and trust yourself, as well as your own creativity, as you absorb
what I have to say. My promise to you is that I have poured my
heart and soul into these pages in an effort to help its readers
find their most creative self, and in turn live their most
fulfilling and passion driven lives. Put these words to
use and I promise you will surprise yourself with
how far your own creativity will take you in
your life’s journey.

4
Finding Creativity one of the biggest hurdles that I faced when
trying to express my creativity. I still strug-
gle with this. This tendency to worry about
C reativity is a conception that has elud- what others think has hindered me time
ed scientists for eons. Where does it come and time again, prohibiting me from truly
from? Are only some gifted with it? Do expressing myself.
muses whisper secrets in our ears to create
what has not yet been seen? I think that our I hear from people all around the world
minds are constantly swimming in creativ- who tell me that they just aren’t the creative
ity. All we need to do is embrace what we type.” To that, I always reply with a po-
already possess, learn how to recognize it, lite, but firm, “Bullshit!” We are all
and grab onto it! creative, all the time, and we don’t
even recognize it! Whenever we
We are meant to innovate, grow, expand, expand our beliefs or enrich our
develop, and change the earth. We create minds with new information,
instinctively. And that’s what I want each of we are actively being creative.
you to remember: how creativity flows in our You must first convince your-
veins and propels our lives forward in unex- self that you are creative. If you
pected and exciting ways when we are open don’t believe it, then it will never
to it! be your reality. By getting out of
your comfort zone and not giving a
We don’t have to fear creativity or feel that shit about what others think of your
we can’t possess it. There is no barrier to work, and by being vulnerable enough
creative expression. As I said, creativity has to give into yourself and share your passion
been restricted to include only select forms with the world, you can live your life in the
of artistic expression developed by and from most fulfilling way.
members of the ruling elite. This idea is
damaging to the rest of us because it caus- I’ve thought long and hard about when my
es us to detach from a very intrinsic part of first dance with creativity took place and I
ourselves, due to the fear that our creations think it all stems back to the time I saw mag-
won’t be respected or appreciated by others. ic for the first time.
Nobody wants to put their heart into some-
thing only to be told that it sucks. This was The first time I ever felt the power of magic

5
was when I was only six and living in Ha- As I watched him do this, my mind began
nover, New Hampshire, with my dad and to race. I started to consider the idea that
sister. I was at a friend’s house, hanging out he might try to do the trick with his sleeves
and acting a fool, like any other six-year-old, rolled up to throw me off! If he could do
when my friend Jimmy showed me a trick: that… well, then, everything that my six-
an old classic called the Silk Vanish. year-old self knew and understood about the
world would be flipped-turned upside down,
First, he showed me his hands. They were to say the least! I knew that there was no way
empty. Then, he showcased a little, red silk he was going to make the thing vanish with
scarf. He proceeded to stuff the scarf his sleeves up. But I watched patiently, my
into his fist, and then he snapped doubting eyes darting over him as I waited
his fingers. Poof! The silk van- in angst for the grand reveal.
ished. I was in awe. And then he
continued the trick. He snapped At that point, life as I knew it was over, and
his fingers again, and the silk now… I had found magic.
returned!
Well, of course I asked him—let’s be hon-
Now, I’m sure many, if not est, I begged him—to teach me how the trick
most, of you have seen this worked. And wouldn’t you know it: the lit-
trick. I hadn’t, but as intrigued as tle punk refused to show me the trick. I was
I was by it, I wasn’t fooled. I knew friggin’ furious! Yet, I felt more alive and full
there was a “trick” to it. I immedi- of awe than ever before. I was determined to
ately called out my thoughts on the find out how Jimmy had done it.
method. “That’s easy. It went up your sleeve,
and then you just pulled it back out of your The next day, I approached my dad, and he
sleeve to make it come back.” happily took me to the bookstore after school
to look for some books on magic. I found a
My friend Jimmy, however, was ready for book called The Klutz Book of Magic. I re-
my retort. He gave me a half-smile and then member sitting there in the store, hunched
proceeded to roll up his sleeves very slow- up over the book, flipping furiously through
ly and carefully. He illustrated in a no-non- it in the hopes that I would find something—
sense manner that there were no devices or anything—about a silk scarf vanishing trick.
hidden scarves. Finally, after seeming to start a small fire

6
from the speed of my fingers as they ripped was blown, and she begged me to teach her
through the pages, I found the trick I was the trick, just as I had begged Jimmy. Like
looking for at the very back of the book. My him, I stood my ground and refused to tell.
blood began to surge, and my heart started It was so empowering! And especially so for
racing while I sat there, barely moving as I my six-year-old self.
absorbed the secrets to the impossible. Here
is where my creative spark was ignited. Here After a few more practice sessions in front of
is where it all began for me. Other people the mirror, I had finally mustered up enough
may have scoffed, said “whatever,” and gone courage to show my dad the trick. I walked
on their merry way without thinking twice out into the living room where he was watch-
about the trick. But for me, this was every- ing TV, and asked him if he would like to see
thing. Only one day before I found myself some magic.
in the bookshop, unearthing the secrets that
were to become my destiny, I had been con- As graciously as ever, he accepted my offer,
fronted with something that made me ques- and I then proceeded to work through the
tion all reason. motions and movements that I had just prac-
ticed, doing my absolute best not to let my
Since I couldn’t afford the book, I read it cov- excitement get the better of me. As I opened
er to cover while my dad and sister occupied my hand to show that the silk had vanished, I
themselves. It was lucky for me that they did, could see the pride mingled with surprise, ex-
because there was no way they could pull citement, and confusion all showcase them-
me away from that book until I was good selves on his face. I had totally fooled him! I
and satisfied. On my way out of the store, I became so excited in that moment that my
made a snap decision to “borrow” the little hands began to shake, and I had to quickly
contraption that was necessary to make the bring the silk back before asking him if he
silk vanish, as it was so neatly (and so acces- knew how I had done it.
sibly) tucked inside the book I was reading. I
knew it was wrong to do, but I couldn’t help “It went up your sleeve,” my dad pronounced
myself! My curiosity had gotten the better of in a matter-of-fact tone, echoing my own
me. I went home to practice the trick I had sentiments. Like father, like son. I, of course,
learned until I perfected it. then pulled a “Jimmy” by slowly and me-
thodically rolling up my sleeves to show the
First, I showed my sister. BOOM! Her mind trick again.

7
BOOM! I opened up my hands, and again, the der? Can you envision yourself in a situation
scarf was gone. It was at this moment that where all you want to do is learn and absorb
I saw true astonishment upon my father’s everything about it?
face—for the first time in my life.
Seeing a successful magic trick performed in
Wow! My dad is baffled, I thought, as I stood front of your eyes almost forces you to slow
frozen in awe. This was the best moment of down and pay attention to what you might
my life. I felt so full, and experienced such be missing. Just as Ferris said on his infa-
a surge of wisdom, power, and desire to har- mous day off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you
ness untapped secrets. The feeling was elec- don’t stop to look around once in a while, you
trifying. All of a sudden, I found myself ob- could miss it.” Well, magic moves fast, too. If
sessed with magic, and began spending all of you don’t give the trick your full attention,
my time thinking and learning about it. it’ll get you, and you’ll miss it.

Over the course of the next twenty-some This same thing goes for all creative endeav-
years, I continued to practice, perform, learn, ors. When we find our interests ignited, we
and create magic. And I have no intention of focus our attention, and dig in to the wonder
stopping anytime soon. of what we don’t yet comprehend. It is when
we dig our feet into life like this that we’re re-
That moment in my childhood set me on the ally living. Our creativity allows us to live in
course for the rest of my life. I didn’t know it the moment shamelessly, consumed by our
all then, and I couldn’t expect myself to have own concocted version of reality.
understood, but this was my passion. Some-
times we just live our lives with passion with-
out ever labeling or recognizing what it is.

And that is something I want you to consider

and remember. What is it that drives you for-
ward? It could be anything at all. As you con-
sider what this could be, go back and try to
recall what electrified your curiosity—what
sparked an interest inside of you. Do you re-
member the last time you felt full of won-

8
The Spark Creativity is a state of play, and is only pos-
sible when the mind is open to it. The dictio-
nary defines play as: “engage in activity for
C reativity is not talent. Talent is an innate the enjoyment and recreation rather than a
ability, but creativity is a mere manner of op- serious or practical purpose”. This is not to
erating. Unlike talent, which is particular to say that to get your mind into a creative state
each individual, creativity is in us all. We sim- you must only do so for recreation and with-
ply have to get ourselves into the right frame out purpose but rather that you must be able
of mind for the creativity to flow naturally. to put your mind into a space it can play like
Creativity is completely unrelated to abili- a child with any, and all the ideas it dreams
ties or intelligence. Creativity is emotional, up. Don’t let being an adult block you from
aware, and receptive. Creativity is alive, as your ideas and the journey they will lead you
though it has a voice of its own! on. While in your creative mode you can’t
worry about what others think of your cre-
ative process or it’s end outcome, you must
be OK to just play.

We must relinquish our stronghold on the

realities of our lives to allow the playful state
to come through. You see, “stress and creation
do not sustain one another.” John Cleese, one
of my sources of inspiration when it comes
to creativity, shared this idea during one of
his speeches as a means of encouragement
to others in letting their creativity flow.

The spark of inspiration comes most often

when we are in this state of play. This is ex-
actly why so many artists consider them-
selves “dreamers.” They spend most of their
lives in this constant state of play, where
they remain somewhat separated from real-

9
ity. However, constant playtime can be quite the time when they should’ve stopped the
detrimental when one has to face the reali- criticism to make way for the confidence.
ties of everyday life. So, I am most certainly
not saying that you should hop in your car, Not that I’m one to talk. I let far too much
throw your responsibilities out the window, time pass me by before I fully embraced
and drive forward without direction. Rather, my own creativity. I lived the life of a drift-
to reach this playful mindset, find a method er until I was about thirty. I was spending
or ritual that allows you to transition from my time smoking herb, partying, and not
this play-state to a more responsible state really sinking my teeth into anything in the
of focused attention easily. The balance be- world around me. Though I was always cre-
tween the two is key. ating magic tricks and routines to show my
friends, I never really considered myself cre-
In releasing our fears and anxieties, we be- ative. I didn’t even think of myself as intelli-
come our true selves. When we allow vital gent. I didn’t feel that I had much purpose
life energy to flow through us, and we re- at all, outside getting by in the day to day. I
frain from getting in its way, there can be was not fulfilled, and deep down, I was feel-
no tension, and thus, nothing blocking us ing that tug for something more. I’m sure I’d
from our potential. When we allow life to been feeling that tug for years in some way
happen to us, and we can meet it with joy, or another, but now it was speaking up, and
grace, happiness, gratefulness, and most im- at a volume I could hear.
portantly, creativity, we no longer find our-
selves blocked by the fears and anxieties that Then, a short time after I turned thirty, I felt
inhibit positive momentum. We find a more the spark: the spark of inspiration and inner
natural flow that applies to every aspect of confidence. It surged through me, but in a
our lives! subtle way, as though a soft voice was urging
me forward.
We need to be open when pondering our pos-
sibilities; but we are only efficient when we Some soul searching led me to ask myself
commit to the choices we make. This is where the more difficult questions, like what I
many who call themselves creatives make a wanted to do, what my primary motivations
wrong turn. They continue with openness were, and where my passion was. I also asked
and self-doubt for much too long, far past myself what I would choose to do every day,

10
if money were no issue. After each and trick, and that they wanted to publish it
every one of these questions, that lit- in their magazine. I was pumped! I still
tle voice whispered “magic.” Though I didn’t quite feel like I was a creative, but
had always known it, the fact I wanted it felt damn good to see my trick in print.
to create and share magic. I could say it The magazine had given me some feed-
proudly now. I wanted to make magic. back in the process, as well. They told
Maybe I didn’t consider myself a cre- me how original my approach was to the
ative. Maybe I doubted whether I would classic trick I patterned mine after called
be successful. But it didn’t matter—once Bill Transpo. The trick I submitted was
I felt that spark, I knew I had to do some- called Cash Card. It goes like this: show
thing about it. the audience a playing card to prove it
was real, and immediately turn it into a
So, I decided to follow the instinct, and dollar bill. Now, this wasn’t a crazy idea ,
the subtle surge of creative energy. I de- and it really was only a modified version
cided to send a trick submission to the of a very classic trick. But my improve-
world’s largest magic magazine, aptly ments allowed the magician to show
called Magic Magazine. the bill on both the front and back side,
something you couldn’t do with the orig-
Magic magazine dedicates a section inal method.
of its publication to readers’ tricks and
ideas. I had created a trick many years I thought, Original? Me? My idea? Al-
earlier, but I thought, what the hell…It right, alright. This was something I
can’t hurt to send it, and it’d be pretty needed to follow. I finally felt like I had
cool if they accepted it. So off it went. I didn’t direction. I had finally found something
even think about it twice. I just wrote it up, that worked, and I was being noticed.
sent it in, said “screw it,” and forgot about it. The magazine trick success, along with
my soul searching and the inner confi-
After not hearing from them for a while, I dence I was gaining somewhat, gave me
assumed that it wasn’t creative enough. I was the push and the focus I needed to allow
moving on with my life when they finally creativity to start to really flow. It offered
did contact me. After about two months, they me the opportunity to start taking my-
called to tell me how much they loved my self seriously as a creator and magician.

11
So often, we only find the push we need power! Well, I wanted nothing more than to
once we get noticed. As unfortunate as it nurture that creativity as best I could and be-
is, feedback does help us focus. Kiki Smith, come a creative powerhouse. I started writ-
a world-renowned artist, said, “Just do your ing down every magic trick I could think of.
work. And if the world needs your work, it I started building a morning routine that fo-
will come and get you. And if it doesn’t, do cused on making creativity the focus of my
your work anyway.” The great thing is, once mind and actions.
you do open yourself up, whether because of
external positive feedback or not, you-all of a My point is this: it wasn’t until I was thirty
sudden-have something to push against! The years old that I finally realized I was cre-
creativity continues to fuel and feed you, so ative., and all it took was sending a simple
long as you commit to it with an open mind. trick to a magazine. The spark of that first
(albeit minor) success inspired me to sell
So, the world was finally starting to want my my creations to Ellusionist, the world’s larg-
work, and I was awakening to it. After my est online magic store. A short while later, I
trick was published in Magic Magazine that was hired by that same company and quickly
first month, people began to notice me, and rose to become the general manager while
contact me to lecture and perform, which re- inventing some of the all-time best selling
ally pushed me forward creatively. magic tricks. Plus, all the while, I got to do
what I love, which is make magic! And what
Then, very slowly, I started hearing from got me there? My creativity. And what ex-
people who had read the trick and loved it. actly helped me find my creativity? My pur-
The more and more I spoke with these peo- pose? My success? Ritual. My morning ritual
ple, the more I was hearing how creative the helped me open up to all of these possibili-
trick was, until someone actually asked me ties and more. My morning ritual helped me
about my creative process. Now, something to see what was possible for me, and what
about that question really intrigued me. It steps I could take to get to where I wanted.
was such an amazing feeling to have some-
one not only appreciate my work, but want- For so long, I had no idea what my calling
ing to know how I worked. It was as though was. Though in the secret pocket of my
I was hit with lighting, and then, when I got heart, and in the war-torn pages of my mind,
up afterwards, I suddenly had some creative I viewed magic with a sense of reverence and

12
love, I had absolutely no idea how to man- name as I could. After a month, I got a call
ifest a life for myself where I got to make from someone who worked at Ellusionist.
magic and make a living from it. I had no They asked me if I would be willing to re-
clue as to how to actualize my secret dreams lease my trick for sale on their website—the
and desires. trick I thought was a dud because it didn’t
win! What they told me was that my trick was
Once It came down to it, all I needed to do really too good for them to place in the con-
was become comfortable with failure and test, so they hoped I might like to sell it for a
continuously create, no matter what. After profit instead.
the success of my first trick in Magic Maga-
zine, I began posting more of my tricks on Boom! Just like that, I was back. I just knew
Ellusionist’s Facebook page and even sub- that trick was good. I was really just starting
mitted one to a contest they were running. I to trust my instincts when that perceived
was so sure that I would win the contest, as failure threw me off and rattled my cages.
I felt that my trick was not only badass but And then, to discover that there was actu-
original, and a real fooler. However, when I ally no failure at all! Well, I used that mo-
didn’t even make the top three, I was con- mentum to surge forward again. But this
fused, frustrated, angry, and full of doubt. time, I progressed without the self-doubt
Immediately, I started to lose faith in my that had been taking up space in my mind.
creativity. Due to external opinions, my con- I learned my lesson. Trust your instincts,
fidence faltered. My audience facilitates my and don’t allow failure to rip you to shreds.
success, after all! If they don’t love it, then Keep your momentum!
am I really just an arrogant, overly confi-
dent fraud? I kept working on tricks to build a name for
myself with Ellusionist. After a time, I start-
So much self-doubt circulated through my ed to consider how amazing it’d be to actual-
mind regarding my magic. I was grasping at ly make a living from my passion. But, this
straws to find my center again and really en- idea was insane to me, so I put all expecta-
couraged myself through my rituals. I threw tion aside. At the time, I was working some
my efforts into engaging on Ellusionist’s odd jobs that really didn’t fulfill me to sup-
Facebook page and their active members fo- port my creative inclinations. All the while,
rum and drawing as much attention to my tons of people were messaging me through

13
Ellusionist’s Facebook page, and I was really
gaining quite a following. The company be- The Creative Ritual
gan to take notice of the traction I was mak-
ing and offered me a full-time position, with- R itual is everything! Through-
out my own inquiry! out history, records show of tribes
engaging in ritual. Ritual bonds
I hope to use my story of finding my pur- us together and makes magic from
pose through creativity to inspire you to do our combined energy. When we use
the same! I hope you can believe in yourself ritual or routine as a practice to open
and release all the doubts, fears, and anxiet- our minds to our innate creativity, we
ies that keep you exiled from your true self. are more likely to access what is al-
I hope you can learn how to incorporate cre- ready flowing through us on a regu-
ativity into each and every aspect of your life, lar basis. When we prepare our minds,
as I have. Without the original spark, and we are able to facilitate the flow of cre-
then birth of my creative awareness, I nev- ative energy.
er would have been able to find myself now,
where I am, living my dreams by creating In order to get yourself into a more open
magic and supporting an entire, beautiful mindset that is ready for play, you need
family from the profits. time and space. You need time away from
your normal life and space from your daily
demands. It’s best if you can create an oasis
for yourself, where you can safely escape
your realities and allow the mind to open.
One way of doing this is to set a timer, so that
you can allow the current of creativity, and
continue it unimpeded by any thoughts of
time or duties. For, you see, time and space
don’t always function the same way when we
are in the mode of creative expression.

I suggest that you set aside anywhere from

forty-five to ninety minutes for creative

14
 play every day. Anything less, ened. With this isolation of creativity
and you may not see results; comes more confidence and commit-
any more, and you may burn ment to our own creative expressions,
out. Sometimes, you may experi- and as we continue to practice our cre-
ence a burst of creativity that lasts ativity, it only grows stronger!
for hours or days on end. When you
find yourself in this flow, you can and When we know we can do something,
certainly should ride the wave of cre- the task becomes a helluva lot easier to
ative energy. tackle. Confidence helps here. And when
we commit to the task, we commit to
Just as our conscious dream state allows finding the answer. Just like a rabbit, we
for ideas to incubate, dreaming can nur- burrow until the best solution is found.
ture our creative expressions and ideas. Creativity is only benefitted by commit-
Imaginative time can function some- ment. When we refuse to settle for the
what like dreaming, as it allows for a first solution we find, we refuse to let our
lack of structure to encourage fresh creativity go to waste. We honor our cre-
ideas to rise to the surface. This is why ativity by tolerating the slight discom-
the routines work. They do not merely forts that bring us to our ultimate results.
isolate a moment of time for you to be
creative. No, they expand your horizons, And what’s more, when we can do this all
then bleed over into other areas of your with humor in our hearts! Humor read-
life, inspiring creative solutions and ily brings us into the open mindset by
turning problems into opportunities. helping to free us from sadness, as well
as the pull of our selfish ego. True humor
Our neurons fire like mad when we’re is the ultimate genius in creativity, and
in this play state (or when we’re dream- especially so when coupled with aware-
ing), and especially so when we are ness. Yes, yes, yes—comedy is central to
without the hindrances of our day-to- creative problem-solving. When we take
day troubles, responsibilities and to-do things with a jolly attitude, we allow for
lists. When the ritual’s only purpose is to the energy to continue to flow, rather
allow for creativity, the creative muscles than block it off with sadness or fear.
are stretched and eventually strength-

15
You may ask yourself, If humor is so import- These steps definitely do not need to be per-
ant to creativity, then why are so many cre- formed in the order I’ve suggested! A slight
ative artists known to be depressed? Well, hu- variation may benefit your own practice, as it
mor is not the answer to creativity, but rather does mine. If you do change the order, I do
a tool that allows you to access creativity. It’s recommend, you avoid eating until the very
not the only tool, either. Humor is merely end. Your mind is so much more open be-
one of the most direct ways of accessing cre- fore you eat. Also, I do recommend you start
ativity because of how it allows connections off with a large glass of water and one table-
to be made. When you approach things with spoon of apple cider vinegar, to hydrate and
humor, you take the weight and worry out of help clear out any residual negativity.
the idea, problem, or creation, and allow for
more, fun, unique, and creative solutions. So, here is the ritual:

Now, I’m going to introduce you to my morn-

ing routine. I think of it as a skeleton, which
each individual can customize their personal
1. Clear your head
rituals. My routine is comprised of six differ-
ent steps. I could tackle them all in an hour,
or even just five minutes. You dig in deeper
the more time you spend with them. But still,
2. Read
committing to doing the same routine each
day for even just five minutes could change
your life.
3. Exercise
The evidence that those individuals who
stick to a morning routine tend to be much
4. Ashtanga
more creative and successful overall is be-
yond overwhelming, and what I am present-
ing, isn’t really all that new! I have merely
streamlined a process that opens the mind
5. Testimonials
to creativity and worked out all the bugs that
stand in the way. 6. Eat
16
Clear YOUR HEAD These guided meditations will kick start your
journey into the wonderful world of mind-
fulness with a focus on finding your inner
The first thing I do when I wake up is my creativity in a busy and hectic world.
morning meditation. I’m sure I don’t have to
tell you the benefits of meditation. But, if you
are not familiar with the outrageous amount
of positive benefits that are directly linked to
Read
a daily practice of meditation, spend the next
fifteen minutes on Google, and I assure you I am dyslexic (I know, I know … woe is me),
but I didn’t know anything about it until I
that you’ll quickly understand why I make this
was twenty-seven years old. All through
the first part of every day. I spend anywhere
school, I just thought I couldn’t read well. So,
from three to twenty-five minutes meditating,
I became the funny guy and made excuses
with a focus on creativity. I do this with the
when I was called on in class to read aloud.
use of a guided meditation audio track, which
I could read, but only very slowly, and I felt
is included with this book! You can access it at:
like a fool doing so in front of other people. I
[Link]/create.
now believe that this forced me to be creative
and to find a creative way to solve my prob-
Any sort of meditation will work. What’s im-
lems, only I never saw it that way.
portant is the mindfulness and focus that
come from the daily practice. I know that
As reading is so difficult for me, I am a huge
meditation can be a scary and frustrating
audiobook junkie. I listen to anywhere from
beast to those who have never tried, or who
ten to twenty books a month, and many of
have tried with little success. That is why I’ve
them I will listen to multiple times in a row.
added a simple beginner’s guide to medita-
I do believe that hearing a book and reading
tion that can be downloaded for free as well.

17
it are not the same. I have found that some- necessary then by all means, so can you!
times you need to listen to a book multiple
times to absorb the same amount of infor- It’s said that you are the average of the five
mation you would have if you had actually people you spend the most time with. Well,
read it. as I grew up living in the backwoods of
New England, I had no idea where to look
That being said, a lot of the books out there for these five people. I wanted to find these
are shit, and audiobooks seem to be a good people badly so that I could be inspired and
way to sift through the crap and focus in motivated by them. One day, I read in a book
on the gold you come across. Reading is so that all you really needed to do was surround
important for so many reasons. But since yourself with the ideas and stories of those
you’re reading this, you most likely already five people to receive the exact same bene-
feel this way! fits. I say: go find out who your top five peo-
ple are! Are they professionals in your field
In my routine, I always try to read or listen or friends? Authors, creatives, inventors …
to something that will inspire a childlike whatever and whomever they are, go find
mindset for the day, something that will ei- them and seek out their wisdom
ther inspire or educate me about new ideas
that I can use in my creative life. I then They may have some sort of literature sup-
store these ideas in the back of my mind for porting their endeavors. If they are just a
when they decide to show up, riding towards friend, record some creative conversations or
me upon the back of inspiration. Yes, that’s conduct an interview with them. What would
right. I have a giant library of ideas stored be great is if you could find and listen to the
away, but as my mind is always so open and audiobooks of the people you ultimately want
receptive, these ideas are always accessible! to surround yourself with! You don’t have to
If an idea hits me that particularly inspires be friends with or even be in the same room
me, I will grab my iPhone and write it in with these people to surround yourself with
my notes app. I then revisit these notes ev- their thoughts and ideas. This small piece of
ery week to see what floats to the surface. I advice has been worth its weight in gold for
don’t say this to sound boisterous but rather me, both in my life and career, and I hope it
to let you know, If I can keep my head filled can be the same for you in yours.
with an army of ideas to use when creatively

18
Exercise Ashtanga
The third thing I delve into is exercise. Once A shtanga is my chosen form of yoga. When
again, no secret here! Those who exercise ev- it comes to yoga, there are more benefits
ery day live better lives. It’s that simple. I do than I could ever list, so I won’t even begin
twenty minutes of cardio, and then fifteen to try. The key benefit for our purposes is the
minutes of body weight exercises, all the grounding and centering you experience
while listening to my audiobooks. I get two when you commit to the form. I generally
things done at the same time, and the com- spend fifteen or twenty minutes of my day
bination of the two helps me focus. Perhaps on yoga, though I generally want to stay
the activity keeps my mind from wandering much longer. Some days, I will forego exer-
so much, thus allowing me to concentrate on cise and, instead, spend forty-five minutes to
the book and its ideas. With the Audible app an hour practicing yoga. If you’re unfamil-
I use to listen to audiobooks, you can quickly iar with yoga, you can try some stretching
make notes when something sparks your in- that really gets you grounded. Start on the
terest. So, you can come back to it after your ground and think about your bones sinking
workout if you want to dive deeper or jot into the earth as you raise your spirit towards
down your personal notes on the topic. the sky. Focus on your breath here, allowing
you to become more grounded with each in-
If you conduct a strenuous workout, lift halation, and your spirit to rise higher with
heavy weights, or take a yoga class, then you every exhalation. I know, it may seem coun-
will of course have to separate the two experi- terintuitive, but dichotomies work, and they
ences. However, the combination really does really help us to stretch not only our mind-
help me to not only focus, but also make the set, but our creativity! You can download a
most of my time! And our time is our most free seven-day yoga practice from my web-
valuable commodity! site that I had developed specifically to boost
your inner creativity. It’s a beginner/interme-
diate plan that will get you feeling the bene-
fits of a daily yoga practice.

19
Testimonials depth of experience when I express myself
in this way, and I am quite proud of the
methodological discovery, as well! Though
Testimonials serve as my way of focusing the difference between silent prayers and
on gratitude. I write three testimonials each
written testimonials may seem subtle, it has
day. These can be for a friend of mine, my
been an absolute game changer for my life.
children, a great meal I had … anything
that I choose to be grateful for that day. I
I have also, on occasion, written these tes-
put my thoughts down on paper, writing al-
timonials to share with others. Though
most as though I were trying to write the
it’s such a simple way of showing the peo-
best damn Yelp review of all time.
ple in your life how important they are to
you, there really is something special about
When we focus on gratitude each morning,
showing another person the importance of
it really benefits our emotional, physical,
the role that they play in your life. I don’t
and spiritual well-being. Scientists have
recommend writing these testimonials with
studied the astounding effects of gratitude
the intention of handing them out, but when
on the human nature. Gratitude improves
the mood strikes you, why not make some-
not only our moods, energy levels, and
one’s day by letting them know how much
sleep, but also boosts our immune systems,
of a kick-ass human being they really are!
and helps to keep our stress at a minimum!

For a while, I used to say prayers of grat-

itude to myself, but I found I would rush
Eat
through them, and I wouldn’t really allow
for the gratitude to fulfill me at all. That S ince the morning routine is done … eat!
You have just spent the first part of your day
whole method became a bit stale for me, so
nurturing your body and mind, and now
I decided to write them as testimonials. And
you can eat something healthy that replen-
boy, has it ever been life-changing! Some-
ishes you, getting you ready to kill it during
thing in the process helps me to specify ex-
your day.
actly what it is that I’m grateful for, which
then grants me this eye-opening sense of
I have included a simple, seven-day meal
clarity. Honestly, it’s magical! I so love the
plan that focuses on power foods to fuel

20
your body and mind. I can’t stress the im- been developing a new product that pushes
portance of eating the right foods enough. past the confines of the magic world. I had
It’s been said a million times before-and for hoped to create an object that would connect
good reason-that you are what you eat. The me to a broader audience outside the realm
nice thing about starting each day with a of magic, as much as I do love spending a
healthy morning routine is that by the time majority of my time within that world.
breakfast rolls around, you will want to fill
your mind and body with proper nourish- The idea was the Fiddlestick. As I first began
ment to keep the flow of positive juju rush- to craft this new idea, I was hit with a stroke
ing through your veins. of negativity. I fell out of my morning rou-
tine and was struggling to find my creativity.
I swear by the CREATE Morning Routine. But you know what? That’s alright. For some
Though it can and should be adjusted to reason, I must have needed to allow for the
suit your needs, you should do your best tide to pass. And sometimes, we need to lose
to weave it into your everyday routine. The track of who we are in order to find ourselves
key is to stick with it. Don’t make excuses, again. Plus, when we do drift away from what
and do it before you can talk yourself out of we’ve known for a little while, it often allows
it. Isn’t that the running runner’s joke, any- for us to find a new perspective, or gain some
way? They commit themselves to going on fresh wisdom about our life choices.
a run so early in the morning that they can’t
talk themselves out of it? Well, anyways, So, anyways, I was really stuck in this nega-
now it’s up to you to implement this routine tive slump for a while, and wasn’t really pro-
into your daily life, and start fueling your ducing anything too creative. I had stopped
creativity! You have all the tools you need, practicing what I so love to preach, and was
now it’s up to you to find the motivation to stuck in a more close-minded state. After a
put them into practice. while, I managed to burrow my way back out
of the negative slump, but only after I had
Now that I’ve shown and explained my morn- begun to implement my morning routine
ing ritual, and touted its success, I want to once again.
share a personal story of falling away from
the routine, and then, ultimately, finding my Slowly, I noticed the humor and the joy, and
way back. For the last few months, I have the play begin to seep back into my life, as

21
my perspective broadened before my eyes. multi-million-dollar idea, if not several. Writ-
Instead of seeing problems and feeling ing down our ideas aligns us with our cre-
bound, I began to see the play of endless pos- ative play state. I cannot stress enough how
sibilities, and I allowed myself to open to the essential it is to write down your creative
world. I was in the play state, actively writ- ideas. Wait, just one more time: Write Down
ing down all the ideas that flowed through Your Ideas. If you write down your thoughts,
my mind. Then late one night, I was awoken you recognize the ideas as worthy of remem-
by this one, very strong idea. I bolted out of bering. This is an important first step. Just as
bed, grabbed the pen and paper I keep by in meditation, you want to recognize your
my nightstand, and scribbled my thoughts thoughts and then release them, rather than
down. I mean, at that hour, who even knows carry them with you. Any time that you think
if I should legally be allowed to operate a you’ve got a creative idea, jot it down some-
pen? But, there I was. place. Perhaps, keep a recorder on you, and
speak your ideas into your device. Just about
The thing is, dreaming and daydreaming every smartphone on the planet has multi-
connect us more to what hovers just below ple ways to jot ideas down and keep record of
the surface of our conscious self. This con- them easily. Practice this technique with the
nection, then, tends to fire up the neurons thoughts that flow through your head. Per-
that allow us access to subtler solutions to haps, make a weekly appointment with your-
our problems. So much of our creativity aris- self to go through all the creative thoughts
es when we are in a sleepy or dreamy state, you’ve jotted down. Then, when one strikes
as we are so much more naturally in the your fancy further, you know that it’s the one
open-minded, playful state. You see, open- you’re meant to explore!
ness allows for opportunity. This is why I
practice the advice of Jerry Seinfeld, who says Jotting down your ideas is key. In simply jot-
he keeps a notepad by his bed at all times. I ting down your ideas without analysis, you al-
have come up with some of my best ideas in low for your creativity to speak to you freely!
the middle of the night. And all you really need is one idea. Everything
falls into place in surprising ways, once you do
After I awoke the next morning to find my find yourself with a good one!
idea scribbled haphazardly, I quickly got
to work. Absolutely everyone has had a Every failure I’ve encountered on my creative

22
 What Worked for Me
Delving a bit deeper into a few of the more
successful products I’ve created, I notice just
how individual the creative process can be.
The process I went through to accomplish
each varies quite a lot. Though the processes
I went through were so different from one
another, each trick was considered a success.
journey has brought me one step closer to- The only commonality here, again, is this:
wards success! Whether a 3D print went awry, the routine! I know—need I repeat myself? I
or an idea had already taken, the perceived set- only do to really drive this point home: turn-
back only stood to reduce the options in front ing a focused morning routine into a daily
of me, thus streamlining my pathway towards habit will have a positive impact on your life
eventual success. So even when it’s a “failure,” more than any other single action you can
just choose to see it as a step closer toward suc- do. (Check out the 30-day challenge to get
cess. Don’t get bogged down, and have faith. you started at [Link]/create)
Creativity takes faith. In trusting in the process
of creativity, I know and accept each failure Creativity plays just as much a role in cre-
that comes my way as a means of showing me ation as we do. Our conscious selves are ac-
something that I previously overlooked. companied by another voice: that of creativ-
ity. We are privy to the currents of creativity
Shit happens. Sometimes we falter. Some- that run through us like bullet trains. What
times we fall out of the routine. In my ex- we capture and communicate to the rest of
perience, when I did falter, and then went the world is what defines us.
back to my routine, voilà! There was my in-
vention! There was my creativity again. The Sometimes these strong currents of creativ-
ritual brought it back, and in the form of the ity that captivate us also take us off course.
Fiddlestick! I cannot speak highly enough of This is by far the most frustrating piece of the
rituals. Whether you adapt my routine or de- puzzle—a puzzle that has overcome many
velop your own, try it out! creatives of the past. We must bring patience

23
to the table whenever we deal with creativi- creativity. This is purely because creativity is
ty. We must trust the creative current, trust not something we put on the shelf, or hold
most importantly—in ourselves, and off on. Creativity is not something we
allow our perceptions of “getting off save away for a rainy day (or for when
course” to fade away. We need not com- we make our millions). These are il-
pare our creative currents to the rest of lusions. Creativity is now. Creativity is
the world. That is the beauty of creativ- you, here, in this moment. What will
ity: its originality. you make of it? Who am I to know?
That’s entirely for you to decide.
Even when you find out, amidst your
research and development, that some- My point is, don’t wait to ignite your
one else has already made what you creative fire. I promise you that with just
were hoping to craft yourself, you can a little bit of faith and patience, you will
take comfort in knowing that their see how applicable creativity is to our ev-
product is not your idea. Ideas are just eryday! The Japanese have this concept
ideas. Products are completely different. of habit-forming, known in their culture
In creativity, you probably never end up as kaizen. The belief is that you practice
where you started. More than likely, cre- a new habit, skill, or the like for only one
ativity twisted and torqued you in trying minute every day. Without focusing on
ways, asking from you what you could the future, you complete the task for one
never have anticipated. whole minute. One teensy, weensy minute.
If you cannot perform an action for a whole
But this is exactly why so many choose the minute with focused attention, then you
path most traveled. The fear of the unknown will likely never acquire that skill. After all,
can be a lot to absorb on the regular, espe- we all know how daunting a “thirty-minute
cially if the realities of your livelihood are workout” is after we’ve been neglecting our
underdeveloped. We always think that bodies for a little while. Working up to
once we have all our basic necessities those goals is really the only way we
covered, then we will have the time grow; and the only way we can natural-
for creativity. But that’s the thing: even ly form new habits, mindsets, or con-
once you have all your needs covered structs of consciousness.
and money in the bank, you won’t know Now, some of the magic that I have creat-

24
ed has come to me in a “eureka!” sort of way. In these moments, there’s usually a lot of to
You know, where absolutely everything fits, and fro, a great deal of “lost time”, and oh so
it looks perfect after just a little bit of critical much tinkering! So many moments of trial
development, and you’re good to go. In those and error. I don’t let these projects get me
moments, I feel as though I am merely the down; I don’t cower under their stubborn,
conduit of the creation as though the current struggling gaze. I fight. These are the mo-
flows through me, and I merely facilitate an ments I’m called to action, to either fight or
open space for it to work its magic. I love surrender. When I surrender, I lose nothing,
those moments, when it feels like I’m surf- but I also gain nothing. When I continue to
ing a wave of creativity, as though I caught fight, and come back, over and over again,
it perfectly, and now I just maintain stability to face the same battle, and I win… Oh boy,
and follow the flow to completion. do I win! These are the moments worth sur-
viving for. These are the moments that al-
There is a lot of talk going around nowadays low us to truly thrive! When we refuse to
about being in the “flow state” and how we surrender, and carry onward with a stalwart
can train our minds to find this state more heart and with trust as our shield, we win so
readily. I find the actions that lead to this much more than we ever could have, had
flow state come while I’m at my highest lev- the victory been handed to us. We receive so
el of childlike play, with very little stress or much more—gratitude, pride, growth, allow-
anxiety surrounding me. This is not to say ance, understanding, and preparation. Just
that every time I goof around I’m hit with as in life’s emotional struggles, we benefit
some sort of creative epiphany, but rather by bringing ourselves to the battle so much
that the more ways I find to play and en- more than when we try to avoid it.
joy life, without life’s bullshit weighing me
down, the more likely I am to hit a state of
flow and ride it into something truly unique
and personal.

Other times, it’s as though I’ve missed the

wave, or just didn’t quite capture the current
as it flowed through me. I got pieces of it,
but just didn’t receive the whole message.

25
Pyro own. If I could just figure out a way to man-
ifest the illusion of harnessing the power of
fire, I figured I would have a grand slam.
This invention began as an endeavor to-
ward a perceived necessity. When I had first
From there on out, I knew my goal: I wanted
started working for Ellusionist, I tried to
to make a product that would give people the
consider what I could make that would so-
superhuman power of fire. I was man discov-
lidify my position, sell well, and bring at-
ering fire, all over again. I was researching
tention to my name within the company. I
(the next stage in my creative process) what
also wanted to gain recognition in the mag-
was out there, who had attempted to tackle
ic world as an inventor.
the problem before, what was out there for
me to learn from and improve upon, as well
I took some time to sit down and “think
as what ideas I could piggyback off to help
tank,” considering what could be universally
me hasten toward my destination. But I also
appealing to professional magicians, hobby-
wanted to be very clear about what the end
ists, amateurs, beginners, and those who love
goal would be. I had to stay clear on the vi-
mysterious gadgets and toys. I wrote out a
sion once I had it.
mind map, recording absolutely every idea
that came to mind, and then taped it on the
In my research, I found the things that al-
wall. The final outcome was this: the feel-
ready existed in the magic community,
ing of being a superhero—or desiring to be
such as handheld devices that shoot fire-
one—is universal. Creating such a broadly
balls and flash paper cannons. I realized
appealing product would have to be a suc-
then how broad my idea was. I needed to
cess, if executed properly.
narrow it. I decided that what I specifically
wanted was for people to be able to safely
So once I began thinking about superheroes,
shoot fireballs, while showing their hands
I asked myself what I could give people that
were completely empty. That was my target.
would give them the feeling or at least the
That target came through my research of
illusion of being a superhero with real pow-
seeing what was already out there, and what
ers. Fire was, over and above, the most preva-
was not. And now that I had my target, as
lent thought in my mind. Fire is of universal
well as my research, I combined the two in
appeal, with a mesmerizing magic all on its
another mind map session.

26
I asked myself pointed questions, such as: eyes from what already existed. These sur-
what pieces of the already existing handheld prising juxtapositions generated new ideas,
devices could I use, and how could I edit and ultimately, a new creation. Solving cog-
them to achieve my desired result. I wrote nitive dissonance is creativity. And this, my
down my thoughts rapidly in response. Then friends, is what magic is all about!
I began to tinker with the actual object. The
open, playful mode of creation swept through Once I was ready, I took my prototype to
me like a warm breeze. The nice thing about those whom I thought possessed the expertise
this open state of mind is that there really needed to develop my idea. There was a first
can be parameters, like a game where you collaborator who fell a little short, but I didn’t
make up all the rules, or perhaps you nix the lose hope. I found a second who was able to
rules completely! deliver the product just as I had hoped: hands-
free, thin, and weightless with a sturdy safety
Anyways, I had purchased a few hundred button. I had my working prototype!
dollars’ worth of fire-shooting toys, as well
as some other props that I thought could be By then, it had taken me about a year and a
of use. Then, I started playing with differ- half to move from the ideation phase to a fi-
ent pieces combined together to see what nal, working product. Mind you, I was only
worked well and what didn’t. After I final- working on the design part-time, as I had held
ly got to the point of having a very rough my position at Ellusionist since before the idea
prototype to work with, I sought out other sparked. Over this year and a half, I moved
experts for collaboration. from ideation, to research and development,
then to prototyping, and finally to the collab-
By taking all the toys I purchased and com- oration that produced my desired result. The
bining the different elements together, I even collaboration took around six months of a
surprised myself in what arose. By loosening steady back-and-forth, trial-and-error process
up my presumptions of what could be and al- between myself and the others.
lowing for trial and error, I was open enough
to eventually find the right solution. And it I consider this process of creation to be
was my creative intuition that slid into place, somewhat universal. Whether you’re writ-
once the right combination came about. I ing something, sculpting, drawing ... whatev-
saw new ideas form like magic before my er it is, the process applies. Feedback, then

27
reworking, prototyping, trial and error, and take thirty minutes or so to actively think of
then the final product. And don’t get me solutions, and record them in a mind map.
wrong, throughout the process there were Then, return to the idea when you are ready,
many hurdles and obstacles. So many peo- and apply your freshly gained wisdoms.
ple told me that they thought I was crazy,
and that what I was trying to do was stupid. I’m happy to say that Pyro went on to be one
They said it wouldn’t work, it was too crazy, of the best-selling magic tricks of all time,
too expensive, too dangerous … blah, blah, grossing millions of dollars in sales, and in-
blah. Mental chatter like this only stands to troducing tens of thousands of new custom-
get in your way. ers to Ellusionist and to the art of magic as a
whole. If you’d like to see Pyro in more detail
The challenge here is just getting out of you will find specs & videos about it on the
your own head and pushing through. And webpage linked earlier in this book.
that could very well mean taking a break
from the project for a month or so, thus giv-
ing enough space to come back with fresh
eyes. A fresh mind helps you to see the
project from other perspectives. However,
throughout that break, I still focused on the
idea, mulling over it as I practiced my morn-
ing meditations, visualizations, and things of
that nature.

I was always focused on finding a solution.

Every day, I would say to myself, Today, I’m
going to focus my energy on being receptive
to the solutions that may put themselves in
front of me to solve this problem with Pyro.
I would just keep it at the forefront of my
mind as I moved through the world. And
that’s what you can do as well. Say to yourself,
I’m going to find the solution to this. Perhaps

28
Decibel try to keep it as simple as possible by just
writing down any ideas that came to mind
on index cards. Then I stick the cards to the
Decibel was a completely different ap-
wall in my office and pin yarn to the ones I
proach. Right away, I knew exactly what I
feel pair well together. I like the feel of my
wanted to have happen. Only, I had no re-
wall looking like an FBI agents office who’s
search or reference point, as nothing like it
just about to crack the biggest case of their
had ever been made. This was tough, but it
career. Then I would try out some new ideas,
was also exciting.
experience more failure, and start the mind
mapping once more.
I wanted to be able to play any song through
a borrowed set of headphones by doing noth-
With an idea this impossible, I figure my dil-
ing more than touching the tip of the cord
igence in this process was the only thing that
with my thumb and index finger. I wanted to
kept it within the realm of possibility! Each
find a way (in the spectator’s mind, at least)
time I went back to the drawing board, I took
to take the energy of their thought of a song
what I learned from my failures and incorpo-
and run it like an electrical current through
rated them into my new mind map. And some-
my body, out my fingers, and into their own
times the failures were only half failures, where
headphones. Lofty goal for sure, but it would
I could use the successes, even when they were
be so badass to pull it off!
minor, to help me along my way.
I went through many, many different ver-
I generally find that a narrower focus helps
sions before landing on what eventually
while you are actually implementing your
worked. But as this creative process unfolded,
ideas, but that the more broad-range view is
I was able to skip the ideation and research
even more helpful when you find yourself
phases, for the most part.
faced with a difficult idea. Attack your ideas,
not with tunnel vision, but rather with that
I spent about a year developing different
oh-so- wide-open mind!
ideas—all in vain—as I tried to find a solu-
tion. And to get those ideas, I would mind
One day, shortly after I hit the one-year anni-
map! There are countless places to find good
versary of my idea, I got lucky. Or perhaps, I
mind mapping tips and tricks but for me I
just attracted the answer to myself with all my

29
determination! I never let the idea stray too far skin over the top of the headphone jack and
from the forefront of my mind, in any case. I camouflage the entire unit to look like my
was chatting with a musician when I brought thumb, an old trick magicians have been us-
up my trick idea. I began to explain it to him, ing for over 60 years. The cool thing was this
when he said, “Oh, cool … yeah, all you should prop had normally been used to hide silks,
have to do is cut a headphone jack in half, and and dollar bills but I decided to use it to hide
just make sure that it’s small enough.” the electronic device that allowed Decibel to
become a reality. I took something as old as
Aha! And there it was. My eureka moment; the hills and modernized it to suit my needs.
my solution. This conversation brought
Decibel to where it is today. Before speaking After this, I tinkered around with some Mo-
to my friend I had never considered that I torola head units, cutting the speaker part
could cut a headphone jack in half and still in half. I was playing, acting like a kid, and
have it play the music. Having the full round- totally okay with failing. After three or four
ed female piece of a headphone jack was just little Motorola headpieces, I had made some-
too big and bulky and in turn became the thing that worked. It proved the concept.
major design problem I had been facing. Then I took that to my prototyping friends,
Once that initial solution of cutting the head- again worked through the process of refin-
phone jack in half was there, everything else ing the elements to the point of precision.
just fell into place. I attached a Bluetooth re- Once there were no more questions to ask, I
ceiver to the headphone jack, Then added a was done!
small rechargeable battery and we were off
to the races. Fast forward two years: what I had thought
was an idea became an award-winning mag-
So now I was left with a small device that ic trick. It was one of the most powerful
would allow me to play songs through a magic tricks of my career and something
headphone by just touching the cord to it. that had never been done before. A truly
The next challenge was how to hide this lit- original creation, manifested into reality
tle device in plain sight. I brainstormed on by a spark of a thought that I could have
it, writing down my thoughts as they flowed let slip by me, but didn’t. I was receiving
through me. Eventually I came to my final encouragement from the world all around
solution: I would put a small piece of fake me to pursue what I loved, so I listened to

30
myself, my gut, and everything else I could most essential tool, recording and acknowl-
allow to flow through me. edging thoughts as they arise.

So these are the two main creative process- When it came to my latest invention called
es I use. Either I research and develop my Fiddlestick, I recognized the market for
idea from mind maps, starting with basically what it was, and then wondered how I could
nothing, or I know exactly what I want the change it for the better. Kickstarter, Etsy,
trick or outcome to be and what to solve to Thingiverse… these sites are where it’s all
make it happen. These are really just differ- happening. These visual platforms bring a
ent starting points on a creative timeline. new sense of understanding to my own ideas,
Sometimes the idea hits you over the head, and help me to further pare down my options.
and sometimes you slowly unearth it. Either I find products similar to my own idea, and
way, you nurture your idea. There are mere- study how others are fabricating, marketing,
ly different ways of nurturing, specific to and packaging theirs. The nice thing about
each idea! crowd funding websites like these is you get
real time data on how well an item is selling
Any time that I research a project, product, and to what demographics.
or creative endeavor, I follow my interests.
I am a huge techie, so I frequent sites like I noticed that on Kickstarter a fidget toy
Kickstarter, Etsy, and YouTube to see newly called Fidget Cube made over 6 million
released gadgets and toys. These are my go- dollars in less than 30 days. This was my
to list of sites that I always scan through un- spark for Fiddlestick. The next few months I
til something catches my eye. bought every fidget toy on the planet. Played
with them, tore them apart and decided what
Whether it’s something that immediately I liked best about them and what I hated. I
appeals to my interests, or something so dif- pieced together some ideas and very rough
ferent and extravagant that it cannot be ig- 3D print and by accident the 3D file was cor-
nored, I play with it, push it around in my rupt and it left a big gap in the middle of my
mind, and many times even buy it to dissect design. I played with this error for a while
and analyze. As I scroll through these refer- and decided to stick a small loop in the gap.
ence sites, I jot down any thoughts or ideas
that come to mind. Once again, writing is my BOOM! I instantly knew a had something

31
good. This little loop allowed the Fiddlestick streamline my notes. Anything that sticks
to spin around your finger in such a way that out to me as I read through is set aside and
it became immediately addicting. I was able rewritten, almost like a first edit of a man-
to take all the elements I loved from existing uscript. This more refined mind map then
fidget toys and combined them into a sleek becomes my reference point for any fur-
pen like toy that would fit into your pock- ther developments.
et and be impossible to put down. I added
a detachable LED spinner to go on the end From here, I edit and work with my ideas
and perfected the loop. The final product is until they are ready for further develop-
something between a Bruce Lee nun-chuck ment. Now, out of the mind, into the phys-
and a futuristic fidget toy. You have to see it ical. Actionable steps are next. I generally
in action for yourself to truly understand. use a site like Fiverr, and request some-
one to build me a model for a small fee.
I would love to write about how big of a However, you must ensure that those you
success Fiddlestick was for me and that it work with are trustworthy. Don’t overlook
allowed me to buy my dream house, car the importance of this if your creative proj-
and boat. But the reality is the final units of ect would be considered an intellectual
Fiddlestick are being made as I write property. And protect your ideas with
this. I am currently one month away non-disclosure agreements. Others
from launching it onto Kickstarter. will not be looking out for your best
By the time you’re reading this the interests; they will be looking out for
“product launch Gods” will have spoken and their own. You must take care of your
together we can see if it was a dud or stud creation and protect it!
product. My fingers are crossed!
In a nutshell, here is my process: I find out
No matter what your creative pull, you what I most enjoy in my niche or field of
should be able to find websites that stream- choice, I study that product and research
line and support your niche. Find them and others like it, I write mind maps and lists
see what’s out there! of the positives and negatives I see in the
products already out there, and then I whit-
After I’ve gathered a sufficient amount of in- tle down from here, until I’m ready to ap-
formation through this process, I review and ply my findings to a goal timeline, and list-

32
ing actionable steps I have to take to reach These are the moments that have the power
that goal. to take you away from every problem, con-
cern, email, job prospect, or little annoyance
In working with Pyro, I applied a very tradi- that the world throws your way. They take
tional research and development process to us to a place where we can silence the mad-
find and work through my idea to comple- ness around us and just exist within a state
tion. With Decibel, I saw the end goal, but of magical wonder. Children wonder every
had no means to get there. I had to work the second of every day, asking millions of ques-
process backwards until I found the starting tions and creating nonstop. I believe that,
point. Once I had that starting point, the real just like a good magic trick, your own cre-
work of joyful, playful dedication became of ativity can bring you to this same moment of
the utmost importance. alluring escape and wonder.

It really doesn’t matter which process you The next part of this book will teach you the
use, so long as you continue to remain open things to practice, recognize, and maintain in
to going wherever it takes you! order to be the most creative person that you
can be, and in order to let your inner creative
voice sing out! When we have all died, the

Realizing Magic one thing that will remain is what we have

chosen to create in this life. Let’s try to focus
on creating things that leave this world a lit-
What I love the most about a really good tle better off than it was when we got here,
magic trick is how there is: a moment of shall we?
wonder, astonishment and raw emotion for
the person watching it. This moment can be
present when a great song hits your ears for
the first time, or when you hear such a pas-
sionately delivered speech that the hairs on
the back of your neck stick up. Moments like
these are what I cherish; where I find val-
ue, truth, discovery, surprise, and magic …
where I find life.

33
 The text following this page is your 30-Day Creativy Challenge. I
recomend to first, flip the book over, and read Part 2.

Once you have read Part 2, come back and dive in head first!

34
Day 1 Creative Exercise
An astonishing thing about everyone is that
no two people are the same. We are, therefore,
Define Creativity for Yourself also creative in different ways! Life would
have been quite boring if creativity were stan-
C reativity can be found everywhere. You
dardized and confined within certain param-
can be creative in absolutely everything you
eters.
do. Think about it—you can be original in:
In thirty minutes, write down a list of twen-
• Dressing
ty-five areas in which you can be creative.
• Cooking Be specific! Here are a few examples:

• Drawing • Dress in my own way, not confirm-

ing to the norm.
• Writing
• Find new ways to serve breakfast,
• Dancing or new dishes to eat in the morning.
• Creating business ideas • Remember friends’ birthdays, and
do something special and free for that
• Raising children occasion.
• Building relationships • Begin a picture journal.
The only limit to ingenuity are the bound-
aries you generate around it. Being cre- Now, do yours!
ative is a conscious decision.

35
 free play space
Intention of the Activity
D efine YOUR creativity. Who are you, and
what makes your heart race faster? It is easy
to be creative when doing the things you love.
Identify areas of your life where you can be
more creative.

More Creativity Triggers:

P ick something from your list and decide to
do something with it today. Go back to this list
from time to time and add more of it to your
life. Make a conscious decision to start living
more creatively!

36
Day 2 • I want to make something oth-
er than eggs! Find unconventional
breakfast recipes that will be inter-
Prepare to be Creative esting, but still feel like breakfast to
my guests or family, perhaps through
It is always easy to dream and make lists. an internet search.
What separates the dreamers from the doers
is that doers will start finding ways to make • Try recipes beforehand, or pick
their dreams a reality. Surrounding yourself a theme.
with the tools of the trade—whether new or
old—aids creativity. Also, if you’ve got a plan, • Invite four friends for breakfast a
you can execute it. week from today.

Creative Exercise Intention of the Activity

P ick an area in which you want to be more F ollow up on your creativity list. Don’t let it
creative from your list in the previous exer- stay in the planning stage, but do something
cise. Write down five things that you can do to constructive to make it a reality.
prepare. What would help you get energized
enough to get started? free play space

Let’s say I want to be more creative in mak-

ing breakfast. Here are five strategies to
achieve this:

• Buy new spatula.

• Sort out breakfast plates, tableware,

and crockery. How would I present
my breakfast in a creative way?

37
 free play space

38
Day 3 How would your workplace or home look
with your visible fingerprints everywhere?
What would you do differently if others
could see your fingerprints?
Fingerprints
“Adermatoglyphia” is a disease where peo-
Y our fingerprints have been with you since ple are born without fingerprints. It is ex-
before you were born. Formed seven months ceedingly rare, affecting only four known
after conception, they are a unique mishmash extended families worldwide. What would
of ridges that make patterns of loops, whirls, you do if you didn’t have fingerprints? Can
arches, and dots, and leave behind marks on you use it to your advantage?
everything you touch. In 80 years of finger-
printing, no two sets have been found that Does this exercise spark a creative idea for
matched each other. you? For example, think of a story about a
boy intentionally leaving his fingerprints
everywhere so his mom could see them.
Creative Exercise
Let’s think in a different way about finger- Intention of the Activity
prints. Spend a few minutes considering the
following ideas:
S eeing things in your own way!
What if fingerprints did not have lines and
squiggles, but other patterns, or even pic- More Creativity Triggers!
tures? How would your ideal fingerprint
look? If you would like to draw it, do so. The fingerprints of koalas are so similar to
humans that even experts have trouble tell-
Now, imagine fingerprints could be seen. ing them apart.
Where will you leave your fingerprint (with
its unique pattern) today? Where would you
like to leave your fingerprints?

39
A 73-year-old woman bought a painting free play space
from a thrift store for $5 only to later dis-
cover that, thanks to a fingerprint on the
canvas, it was actually an unsigned Jackson
Pollock worth millions of dollars.

40
Day 4 The only criterion is that that you must use
the physical letters of the word in order to cre-
ate your drawing. You can use all the letters,
or just one. It is not easy, but try to be as cre-
Draw a word ative as you can!

A creative person can see common things in Here is an example:

new ways, and are not hampered by physical

sm;)e
constraints. They have the ability to ask: “Why
not?”

Creative Exercise Intention of the Activity

This exercise is not original and has been S ee beyond what is in front of you. Develop
around for a long time, but it will really get creative thinking and seeing more—this con-
your creative juices flowing! cept can be used in design, creative writing,
and even developing new products to trigger
1. Set the timer on your phone for two new ideas.
minutes.

2. Now draw the following words, tak- More Creativity Triggers:

ing two minutes per word.
free play space
• Flashy

• Dog

• Bounce

41
 free play space

42
Day 5 py,” and “feathering.”

Part 2: The second part of today’s chal-

lenge is to brainstorm about your words.
Find Your Words Write down anything that comes to mind,
no matter how silly.
B rainstorming is a very useful creative ex-
ercise. Usually, these ideas, even the silliest Here’s my list:
ones, can spark something creative in you.
It is important not to hold back, but to write Style-changing — Why change your
down everything that comes to mind. style? What would trigger it? Would
you change from drab to flashy, or
from flashy to drab?
Creative Exercise Story idea: superheroes.

O ur exercise today comes in three parts: Orange you happy? — How can I use
orange to make someone happy?
Part 1: Grab any book, magazine, or pam- Fruit and color. Oranges smell good;
phlet that is nearby. Don’t go and look for the smell can make me happy. Flash-
a book; part of the challenge is to use what light on my forehead, orange signals
you already have. “happy?” A world where if you dress
in orange, it signals happiness
Page through your book or magazine. You
have five minutes to write down three words Feathering — A little bird in a nest,
or phrases that jump out at you. Your focus without feathers. His feathers are
must be to write down words or phrases that growing, and it comes out black and
are new to you, or words you think can be stick-like. It itches. How would this
used creatively. The words must resonate little bird feel? Feather duvet in win-
with you. ter Eyelash-kisses = feathering

I used an Avon booklet. The words I found

were “style—changing;” “orange you hap-

43
Part 3: Now, choose the brainstorming idea Badmash — an Indian hooligan
that you like the most. What are you going
to do with it? Kinnikinnick ­— a substance consist-
ing of leaves and bark, smoked by the
My end-result is a story idea about happy North American Indians
people wearing orange in a monotonous,
colorless world. Orange is the only color, Bindlestiff — a tramp
and only happiness matters. But how do
they acquire happiness? (There’s some more Lobola — an African tradition where
brainstorming needed, but I am thinking money or cattle is given by the bride-
there must be a twist in all of this.) groom’s family to “buy” the bride

Ciliad — a thousand things or a thou-

Intention of the Activity sand years

C reativity can be sparked in a number of

ways. Brainstorming is an easy way to con-
nect ideas. The intention of this activity was
to showcase a method of starting the brain-
storming process.

More Creativity Triggers!

More wonderful words:
Snuggery — a cozy little room

Eyesome — easy on the eyes. Attrac-

tive. Said of maidens and majestic
views.

44
DAy 6 draw symbols or make up words and letters.
When you’re finished, you can go and have
a look at what Dr. Seuss came up with.

Dr. Seuss As always, go back to your creation and ask

yourself: “Is there something more that I
Theodor Seuss Geisel was a German-Amer- can do with this? How can I build on this
ican author who wrote several of the most idea?”
popular children’s books of all time, selling
over 600 million copies and being translated
into more than twenty languages by the time Intention of the Activity
of his death. Better known as “Dr. Seuss,” he
wrote classics like If I Ran the Zoo (1950), Hor- Thinking outside the box and coming up
ton Hears a Who! (1955), and The Cat in the with creative ideas. More brainstorming!
Hat (1957).

Seuss wrote books that make people think More Creativity Triggers
and imagine. In On Beyond Zebra!, he in-
vented an entirely new alphabet because, as P eople often asked Dr. Seuss where he got
the book’s narrator explains, “In the places I his ideas. Since Seuss wasn’t sure himself, he
go there are things that I see / That I never tended to invent answers. As he told one such
could spell if I stopped with the Z. / I’m tell- questioner:
ing you this‘cause you’re one of my friends.
/ My alphabet starts where your alphabet “This is the most asked question of any suc-
ends.” cessful author. Most authors will not disclose
their source for fear that other, less success-
ful authors will chisel in on their territory.
Creative Exercise However, I am willing to take that chance. I
get all my ideas in Switzerland, near the For-
S pend forty-five minutes inventing you ka Pass. There is a little town called Gletch,
own alphabet beyond Z. Don’t worry about be- and two thousand feet up above Gletch there
ing right or wrong—just be creative! You can is a smaller hamlet called Uber Gletch. I go

45
there on the fourth of August every summer free play space
to get my cuckoo clock repaired. While the
cuckoo is in the hospital, I wander around
and talk to the people in the streets. They
are very strange people, and I get my ideas
from them.” ([Link]
[Link])

46
Day 7 your cheese. Do you like it?

Intention of the Activity

Cheese Challenge
C reativity can be found in trying new things.
C heese types are grouped or classified ac- A true creative person should be willing to do
cording to criteria such as length of aging, something they haven’t done before to broad-
texture, methods of making, fat content, ani- en their horizons.
mal milk, country or region of origin, etc. No-
body is sure how many types of cheeses there
are, as there is no universal method of classi- More Creativity Triggers!
fication. Yet, it is sufficient to say that there
may be between 500-800 types of cheese in S o, you did not like the cheese you chose.
the world today. What to do now? Think about ways to dispose
of your cheese or how to use it in a different
way.
Creative Exercise
Can you try it grilled?
H ow many types of cheese have you tried?
For today’s challenge, you’ll have to go to a su- Make a nice platter with biscuits and present
permarket or a deli. You can do some research it to your neighbors.
beforehand and read up about different types
of cheeses and what to eat with them. Would my dog eat cheese?

Go and find a cheese that you’ve never had. free play space
Be bold! Try something that you would not
normally choose. Gruyere, Roquefort, Cam-
embert, or Ricotta? Gorgonzola, Stilton,
Goat’s Cheese, Brie, or Cheddar?

Invite a friend, open a bottle of wine, and try

47
 ce
free play spa

48
Day 8 Intention of the Activity
C reative thinking and having fun! We might
not all, have our dream homes just yet. But
Design Your dream House that sure as hell, doesn’t mean we can’t imag-
ine one up for the time being.
M y dream house is a house by the sea. It
sits high on a cliff and looks out over the end-
less ocean. I don’t need much: a view, a thou-
sand books, and a coffee machine! I want a
More Creativity Triggers!
cozy bedroom, a fireplace, and somewhere to
entertain friends. D o you want a creative space in your dream
house? What would it look like? Is it possible
to make this a reality?
Creative Exercise
free play space
D esign your own dream house today. The
idea is not to draw something up to scale, but
rather to do it as a doodle. Include everything
that is essential to you.

49
Day 9 Creative Exercise
D esign a doll for someone in your family.
How would a doll that represents your cul-
Beautiful Dolls ture and your family values look? Think
about the morals you want to convey. In
I n the African language of Zulu, Ntomben- what clothes would you dress your doll?
tle means “beautiful girl.” Molemo Kgomo, a
Take as long as you like on this exercise.
South African mom, designed a doll range af-
ter identifying the lack of pretty black dolls in
the market in which her daughter could relate.
In doing so, she discovered a niche. It turned
Intention of the Activity
out that many more African moms wanted
dolls that represent their own cultures.
Thinking outside the box and designing
to fulfill a specific need. Creativity can be
sparked by a need.
The Ntombenhle range represents a vari-
ety of African dolls true to different African
countries. Unlike typical Barbie type dolls,
the Ntombentle dolls have a fuller figure,
More Creativity Triggers
curlier hair, and bigger eyes. They are also
dressed in colorful traditional African out- U se this activity to engage a child. Let her
(or him!) design a doll. Afterwards, try and
fits, representing the Ndebele, Sotho, Xhosa,
make the doll out of paper maché, or even
Zulu, Tsonga, Xhosa, Pedi, and Venda cul-
material.
tures.
free play space
[Link]

50
free play space

51
Day 10 Intention of the Activity
C reative thinking and idea development.
Coffee, anyone?
More Creativity Triggers!
C offee is everywhere these days. We brew it
in our kitchens in fancy machines or go to our
favorite outlet to get our preferred fix. Many C ombine coffee with cats! Meow Parlor is
the first permanent cat café in New York. In-
restaurants serve a quality cup made with bet-
spired by cat cafés of Japan, this unique café
ter beans.
puts you in the company of cats. Each of the
cats is available for adoption. There is even an
owl café popping up in London with proceeds
Creative Exercise being given to charity.

Y ou want to open up a coffee shop. What Forty Ninth Parallel in Vancouver serves
would you do to capitalize on the coffee trend?
espresso with freshly baked doughnuts as
How will you get people to come to your cof-
you sit at the bar.
fee shop, rather than the next one?

Remember, competition is brutal. Try and free play space

be as creative as possible. Give yourself
twenty-five minutes to brainstorm and
come up with five original ideas. Combine
coffee with anything, and see what you can
come up with.

52
free play space

53
Day 11 Write the list down in your notebook and
keep adding to it. Start with naming your
list “Designing My Own Life: Ten Things to
Do Before I Die.” For some people, ten goals
Bucket List would be enough, while others might find
the list growing to fifty items.
These days, everyone knows about bucket
lists. It is a list of things you write down and Just remember, making a list accomplish-
promise yourself to do before you die. es nothing. You must also be willing to do
something about it. Be critical—are my
Zackham had created his own list called goals realistic? How am I going to achieve
“Justin’s List of Things to Do before I Kick the items on my list?
the Bucket.” The first item on his list was to
have a screenplay produced at a major Hol- It need not be expensive or hard to do. Just
lywood studio. After a while, it occurred to think about what YOU really would like to
him that the notion of a “bucket list” could do or experience before you die.
itself be an idea for a film, so he wrote a
screenplay about two dying men racing to
complete their own bucket lists with the Intention of the Activity
time they had left.
Time is short. If you want to be creative or
([Link] accomplish more in life, plan for it.

Creative Exercise More Creativity Triggers!

B egin your own bucket list. This is not an Some bucket list ideas:
exercise to do quickly, so there is no time lim-
it. Rather, promise yourself that you are really • Wrap a snake around your neck.
going to think about it: if I died today, what
would I regret not doing? • Ride an elephant.

54
• Sleep in a haystack.
free play space

• Find your high school best friend.

• Camp on a beach.

• Be in the front row of a concert.

• Partake in a food fight.

• Drink tea in a tree house.

• Learn to crochet.

55
 3. Think about how and where YOU
Day 12 drink coffee. The mug must be per-
sonalized just for you.

Mug 4. Is the mug plain? Or does it have a

picture or writing on it?
W e think we need to do big, complicated
things in order to be creative. Sometimes the Finished? Consider getting your mug made
best ideas are simple—just look at the world just for you—or perhaps there’s a business
differently. idea lurking here.

Creative exercise Intention of the Activity

Today, you are going to design your own cof- C reative thinking and idea development.
fee mug. The idea is to create the coffee mug
you’ve always wanted. Choose the color, the
material, the shape. If you already have a fa- More Creativity Triggers
vorite mug, think about how you can improve
on it. Can you design a lid for it so that you free play space
can take it with you? You can take as long on
this exercise as you wish.

1. Think for a few minutes about

the material you would like to use.
Paper, clay, Play-Doh, wood, or recy-
cled items?

2. You can simply design the mug, or

you can actually try and make it.

56
free play space

57
Day 13 Y ou can do this as a random act of kindness,
or as part of planning for a special occasion.

The Creative Friend Intention of the Activity

I find that being a creative friend brings me
lots of pleasure. Surprising my friends with C reativeness can be found in all of life. You
can be creative in planning an event (or a
creativeness is one of my core goals in life.
gift) and executing it.
All it requires is a bit of listening, a bit of
thinking, and a bit of planning. The main ra-
tionale of being a creative friend is not to do
it to get recognition. I do it to add fun to a
More Creativity Triggers
relationship, and to make someone feel re-
ally special. What can be more rewarding I have a friend who loves owls. She even
raised two of them. One year, I surprised her
than to know that someone spent time think-
with a birthday package full of owl things. It
ing about you and planning something that
contained an owl notebook, owl fridge mag-
would really speak to you as a person?
nets, and a little owl handbag.

Creative Exercise I like asking friends about their favorite

types of presents. You’ll be surprised by the
answers you’ll get. Some friends really like
D o something creative for a friend today. everyday things such as chocolates and
You don’t have to spend money. Really think
bath oils. Some hate them! Everyone has
about your friend. What do you know about
different tastes. Remember what they are,
the person that you can use? Make a list of
and use them.
the things the person likes to do. What would
thrill your friend? It could be as small as an
offer of babysitting for two hours so that she
could go out for a while.

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free play space

59
Day 14 Method
G ently heat the coconut oil for 1 minute. Mix
in the cocoa powder until you get a smooth
Say it with Chocolate consistency. Add the honey, sweetener, or sug-
ar to taste.
It is surprisingly easy to make your own
chocolate. If you experiment a bit, you might
Pour the melted chocolate on a pan/plate/
be able to find the perfect consistency and
ice cube tray.
sweetness. Be creative with your homemade
chocolate!
Place in the refrigerator to set for 45 min-
utes.
Creative Exercise Enjoy!

If you don’t like this recipe, there are lots

more to be found on the Internet. Use this one
or find another, but make your own chocolate
Intention of the Activity
today.
Y ou can be creative in lots of ways. Cooking/
making chocolate is one of them!
Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

More Creativity Triggers
• 1/2 cup (raw) organic cocoa powder
Y ou can jazz up your chocolate with:
• Choose one: Organic honey, stevia, • cocoa nibs or chocolate chips
or raw cane sugar (to taste)
• dried berries

• raisins

60
• -- chopped dates free play space

• -- crushed nuts, almonds, or seeds

• chili powder

• green tea extract

• carob

• anything else you like!

61
Day 15 Intention of the Activity
To be creative on a deeper level. Leave be-
hind a legacy.
Napkin Notes
G arth Callaghan learned he had kidney can- More Creativity Triggers
cer shortly after his daughter, Emma, turned
twelve. Resolved to make the time he had left
significant, he made a promise to com- W rite some notes leading up to an event
such as a birthday, anniversary, or wedding.
pile years’ worth of notes to give his daughter
Write notes to your grandchildren or chil-
through to her high school graduation. He
dren, and save them to be found later. Leave
started by putting these notes in her lunch
anonymous notes to encourage someone.
box, but also stockpiled notes, just in case. His
mission is to spread the word about connect-
ing, in a meaningful and thoughtful manner. free play space
([Link]

Creative Exercise
Think about Garth’s mission. Does it ignite
something in you? Is there someone you
would like to write a note to? You can plan
a series of notes, or just one. The important
thing is to think about connecting to someone
in an original manner. Take fifteen minutes
to think and to plan, then write your notes.

62
 down anything that could be hidden
Day 16 in your initials.

4. Find your superpower! Write it
Superheroes down.

A ccording to the Merriam-Webster dictio- For example, my initials are A.W. I could be
nary, a superhero is “a fictional hero having an Awesome Wanderer, an Airborne Wel-
extraordinary or superhuman powers; also: come, or an Automatic Weeper.
an exceptionally skillful or successful person.”
As an Airborne Welcome, my superpower is
Some long-running superheroes are: Bat- to welcome visitors to my home from the
man, Spider-Man, Superman, Captain air. I swoop down and, with dramatic flair,
America, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, the guide them inside. I am the Airborne Wel-
Flash, Wolverine, Green Lantern, and Hulk. come!
([Link]

Intention of the Activity

Creative Exercise
C reative thinking, generation of ideas. What
O vernight, you’ve turned into a superhero! can you do with the superhero you’ve created?
The only problem is that you don’t know yet
what your super powers will be. All you know
is that your power is connected to your ini- More Creativity Triggers
tials. So, what could it be?
• More superpowers:
1. Write down your initials.
• Body Part Substitution
2. Your superpower is hiding in
these letters. • Duplication

3. Take fifteen minutes and write

63
• Invisibility free play space

• Immobility

• Bone Protrusion

• Helicopter Propulsion

• Cyclone Spinning

• Fat Manipulation

• Bubble Generation

• Stench Generation

• Nerve-Gas Emission

• Sonic Scream

• Hyper Breath

64
Day 17 Intention of the Activity
A new way of being creative; thinking differ-
ently about remembering things. The Memo-
The Memory Castle ry Castle is also a useful tool for students.

A Memory Castle is an imaginary place that

you create for yourself. The idea is to store
mnemonic images here. The most common
More Creativity Triggers
type of Memory Castle involves making a
journey through a place you know well, like
S huffle a deck of playing cards and try
memorizing the order. Think of the magic
a building or town. Along that journey, there
tricks you could accomplish.
are specific locations that you always visit in
the same order. The Memory Castle is a tool
to help you remember specific information: free play space
names, numbers, or a speech. It can also be
used as a study aid.

Creative Exercise
Take some time to read about Memory Cas-
tles on the Internet. Here are some links:
[Link]
ry-Palace
[Link]

Now, build your own Memory Castle to re-

member something you always forget. It
can be your social security number, a tele-
phone number, or even your shopping list.
It’s great fun!

65
Day 18 Intention of the Activity
C reative thinking, living mindfully, fund-
raising ideas.
Creative Days
P i (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in More Creativity Triggers
mathematics to represent a constant, the ratio
of the circumference of a circle to its diame-
• November 12th is International
ter, which is approximately 3.14159.
Tongue Twister day.

• International Underlings day is on

Creative Exercise leap year day each year. The next one
will be on the 29th of February, 2020.
Pi Day is celebrated on March 14th (3/14)

around the world.
• International Tuba day is on the
Today, you must create three celebration first Friday in May each year.
days for normal things. You can use the date
as a trigger (as with Pi Day), or you can just free play space
think about anything you believe needs its
own day. You can create a day especially
for your own family to celebrate, or you can
think in the wider context.

Write down three ideas. Are there some ideas

here that you could use for fundraising? If
you’ve thought about a special family day,
try and implement it.

66
free play space

67
Day 19 Intention of the Activity
U nderstand that creativeness is a process,
and sometimes you need to support the pro-
The Probing Creator cess with creativity triggers. Also, two random
ideas that connect can form a whole new idea.
The creative person has an inquisitive mind.
He wants to know about an array of things:
business ideas, weird animals, ancient history,
and current manufacturing techniques. You
More Creativity Triggers
never know when some of these concepts will
come together to form a new idea. It might K ickstarter and ThinkCad are gold mines of
abstract ideas.
take six minutes or six years, but somewhere
down the line, there is always the possibility
[Link]
of an “aha” moment.
words-for-ocean/

Creative Exercise free play space

S pend thirty minutes surfing the Internet.

Start with searching ‘weird and strange an-
imals,’ and let the search lead you to other
things. Randomly click on anything that in-
terests you. Write down ideas as they come to
you. The goal is to end with ten ideas in your
notebook that inspire you.

Can you connect some of these ideas in a

way? Perhaps it would be a good idea to set
a timer for this exercise; you might spend
more time on it than you were prepared to!

68
Day 20 Intention of the Activity
The Creative Dancer Be creative while dancing! The emotions
can be very powerful, and will definitely free
your spirit!
Today, we will take creativeness to a new
level! Einstein called dancers “the athletes of
God.” Let’s dance!
More Creativity Triggers
Creative Exercise free play space

C reate a dance that is a fit to Albert’s words.

Dance for laughter, dance for tears! You might
feel more comfortable doing it when no one
can see you.

You can make your dance as extensive or

as short as you want, but it must embody
all the words above: You must show laugh-
ter, tears, madness, etc. Be sure to create the
dream at the end.

Dance your dance more than once. Write

down in your notebook, if you wish, how
you felt while creating it and how it felt to
dance it out.

69
Day 21 • Leave an old phone in the kitchen
on which to store all your recipes.

• Heavy and expensive textbooks can

What to do with my cell phone? be downloaded and carried around
on your phone.
I f aliens were to look down at us, they might
think that we humans are programmed in • You can train your dog (or even your
every move we make by a palm-sized slab of cat) with special apps.
glass. It has become a cold fact: we can no lon-
ger live off the grid. Everything we do is di- • Create a scavenger hunt. Partic-
rectly determined by devices that are always ipants must take photos with their
at our sides. phones to record the evidence as they
find it.
Creative Exercise • Using the recorder on your phone,
record a personal log each day. Start
Today’s exercise comes in two parts: with the words “Today, I…”

1. Use five minutes to think about what you
• Use an old phone as a digital photo
can do to live a more meaningful life. Do
frame. Flash inspirational quotes on
you want your children and grandchildren
it.
to remember you as someone who’d rather
look at their phone than look them in the
eye? How can you use your cell phone less?
• Play music or make videos on your
phone.
2. Research how you can use your cell phone
to be more creative. There has to be some
good in it too, right? The Internet is full of
articles, but here are a few ideas:

70
 free play space
Intention of the Activity
C ell phones can be useful and help you to
find access to more creative ideas, but they
can also squash your creativity. The answer
lies in finding the balance.

More Creativity Triggers!

Look around you today. Try and count how
many people are with someone else, but not
talking or sharing the moment. Instead, they
are looking at their phones.

Use an old phone to make a wallet:

71
Day 22 4. Where can I find time? Ideas?

5. In what can I be creative?

Quick Illustrations
6. Creative space?
W e each have different talents, and although
not all of us think we are artistic when creat- 7. How big is the problem?
ing illustrations, it is a useful tool to unlock
creativity and potential ideas. If you’ve got a 8. Peace and creativity
problem you can’t solve, try drawing. Just let
your mind wander, and draw out the different Going through the blocks one by one, quick-
aspects of the problem. Perhaps you’ll see it in ly draw the image you conjure up when you
a new light afterwards. think about the word. Draw it any way you
like, whether realistic or more like a doodle.
Don’t spend too much time on each draw-
Creative Exercise ing. The idea is to pen down the first image
that comes to mind.
D ivide a blank piece of paper into eight
blocks. Quickly write down the first eight Show your little drawings to someone and
words or phrases you can think of that relate explain why you saw each object or idea the
to your problem. An example follows: way you did. Did you get a new solution to
your problem?
Your problem is to find time to be creative.

The words I came up with were: Intention of the Activity

1. A Clock Y ou may not be an artist, but all of us are
creative in our drawings! The intention of
2. All the other things stealing time this activity is to simply be creative and find
answers in our subconscious. Solutions can
3. Little me, torn come to you in the weirdest forms.

72
More Creativity Triggers!
C hildren love to play this game. Divide the
page in eight blocks and suggest topics for
the blocks one by one. Ask them to draw a cat,
then a coffee mug. Next, they must draw love,
then sunshine.

Compare drawings after each block is fin-

ished. It is great to see how each child inter-
prets the topics by using his imagination.

free play space

73
 free play space

74
Day 23 • Ablutophobia

• Catoptrophobia

Phobias • Liticaphobia

There are literally hundreds of phobias.

N ow, for the second half of the exercise: What
Formal phobias have been created for abso- are you most afraid of? Think up a name for
lutely anything of which anyone could pos- your own phobia and use it in conversations.
sibly be afraid. Some of the most common Why not? You are, after all, a creative person.
phobias are:

• “Acrophobia,” which is the fear of Intention of the Activity

heights,
Thinking outside of the box, creative brain-
• “Arachnophobia,” the fear of spi- storming.
ders, and

• “Ophidiophobia,” the fear of More Creativity Triggers

snakes
Ablutophobia – Fear of bathing.

Creative Exercise Catoptrophobia – Fear of mirrors.

The following are three phobias. What are Liticaphobia – Fear of lawsuits.
these people afraid of? Write down five ideas
for each phobia. The answers are below. Don’t P eople suffering from Hippopotomon-
peek! The intention of the exercise is for you strosesquippedaliophobia tend to experience
to do some creative brainstorming. a great deal of anxiety when faced with long
words. It is indeed ironical that the scientific
name given to this phobia is such a long one.
([Link]

75
 free play space

76
Day 24 Intention of the Activity
I nnovative writing, but also planting the
idea that nothing goes to waste. Every occur-
Life Lessons rence in life means something, and you can
learn from it. Use experiences as a catalyst
D riving does not come naturally to me. I to fuel creativity.
think it is because my head is in the clouds too
much! Therefore, I’ve had my share of small
car accidents in the twenty years I’ve been
driving. I can truly say, however, that I’ve
More Creativity Triggers
learned from each of these accidents. (I was
fortunate that none of them were too serious.)
There are countless biographies and mem-
oirs that can be read about extraordinary life
adventures and life lessons. If this is not your
My scares have taught me much more than
type of reading, just try it once. Choose any
good advice could have.
topic that interests you and look for a book
about it.
Creative Exercise There are books written about mountaineer-
ing, trail walking, abductions, and crimes.
Think about the lessons that life taught you. There are books that real doctors wrote about
Can you make a list?
their training and experiences, and books
about 9/11, dementia, and cancer. There are
Write a letter or an email to somebody, tell-
stories about drug abuse and anorexia, and
ing them about your life lessons. Perhaps
real families that have struggled. Think of a
you’ve had enough lessons to inspire you to
topic and you will find a book on it. Read it
do something more with them. Begin a blog
and enrich your life.
or think about writing your memoir.

Can’t think of anything? Impossible!

Dig deeper!

77
 free play space

78
Day 25 name, and you must include how it looks,
its habitat, and what it can do. Be as original
(and believable) as possible.

Your Creative Animal Think about how you can use your animal
in a creative way. You can use your animal
The pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus as a main character in a story. You can tell
truncatus), which is also known as the Pich- the story or write it down. You can draw
iciego, is the smallest species of armadillo your animal. Or you can just have fun with
known. It is between 90-115 mm long, exclud- the exercise, and leave it at that.
ing its tail, and weighs less than a pound. This
is the only species of armadillo that has its
dorsal shell almost completely separate from Intention of the Activity
its body.
I maginative thinking. You can use existing
This unique animal resides in the dry grass- facts to trigger creativity.
lands and sandy plains of central Argentina.
This sandy environment works well for the
pink fairy armadillo, since they are excel- More Creativity Triggers!
lent diggers. In fact, they have the ability to
completely bury themselves in a matter of There really are pink fairy armadillos! The
seconds if threatened. extract above comes from a-z animals (https://
[Link]/animals/pink-fairy-armadil-
lo/).
Creative Exercise
More facts:
D o you think the animal in the example
above is real? Spend two minutes deciding, • The pink fairy armadillo is one of
and give a reason. the rarest animals in the world.

Now, using the example as a basis, create • They move through the sand as
your own animal. It must have a scientific smoothly and fast as fish swim in the

79
sea. However, they are not able to
walk on ground very comfortably.

• The armadillo has poor vision.

• Predators of pink fairy armadillos

are wild boars, domestic dogs, and
cats.

([Link]
lo-facts)

free play space

80
Day 26 Intention of the Activity
Your dog is the only thing That Thinking more broadly to find inspiration!
loves you more than yourself
More Creativity Triggers
D o you have a dog? The natural intuition
of dogs plays a big part in why they are
called “man’s best friends.” While they may H ere are stories about two animals that ac-
tually talked. Read more at: [Link]
not be able to speak our language, dogs are
[Link]/2010/LIVING/wayoflife/05/14/[Link]-
empathetic, compassionate, and fierce pro-
[Link]/[Link]
tectors who get the message across clearly
without words.
Hoover the Seal: This seal often told people
to “Get outta here!” or ask, “How are ya?” He
could say his name and a few other phrases,
Creative Exercise all with a thick Bostonian accent.

Think about any pet you’ve had or an animal Alex the Parrot: He could identify fifty dif-
with which you’ve had contact. Can you re-
ferent objects, knew seven colors and shapes,
count a story where the animal has “spoken”
and recognized many different kinds of ma-
to you? What was the message?
terials, including wool, paper, and wood.
Spread a bit of creativeness to your pet to-
free play space
day. Surprise it with a snack or an extra walk.
Talk to your pet, but also make some time
to “listen.” What do you hear? Use this activ-
ity as a conversation starter with a friend or
a child.

81
 free play space

82
Day 27 More Creativity Triggers
H ere are two inventions that were created
out of mistakes:
What is it really?
There is no right or wrong when being cre- A rtificial sweetener: In 1879, after a long day
of working with coal tar, chemist Constantin
ative! Some of the best ideas for businesses
Fahlberg came home to have dinner with his
were born out of something going wrong.
wife without first washing his hands. While
eating his meal, Fahlberg noticed everything
he put in his mouth had a sweet taste, and
Creative Exercise discovered the saccharin on his hands was re-
sponsible.
S pend a few minutes thinking about what is
holding you back from being more creative.
Is it the opinion of others? Are you too crit- P ost-It Notes: In 1968, scientist Spencer Sil-
ver at the 3M company created a very weak
ical of your own work? Perhaps you think
adhesive that would peel off when removed
your work must be too perfect.
from any surface. The funny thing was that
he was, in fact, trying to create a super-strong
Make the resolution today that you will not
adhesive. No one thought there was any use
be afraid anymore. Good things can come
for such a product, until another scientist,
out of wrongs! Just make a resolution to DO,
Art Fry, realized that the little pieces of paper
to create, and to find what your heart loves.
made great book marks for his church songs
Then, there is no limit to what you can do.
without leaving residue on the page.

( h t t p : / / w w w. s t o r y p i c k . c o m / i n v e n -
Intention of the Activity tions-made-by-mistake)

B elieve in yourself. Believe in the creative

process.

83
 free play space

84
Day 28 to the tooth fairy… the “Toe kisser.” He will
visit when you were especially sweet during
the day, and leave a sticker on your big toe
during the night.
Don’t Be Shy.
W hat if there was no Michelangelo or no Intention of the Activity
Shakespeare?
E xploring your unique way(s) of being cre-
The world would have been less creative, ative. Do not conform to what everyone else
no question! Luckily, we don’t know what is doing, but celebrate your own individuality.
we are missing, but wouldn’t it be sad if the
world were denied a great, resourceful, in-
genious offering coming from you? More Creativity Triggers
• How can you be different in:
Creative Exercise
• Cooking meals?
S pend five minutes listing all your artistic
strong points. What can you offer the world? • Dancing?
Now, using twenty-five more minutes, ex-
pand on these offerings. • Planning your garden?
Here is a small example: • Driving to work?
I have a great imagination.
I can write children’s books where children
can read about wildly ridiculous adventures.
I can organize parties with a twist.

I can enrich my own children’s lives with

memories, like creating my own alternative

85
 free play space

86
Day 29 Intention of the Activity
B eing in touch with your inner self. What
will make you “sing?”
Singing in the shower of creativity
W e’ve talked throughout these activities
More Creativity Triggers
about connecting two or three seemingly
unrelated things to inspire creativity. Today’s
activity might seem silly, but try and really I n the wildly successful series Frasier, Frasier
once had to write a theme song for his radio
think about it as you do it. What did you feel?
show. In the end, his dad came up with the
How could you use this feeling in another
winning idea, a simple but catchy tune:
context?
• What’s new? I’m listenin’
Creative Exercise • Feelin’ blue? I’m listenin’...
C hoose a song you know well. If you are not • Feelin’ sad, feelin’ mad, feelin’ glad,
sure of all the words, quickly look them up
and familiarize yourself with it again. feelin’ bad

Now, sing it! Imagine you are in front of an • I’m listenin’!

audience and you must sing your song to
the best of your ability. ([Link]
season_7/episode_13/theyre_playing_our_
Examine your feelings afterwards. Did you [Link])
like to sing like that? If not, why not?
Have you ever thought about writing your
own theme song? It can be silly or serious.

87
 free play space

88
Day 30 of creative ideas in
this book? Write it down in your notebook
and add it to your repertoire!

Introduction
Intention of the Activity
Y ou’ve worked through twenty-nine of these
exercises! I really hope you are more in touch The beauty of being creative is that all of us
with your creative side. It is important not to are different, and someone else might add a
let it go to waste. Deliberately try and be more whole new perspective on how we see creativ-
original every day! ity!

Ask yourself in any situation: Is there a cre-

ative way to do this? Is there more than one More Creativity Triggers
way to do it? How can I do it differently?
And remember, you are living resourcefully Take these ideas and start writing your book.
only to please yourself—to be a better per- Write everything you think, fell and question
son and to find pleasure in everyday life. about this beautiful mystery called creativity.

Creative Exercise free play space

Y ou’ve been commissioned to supply me

with three creative ideas to include in my next
book. Did some of these creative exercises
make you think of something you would like
to present to me? Do you have your own idea
about creativity?

Use forty-five minutes to write down your

ideas. What can one do to live more imagi-
natively? Would you have liked other types

89
 free play space

90
 This book is split into two sections as you will see from flipping
through the pages. Part one is the story of how creativity helped
save my life. Part 2 is the practical action steps you can use dai-
ly to find and nurture your own creative superhero. Just like this
book, the creative process has many angles, many sides, and
many surprises. My promise to you is this:

If you do the provided creativity challenge, as well the CREATE

morning routine, daily for 30 days, you will transform your life in
ways you could never have imagined.

My goal with this book is to share with you the tools and stories
I have used to find my inner creative superhero. Creativity tru-
ly did save my life and this book is my gratitude prayer to it. My
hope is that it adds value to your life and sparks a creative inferno
inside you that changes the way you look at the world around you.
Copyright © 2017 by Adam Wilber

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except where
permitted by law.

The information provided herein is stated to be truthful, in that any liability, in terms of
inattention or otherwise, by any usage or abuse of any policies, processes, or directions
contained within is the solitary and utter responsibility of the recipient reader. Under no
circumstances will any legal responsibility or blame be held against the publisher for any
reparation, damages, or monetary loss due to the information herein, either directly or
indirectly.

The information herein is offered for informational purposes solely. The presentation of the
information is without contract or any type of guarantee assurance.

Edited by Keira Faer

Cover Design by Adam Wilber
Layout and Graphic Design by Branden Wolf

Adam Wilber
2017
adrian valenzuela
 CONTENTS
Magic Is…
Improve Your Creative Mindset:
• Confidence || Ritual
• Positivity || Humor
• Curiosity || Play

Navigate Environmental Factors:

• Combat Procrastination
• Take Risks
• Take Care Of Yourself

Innovate:
• Get Inspired
• Think Like A Child
• Read More

Actualize Your Magic:

• Brainstorm
• Visualize
• Finalize
 MAGIC
The Creative Solution
“Creativity is just connecting
things. When you ask creative
people how they did something,
they feel a little guilty because
they didn’t really do it, they
just saw something. It seemed
obvious to them after a while.”
– Steve Jobs

1
Magic is … everywhere around us. This For individuals with dependents trying to do
universe of ours is a big, magical, and often the right thing, there are long hours spent
scary place. When we take a minute to re- working to make ends meet. Finances have
flect on it, we recognize how our existence is to be stretched to their utmost capacity, and
magic, in and of itself. We are magic, and we at the end of each day, the body is fatigued
are connected to all other magical elements. and in desperate need of downtime.
The sky is magic, in all its blue hues; the fish
we find swimming in the river are magic in Life can feel like a constant war zone, and
their upstream struggle. Mother Nature is we, the warriors without rest. The mindset so
filled with wonder, which is why it’s surpris- many of us hold onto is that there seem to be
ing when we, the recipients of that wonder, so many “serious” issues to handle every day,
fail to recognize it. that there’s no time to entertain more “frivo-
lous” undertakings, such as creativity.

This is understandable on the surface. If

looked at carefully, our inability to connect to
the creative genius within us or to appreciate
the full extent of its usefulness is why we live
unhappy and under-fulfilled lives. We spend
all our lives working, and even when the uni-
verse conspires in our favor by offering some-
thing tangible to show for all our hard work,
there is a vacuum that can’t be filled.

Sometimes life pulls us in directions we don’t There is magic in all facets of life, just sitting
expect. We win some, we lose some, and after there, waiting to be discovered. Why, then,
a particularly rotten struggle, we persevere do we search so assiduously for something
to fight another day. Even if you don’t have that already exists within us?
other dependents, you are your own depen-
dent as an adult. And adulting can be just You have your own fountain of magic, who-
how it sounds: dull. ever you are and whatever your story might
be. There is just one thing: unless you recog-

2
nize it and are able to showcase it in all its the book. These essays and interviews were
glory, the magic within you will just contin- originally included in my first book, Cre-
ue to sit there, static, a relic of years gone by ative Magic, and have emerged from some
and splendor forgotten. of the most creative minds in the magic com-
munity. I’m lucky enough to call these peo-
This half of the book will supply you with ple friends, though I find myself inspired by
practical, easily applicable ways of finding their perspectives and creative integrity as
this magic, and incorporating it into your though they were my mentors. I hope you
life. I see it functioning as a glossary or rule take something meaningful from their ideas
book for the creative process. Whereas, in of what creativity means to them.
the first section, you find the clear pathway
or the clear ritual, in this section, you’ll find I know that some of my favorite books are
yourself and your real struggles. the ones with captivating interruptions. It’s
always fun to read a book, and, along the
You will also find some golden nuggets of way, find things to revisit at a later date. So
creative advice from individuals other than be sure to enjoy your time spent navigating
myself scattered throughout this section of this treasure chest of creative goodies!

3
Improve your HONESTY
creative mindset Open-mindedness and honesty are sort of
a package deal. When you are consistently
Keeping an open mind can be really tough. I open-minded, you’re no longer bound by the
have struggled with it quite a bit in my own constraints of one single idea or plan: you can
life. Each of us is brought up with a certain freely admit when you are wrong on certain is-
set of beliefs and moral values that become sues. Every truth you know can be challenged.
second nature to us as we grow. Breaking free Knowing there is always more to something
from these beliefs can pose a problem, up to than meets the eye frees the mind.
the extent that it causes rifts between us and
those in our lives once we attempt to challenge
these beliefs. However, being open-minded RELINQUISHING CONTROL
can benefit us in all areas of our lives! Read
on below to see how enlightening it can be. Keeping an open mind affords you the op-
portunity to release. The space for examin-
ing new ideas opens up once you realize that
FREEDOM you don’t need to be fully in control of your
thoughts at all times. You can challenge your
There is a certain sense of freedom that current beliefs and re-examine your stance on
comes with keeping an open mind. Just rec- many issues.
ognizing and accepting ideologies that are
different from your own is liberating. You are
not shackled by self-imposed or societally im- EXPERIENCING CHANGES
posed sets of values. Allow yourself to view
life from different vantage points, not just a W ith open-mindedness comes the exposure
myopic point of view. to a new world and new experiences. You will
allow yourself the space to change and to ex-
perience the full fluidity of that change. Once
control is relinquished, changes occur natu-
rally and unfold as needed.

4
STRENGTHENING YOURSELF We don’t define our values as a means of build-
ing a birdcage around ourselves, but rather as
a means of encouraging stability and integrity
The strength and resilience of the mind de- as we funnel through alternative experiences.
fine the perceived experience. Are you swayed
Read on below for some ways of encouraging
by others’ thoughts and opinions easily? An
true introspection:
open mind helps not only to encourage accep-
tance, but also to encourage a sense of integri-
ty and assurance in one’s self.
CREATE A QUIET SPACE
A SELF-ESTEEM BOOST Your quiet space depends on your person-
al preferences. It will not necessarily be a
place for you to sit; it could be an activity or
W hen you keep an open mind, you begin to even a mindset. Your quiet place could be
develop a strong sense of self. Your willing-
soaking in a bath, drinking a cup of coffee,
ness to learn new things and question existing
or taking a walk down to the park. The most
ideas increases your awareness of the world
important thing is that it should be free
around you, helping you to gain clarity and
from the distractions of others. You should
insight into how it works, and assurance about
be able to own that time as yours alone, so
the role you play in it.
that you have the space to examine your
thoughts without fear of judgment.

INTROSPECTION Once you have found your ideal spot, find

a way to relax. Try to calm any anxieties or
To sustain an open mind for the long haul, negative thoughts that arise. Perhaps, begin
you will need to get in touch with your per- with a ritual or meditation or maybe even
sonal beliefs and values. Some quality time some movement or a yoga asana, to connect
spent contemplating what you consider to be yourself wholly: mind, body, and spirit.
of the most (and least) importance in your life
will benefit you greatly as you entertain new
ideas and perspectives.

5
ASK QUESTIONS JOURNAL
We learn by asking questions. We gain deep- Take notes on what you discover,
er insights and come up with more innovative or, perhaps, free write the questions
solutions to better our world when we explore and answers as they arise. Some
things. The best thinkers ask endless questions, things will come into better focus
as they know full well they will always find a while writing about them, helping
solution somewhere along the way. you to see the important things more
clearly. Also, what has been commit-
Begin to ask yourself questions that will ted to paper can’t be lost. As long as
scratch the surface of who you are, reveal- you don’t lose the paper, of course...
ing what matters the most to you. Ask your-
self, for example, what makes you feel the Remember you are talking only to
most like yourself: the most comfortable, yourself while writing, so you don’t
the least anxious, and the happiest. Ask have to worry about anybody else look-
yourself what you feel your true purpose ing at or judging you. Allow yourself to
is and what role you play (or want to play) be open and expressive. Write about how
in society. your day went, what made you sad, what
made you happy, the people you met, and
Cultivate the habit of paying attention your perception of them. Just write what-
to details and asking yourself questions ever is on your mind. Empty it all out on
as they arise. And even as you begin to the pages of your diary, and don’t be afraid
question your way through the world, to write your greatest secrets or fears. You
you may not always have the answers have no reason to be ashamed of your own
immediately. Don’t rush yourself; keep thoughts. If you are concerned about other
asking the questions. The road to people reading your journal, then keep it on
self-discovery is not one to be taken at your person at all times.
top speed.

6
This is a good practice anyway, as you nev-
er can tell when there might be something
NOW, REPEAT
you want to write about.
Make the above processes a part of your
Explore whatever topics you want. Don’t weekly or daily routine. The clarity that comes
limit yourself to merely journaling about with repeating this process is liberating as you
your life and your feelings. Try branching become better at understanding yourself.
out, too. Write essays on various topics of in-
terests. For example, you could write about Introspection has almost become a lost art
world hunger, the Civil War and its effect in this fast-paced world. But, if you can take
on humanity, or whatever tickles your fan- some time and really connect with yourself,
cy. The point here is not for you to write you will find that the blurry lines in your
to receive marks or an accolade. No; the life come into sharper focus. With routine
point is to spark creativity within yourself introspection, you will be able to make the
and to develop your innate potential. While best decisions for yourself, recognize the tox-
writing, many things could come to you, ic patterns in your life, and be the best ver-
perhaps even paradigm-altering ideas that sion of yourself. Beautiful things can unfold
change the way we view things. You never when we find out who we truly are and what
know! Just be true to yourself, drop whatev- we most desire!
er mask or façade you show the world, and
be as authentic as you can. The only person
that would be judging you is yourself, and
who better to do the job? You can be your
biggest cheerleader and your biggest critic,
so there’s nothing to be afraid of. After all,
it’s just you and your thoughts.

Your journal doesn’t necessarily have to

be in the form of written words. You could
keep photography journals, voice journals,
digital journals, or whatever you are com-
fortable with. As long as it affords you the
opportunity for self-development, go for it.

7
Peter McKinnon : Creativity: are we born with it?
Is it a gift? Is it something we
Creativity & Real Talk! can be taught, learn to harness,
and control? Or is it something
Peter McKinnon is a photographer, cinema- entirely different? Perhaps
tographer, and all-around amazing human creativity is a scam. Maybe it’s
who I had the pleasure of working with for six just a line used in advertising or
years at Ellusionist. Peter ran all things visual marketing of products, something
for the company, and played a huge part in to help sell someone or an object.
establishing the brand image. The creativity “From the creative mind of...” “A
he brings to his art and life has attracted over creative collaboration between...”
one million subscribers to his YouTube chan-
nel, and all in less than six months. “I love you” comes to mind.
Those are words that are
widely and, in my opinion, loosely
used. “Creativity,” I feel, is a
word that is also used too
loosely. I think being creative
and being clever are two entirely
different things. Sometimes,
things can be misinterpreted or
targeted as being creative, when in
fact they are merely clever. 

“It’s clever how you managed

to hide that playing card.” “It’s
clever how you thought about
using a double backer instead
of a double facer.” Creativity
is a process. Creativity is the

8
vehicle you ride to get to your on my photography endeavors,
destination. I feel like in this day and I was asked this very same
and age, the term is thrown question: “How do you take
about to help boost one’s image. creative portraits?” My answer
Where that may very well apply applies to that of the magical
in some cases, it most certainly realm as well, which we will
does not apply to all.  touch on shortly. 

I am originally a photographer. I am blessed with being friends

I used to shoot a lot of with many of the industry’s
portraits, weddings, stock, leading minds, performers,
corporate, fashion—you name and thinkers today. I’ve spent
it. I learned a lot about what countless nights fighting
is clever and what is creative exhaustion sitting with Michael
when taking and post-processing Weber in a bar in Blackpool,
my photos. I think when I look England; jamming out fresh
back at some of my photos, concepts in Las Vegas with
the entire process of how the Calen Morrelli on how to make
scene was lit, shot, dreamed, the most insane gaff deck of
etc., was creative. Where in cards; and spending time with
some instances I look back and underground artists such as a
think, That was a clever use gentleman by the name of Shade,
of that light stand. Ironically witnessing concepts and ideas
enough, I just did an interview come to life from absolutely
segment for a local TV station nothing. These things happen

9
to us when we are not forcing take that statement and turn
them. That is my honest opinion. it in on itself. Think inside the
I think there are physical things box, because everyone is too
humans can practice and, with busy trying to think outside of
repetition, they enhance and it. I like to see what way people
improve. I think creativity is a are going and go the opposite. I
gift that, with time, comes to do this with almost everything.
you in many different forms, I think it’s when you decide to
some more than others.  be different and original and
take chances that creativity
“Think outside the box.” I hate comes over you naturally. It is
this line, and I love it at the all about realizing that moment
same time. Thinking outside of potential when it is upon you,
the box is great; we need and what you do with it when
to do it. Breaking patterns, it’s there. 
wandering astray from the
daily normalities, breaking the So, do I think creativity can
rules—these things help us be practiced? Yes and no. Do
take chances. When we do this I think people are naturally
and explore, we are made creative? Yes, they can be. Can
witness to new possibilities creativity be taught? I think
and paths we would have you can guide someone in the
never been able to see or direction of thinking differently. 
experience otherwise. However,
creativity comes in when you

10
Confidence parison. A lot of people allow themselves
to play victim to self-comparison; for many
of us, this is what we grow up observing
Confidence is a major component of cre- in those around us. Comparing yourself to
ativity that is often left by the wayside. In others is a bad habit that absolutely must
actuality, without this key factor, many be broken for creativity to flow.
creative ideas would die in infancy. The act
of creating something, thinking about an You can compare two contradictory ideas.
idea, and bringing it into creation requires In fact, I encourage it! But you can’t com-
a level of self-acceptance and confidence pare yourself to another individual. We are
that we each must discover for ourselves. each far too complex to be compared to
one another. There is no single standard
Whenever you come up with an idea, self- for comparison. Stay guided by your own
doubt tends to set in almost immediately, principles, inspirations, and values, rather
depending on how strong your inner crit- than basing your choices on others’ percep-
ic is. You begin to second-guess yourself tions. Develop your skills and perfect them
and imagine that what you have come up as much as you can. Ignore what the others
with is somehow inferior or not up to par are saying and give yourself peace of mind.
with others’ expectations. It takes a level of
self-confidence to work past this and allow
your idea to see the light of day. How to maintain your confidence
Innovation is scary, like walking blindfold-
level: FOCUS ON YOUR ACHIEVEMENT
ed into murky waters, with absolutely no
sense of direction. So many of us lack the
This is very crucial in boosting your con-
fidence level. At some point in your life,
confidence to see things through, which is you must have achieved something, no
exactly how the world has lost track of so matter how insignificant it seemed. Revel
many creative minds. for a moment in the successes you have
found, rolling around in the joy they
They say self-doubt is the curse of the imag- brought to you, even if for a moment.
inary creative, and the fastest way to lose
your self-confidence is through self-com-

11
Do you feel that? Do you crave it again as you create, as this strengthens your self-confi-
much as I do? Good. Find more successes. dence and integrity and encourages you to ex-
Just like in Peter Pan, think happy thoughts, plore new terrain and envelop new concepts.
and you will soar. And, like Peter Pan, focus-
ing on the positivity and happiness you’ve
collected with your successes will encourage STAY POSITIVE
you to seek similar opportunities.
The effect of positivity on one’s confidence
cannot be overemphasized. Maintain your
PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS level of positivity. Acknowledge that you can’t
always be right, you can’t always get the re-
Use what you have to get what you want. sults that you seek, and you can’t always be
There’s no way you’re ever going to find what in control of the elements in your life. Just
you’re looking for in a sea of endless options. acknowledging these things will free your
Start working with what you do have, and, mind, allowing you to find joy wherever it ex-
just as if you were whittling down a block ists in your current life.
of wood into a sculpture, you’ll soon start to
find that what you’ve been looking for was Worrying whether you’re living or working up
always there. to someone else’s standard will no longer be
an issue once you relinquish your stronghold
You can’t give what you don’t have. To main- on such constraints. Likewise, any fears of re-
tain your self-confidence, you have to pay jection, judgment, or mockery will all fall by
more attention to your strengths. Don’t allow the wayside as your positivity beams through
your flaws to take center stage in your life. troubles like a ray of brilliant light. Once you
Focus on your strengths and work them as welcome this warm source of positivity, you’ll
you would any muscle to strengthen them know in your heart that you will always rise
even more. up stronger and tougher for every challenge
that comes your way.
Work on your area of expertise, polish what
you create, and make the best out of it. Don’t
use this as an opportunity to settle for less,
however. Do your best, no matter what it is

12
CREATE WHAT SPEAKS TO YOU just want to get under the covers, curl up, and
then die a slow death, but this moment is your
true trial, your test of strength in the face of
hardship. How will you prevail? Will you give
Trends are always moving in one direction up? Many of us, myself included, may strug-
or another, but you can’t base your passions
gle with anxiety or depression during these
or desires on these trends. You can be inspired
times, and perhaps turn to alcohol, drugs, or
by what others are doing, as I’ve mentioned
anything that might offer a temporary escape
before, but don’t fall prey to societal conven-
from reality.
tions. If something doesn’t appeal to you,
don’t waste your time on it. You have so much
What we always seem to forget during these
to offer the world; don’t give up until you find
times of struggle is that after every storm
whatever it is that speaks to you.
comes relief. And no matter how long the
storm lasts, it will eventually stop. It’s nature’s
Find the confidence to create what you tru-
way. And while we feel consumed by the emo-
ly desire and revel in it. Enjoy the fact that
tions that plague us, our only source of hope
you’re doing what you want, rather than what
is positivity.
others may want you to do. One of my favor-
ite quotes by the poet Charles Bukowski says
We find it easy to be positive and optimistic
it best: “Find what you love and let it kill you.”
during the good times: when we are success-
Let it destroy everything you think you know
ful, when the ideas are coming in, and when
and allow it to bring ruin to whatever doesn’t
we’re clearly able to consider our choices.
serve you creatively. Don’t quit until you truly
But the moment we have a challenge on our
have found it. And you will find it.
hands, positivity seems to fly out the window,
even though that’s really when we need it the
most.

Positivity Maintaining a positive mindset means know-

ing, deep down in your heart, that you have
There comes a time in each of our lives where no control over the elements in your life and
it feels as though nothing is going right. We that sometimes these elements will even work
try our hand at so many things and hit a dead against you, almost purposefully not giving
end each time. Of course, it’s human nature to you what you want. The question now is how

13
do you stay positive? the sunset, walking barefoot on the beach, or
watching birds in flight, can fill a person with
How do you start your morning? The way in great joy.
which you kick-start your day sets the mood
for how the rest of it unfolds. Do you wake
up already feeling depressed or angry? Or do FIND JOY IN EVERYTHING
you wake up full of energy to face the day?
Try setting the right mood for your day by in- Tom Wilson, the American cartoonist who
jecting a healthy dose of positivity in some of created Ziggy, once said how “a smile is the
these ways: happiness you find right under your nose.”
Smiling releases endorphins and serotonin,
often referred to as our feel-good hormones.
ENJOY THE LITTLE THINGS By smiling, you are actively encouraging
the ideal environment for positive thoughts.
A part of us dies when we stop seeing the Try to find joy within every moment, every
extraordinary in the ordinary. We tend to fo- thought, every facet of this wonderful life that
cus more on the bigger achievements and you get to lead.
pleasures of life, like buying a new house,
welcoming a child, or getting married, but
relishing in the small pleasures, like watching WAKE UP A WINNER
A healthy morning routine is one thing you
really need to have a productive day. Start
each day with a “winning” attitude. Wake up
and make things happen. Surround yourself
with the right vibe, utilizing morning activi-
ties that nourish your confidence and boost
your energy.

14
STAY FOCUSED affirmations, do it. And while you’re at it, read
books with positive messages, listen to edify-
ing music, and watch good movies.
Don’t allow external forces to dictate how
you feel at varying points of the day. Know
that you, and you alone, can determine how
you feel (and react to what you feel) through- BE REALISTIC
out the day, regardless of what you are going
through. Don’t just lie on the ground and al- Most of our “problems” are just figments of
low yourself to be walked over by unpleasant our imagination. This is not to say they don’t
situations. Take back control, and decide for exist, but we tend to blow them just a bit out
yourself how you want your day to flow. of proportion. Whether we seek attention or
are trying to convince ourselves we are going
through something major when we extrap-
INHIBIT COMPLAINING olate a problem, it doesn’t serve us. Rooting
the mind in reality and refusing to indulge in
the drama can help us find our way through
Complaining about everything that’s wrong struggles faster.
in your life is not going to make your prob-
lems go away; if anything, it’s bound to make
them worse. So, instead of whining, do some-
thing about it. Shift your perspective on the WATCH YOUR THOUGHTS
matter, detach yourself from the problem,
and try to find a productive solution. You are your thoughts, and whatever
thoughts you allow to form in your mind will
take shape in reality and affect your attitude.
INSPIRE YOURSELF Choose to focus on the positive at all times.
If you have the habit of thinking the worst
Every single day, practice positive self-talk. about situations, try to inhibit the negative
Much like the testimonials I write in my thoughts and promote the positive. Medita-
morning ritual, find inspiration in what al- tion and mindfulness are key tools to use for
ready exists. If this means you have to stand in this practice.
front of the mirror and tell yourself positive

15
GRATITUDE MEDITATION You’ll be able to enjoy moments spent with
loved ones, friends, pets, and so on, because
you’ll understand what a privilege each expe-
Gratitude is a gracious acknowledgement of rience truly is. It’s a gift to be alive, and once
all that sustains us, a celebration of our bless-
you embrace this fact, you’ll find yourself
ings, and an appreciation of the moments of
more contented with what you have, rather
good fortune in our lives.
than chasing after clouds. In essence, you’ll
lead a rich life.
We have so much to be grateful for—the air
we breathe, the roofs over our heads, and ev-
Ask yourself what you’re grateful for.
ery other little thing we have been blessed
Write these as testimonials, if it helps
with, so much of which we may not have nec-
you. Just ensure you take time out of
essarily earned.
your busy schedule to think about
the things you’re grateful for in
You can relish the good things your life. You will find your-
life has to offer and enjoy the luxu- self acknowledging that
ry you have been afforded once you nothing lasts forever, there-
find yourself with gratitude. With by allowing yourself to ful-
gratitude comes joy, and a joy- ly embrace and enjoy what
ous heart is a positive heart. you do have.

16
Dan Harlan : physics, and psychology. There are so many
fascinating aspects of our world that can in-

Speaks On Creativity spire us when we allow them to.

A: How do you define creativity?

Dan Harlan is a magician, inventor, and en-
tertainer. Dan has invented more magic than D: Creativity is our innate ability to play.
just about anyone alive. He’s well known in-
ternationally for his insanely creative contri- A: Do you believe each person has the
butions to the magic community. If you want capacity to be creative? Why?
to know something about magic, you can
pretty much guarantee that Dan will have the D: Yes, as I mentioned in my definition, it is an
answer. His knowledge of the art is rivaled by innate ability. As children, we engage in cre-
none, and he has a very unique and refreshing ative thought as we encounter everything for
take on what it means to be creative. the first time. Eventually, the rules of society
constrain our thinking by replacing our need
ADAM: How did you choose your cre- for creativity with an ordered system. Howev-
ative outlet? er, our desire for play remains intact, and it’s
the role of creative artists to provide us with
DAN: Do you mean “magic,” or “art,” or “writ- new and interesting options for expressing
ing,” or “cooking,” or “acting,” or… I didn’t this desire.
consciously choose any of my creative endeav-
ors. I simply love to do many creative things. A: How did you find your creative niche?

A: What inspires you? D: I followed my own desire for interest-

ing expressions.
D: Inspiration can come from anywhere and
anything at any time. Really, I can’t force it, A: Who or what experiences have in-
predict it, or define it. Early on, a lot of my spired your work?
inspiration came from recreational mathe-
matics because that’s what I was reading at D: Everyone and everything. Sounds glib, per-
the time. Then, I got into design, symbology, haps, but it is the truth.

17
A: Have you always wanted to do what concepts, theories, and experiments which
you are doing? If not, what made you de- would give the facts some much needed con-
cide to start? text, as well as open pathways of exploration
that would reveal unexpected connections.
D: I have been quite fortunate that I have been In other words: play. I highly recommend
able to do what I love. There have been very supplemental, individual studies to anyone
few times when I was required to temporarily wishing to have a thorough education.
squelch my spirit and conform, but given the
choice, I always chose the path less traveled. A: How do you deal with creativity
blocks?
A: Do spirituality and culture
play a role in your creativity? D: I dig in my “Brain Box”—it’s an
Explain. index card file in which I’ve written
down and categorized every fleet-
D: Yes. As I mentioned, every- ing idea I feel might have a future,
thing influences my process. so that later (like when I’m stuck),
In my work, you will find I can take the time to develop the
references to life, death, love, ideas. It’s the most basic tool any
happiness, sadness, loneli- creative person should employ:
ness, family, etc. Typically, I write it down. I also have plastic
prefer these universal themes bags filled with prototypes that I
to remain subtle, but occasion- work on from time to time.
ally I’ll write a piece that overtly
deals with an issue. A: What part of you do you share
in your creative endeavors?
A: How important is education to your
creative process? D: Whichever part fits the task at hand.

D: Unfortunately, standard educational mod- A: Have you had to overcome obstacles

els encourage a rote memorization and re- (physical, financial, social, etc.) in your
gurgitation of facts. My education involved creative world? Explain.
hours of research outside school investigating

18
D: I am of average intelligence, from an aver-
age family with average financial means and
THe following is an excerpt from
social status. Yes, I’ve overcome obstacles by
More Than Meets the Eye by :
making the most of whatever I have. I don’t Dan Harlan
think I’ve ever triumphed over adversity, nor
have I been given a free ride. What I have, I’ve Creativity resists structure. It
earned. I consider myself fortunate. needs openness and room to move
freely from concept to concept. It
A: Do you believe it’s important to be ac- is chaotic and unpredictable. If you
cepted by others as being creative, or is
just doing what you love to do enough to
arrive at a foregone conclusion,
justify your work? Explain. ending up where you decided
to go, then you are not being
D: For me, the acceptance of others is such an creative. Creativity is a journey
important gauge of the quality of my work with no map, no destination,
that I can’t imagine being without it. Perhaps no agenda, no schedule, and no
if I lived isolated on a tiny island, relying on expectations. Just hop in your
my ingenuity for my survival, I wouldn’t care car and go. Better yet, walk, or
what anyone else thought, as long as I lived. ride a horse, or a motorcycle, or
However, since I offer my creations as viable a bicycle, or fly a plane, or hot
solutions for a group of discerning individu- air balloon.
als, I believe it is my responsibility to listen to
their feedback. Now, that doesn’t mean I will
The balloon is probably best
base what I do on isolated commentary. Not
since you have the least control
even close. I still have my own opinion (based
on a wealth of knowledge and experience) to
and you just have to take the
guide me, but it is important to me that my scenery as it comes. Your mind
success can be measured by the satisfaction is now open and directionless,
of others. filled with unrelated ideas with
no structure. This is great! This
is inspirational! This is a big waste
of time!

19
 There is a problem with pure people prefer pork, or poetry,
creativity. Nothing ever gets done. or pole vaulting, or Picasso,
You can create in your unlimited or punk rock. Some don’t. No
imagination forever, but what matter what though, everything
then? If you try to present an has its own style and an audience
audience with your wandering which values it. Do you have
mental processes, what will they your own style? Everyone does,
think? It will make no sense. You but is it the one you want your
must take the results from your audience to see? The best way
journey (snapshots, if you will) to develop your style is through
and put them in a structured your script. The words, actions,
order into your scrapbook, so emotions, and expressions you
it all makes sense. Throw out use comprise your script,
the boring ones, or the blurry whether you have written it
ones, or the poorly developed down or not.
ones. Keep only those images that
support your central theme. The This is a performance, after
reason most vacation pictures all. It is theater. You are acting.
are boring is because there is no You have an audience. Even if
interesting theme, except, you are doing a pocket trick
“Look how much fun we had for a friend, you have the same
while you were here working opportunities and responsibilities
your butt off!” as the performer in a Grand
Stage Musical Spectacular
Entertainment comes in various Extravaganza televised to
forms to suit a variety of millions. You both can succeed or
tastes and interests. Treat your fail based on your interpretation
performance as a piece of music, of your script. I suggest that
or a painting, or a sporting event, you study what you can about
or a book, or a meal. Some the theater and how plays,

20
movies, or television shows are
put together. I prefer to study
live theater since that is mainly
what we do, and it is the basis
of all other performances.

It has a long and fascinating

history. You may choose to read
about its history, or study a
few scripts from the library
to see how they are written,
or better yet, you may join an
amateur theatrical group for
some firsthand experience. There
are many capacities in which to
work, both onstage and off, but
you will learn more than you
ever thought possible no matter
whether you’re in front of the
lights or behind them.

21
Curiosity
Far too many of us are afraid of our
curious tendencies and don’t follow
them as a result. To open yourself to creativ-
ity, you have to follow your curiosity streak,
and almost fanatically so. The importance of
asking the right questions can’t be empha-
sized enough. The act of innovation—of cre-
ating something truly innovative—can only
be achieved when you continuously seek to
know more.
ly opening yourself up to new experiences.
Who are the most curious creatures? Chil- Curiosity is the key that opens the doors to
dren. Their instinctive curiosity is why they enlightenment. This will, in turn, lead to the
are so much more readily able to identify development of creative solutions.
problems that adults will generally dismiss.
Children can hold a conversation revolving Challenge yourself. Maybe you’ll find that you
around five different subjects in the space of can’t do certain things, or maybe you’ll find
a few minutes. They jump seamlessly from that you can. Either way, you’ll never know
one topic to the other, often leaving the adults until you try. Your mind knows no bounds ex-
around them reeling from the shock of it all. cept for those you construct; let yourself pon-
And though this can be quite frustrating for der anything and everything that rises to the
any parent, it’s wildly fascinating if you en- surface.
courage it.
If answers come to you without much effort,
When you train your mind to be receptive like then they’ve probably dawned on others in a
that of a child, you’ll be open to new ideas, similar way. When this happens, dig deeper:
never dismissing them outright as stupid. In ask more questions and explore critical an-
this way, then, you’ll be free to be curious swers to stand out from the herd. What you
about different things and, thus, continuous- find doesn’t always have to make sense. The

22
connections that sometimes exist between pacted the world in some profound way. How
seemingly unrelated things are crucial when did they do it? The answer is simple: they
applied to thinking creatively and opening were curious and refused to believe what ex-
the doors to innovation. Curiosity can lead isted was the very best we could have. They
to game changing ideas if given a chance to questioned the status quo and were able to
flourish. discover better ways of doing things not just
for their own benefit, but for everyone’s.
Children reap the benefits that come as the re-
sult of having a healthy appetite for curiosity, Life is dull and monotonous for some, but
and so should we as adults. We need to work not for the curious. How can it be? Well, they
on finding and sustaining ways of rewarding don’t allow themselves to get so desensitized
ourselves for being curious and allowing our that their sense of wonder disappears. For
minds the space and right to conceive. them, there are always new things that de-
serve their attention. They lead adventurous
In addition to asking a lot of questions, ask a lives because as far as they are concerned, life
lot of open-ended questions. Kids are the best itself is an adventure.
at this, and often do so to the point of exhaus-
tion. Ensure your questions are not restricted Ultimately, those with curiosity are the ones
or controlled. Ask open-ended questions, and who change the world, because they are al-
then allow your mind to acknowledge and ac- ways asking the all-important questions that
cept any of the solutions that arise. begin with “why.”

It’s all too easy to become mired in the exist-

ing definition of “normal.” Think about the
great people, past and present, who have im-

23
Navigate say that bright ideas will only come to you in
a dimly lit room. What will ultimately work

environmental factors best for you will be determined by you alone,

and probably after a couple of trial-and-error
tests.
Your thoughts and ideas are direct products
of your work environment. You draw ener- Let’s examine F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author
gy and motivation from your surroundings, of Tender is the Night, an autobiographi-
and working in that right place is probably cal novel about the physical, financial, and
all that is standing between you and your moral decline of a man with nearly limit-
creative breakthrough. Of course, what you less potential. It was reported that while he
draw motivation from depends on who you was working on this novel, he and his wife,
are. While some people can only work in Zelda, moved between France, Switzerland,
pristine and shining environments, others and the United States, and eventually spent
find they think better amidst light chaos. eighteen months at La Paix, an old country
house north of Baltimore, Maryland. He was
According to a paper published in the Jour- said to have worked through the night in a
nal of Environmental Psychology, darkness dark, disheveled room with a bottle of gin in
and dim lighting can encourage freedom a nearby drawer. He would take short walks
of thoughts, which leads to a more prolif- and come back to jot down his ideas on note-
ic generation of ideas. This conclusion was pads scattered across his desk. Clearly, Fitz-
reached because dim lighting would reduce gerald found motivation in mild chaos and
the visibility of the distractions available in after long walks. He came upon most of his
a room, thus encouraging focus on internal more successful ideas by working in an envi-
reflection and the task at hand. This isn’t to ronment that suited him and his needs.

24
On the other hand, some people have report- tle things add up, and they go a long way.
ed that merely looking at a messy desk puts
them off and throws them off their game. So, If you discover that you are not getting the
working in a cluttered workspace wouldn’t feel you want from your current workspace,
be to their advantage. Find out (if you don’t get out of it. Try out new spaces, especial-
already have a good idea) what type of work- ly ones that inspire creativity. Some people
space will inspire the most have been reported getting some of their
creativity and run with it. Some people work best ideas while watching people move about
better in clean spaces with minimal art on in the park, or while watching people inter-
the walls while others thrive at messy desks act in coffee shops. So, get out and break the
in cluttered offices. pattern your brain is used to, so you can see
things from a different vantage point.
Aside from the ambience, consider how con-
venient the workspace is. Would you be able If you can afford it, travel to places you’ve
to reach for important things easily, or would always wanted to go, or return to a place you
it be a battle to be productive? If you needed remember with fondness. If the culture there
to carry out natural bodily functions, would is different from what you’re used to, even
you have to go too far outside of your work- better. It’s all about gaining new insights and
space to do so? Do you have refreshments perspectives on things. Watching the way
available, or do you need to leave your space things are done by other people brings about
to go find some grub? Your output depends a new level of awareness, which is, of course,
on how convenient your working environ- the ultimate goal.
ment is. Imagine working in a place where
there was no proper air conditioning system,
not even a fan, and the heat level was high.
(I sincerely hope that none of you do.) Of
course, you would be sweaty and uncom-
fortable. Under such conditions, chances are
you’d never be productive. So, for your own
good, equip your space with the things you
know you will need, and do so in a way that
promotes productivity and efficiency. The lit-

25
Brad Christian: To me, creativity seems to be
an expression of letting your
Counteract the fear imagination flow. Get rid of the
boxes around things; get rid of
of failure your thoughts about the way
things “have to be” or “should
Brad is the founder of the world’s largest be.” Try several different
and oldest online magic store, Ellusionist. avenues for the same thing;
Brad has been my boss, friend, and mentor experiment. Use a lot of “what-
for many years. I have learned so much from if” scenarios. Trick your mind
picking his brain about everything from in- into letting go of its natural
vestments to packaging design for products. boundaries. If you can, try to
Brad sees this world differently than anyone
make a mock-up of the thing
else I’ve ever met.
you are thinking of, so you can
see it, feel it, and play with it.
Even doing that may lead you
to take a different approach.

Mostly, don’t be afraid to

fail. Counteract the fear of
failure by telling yourself how
many times the greats failed
before they came up with the
very thing that made them
great. Failing is a part of the
success process. You have to put
a certain number of failures
into the mix to ensure success.
They’re like stairs. Every time
you fail, it creates another stair

26
 you step on to get you closer to Combat procrastination
your goal.
How many times have you said, “I’ll do it!”
Lastly, remember that the and then you never get to it? How many times
creation process often requires were you supposed to apply for something,
you to simply let go. You try but pushed it until the very last minute when
and try and try and get all there was absolutely nothing that could be
wound up in a ball. Your head done about it?
is tight and knotted up. LET.
GO. Do something different. It I cringe when I think about the number of
could be that the tightness of opportunities that have been lost, not because
the individual in question didn’t have what it
trying so hard is keeping the idea
took to get it done, but because he or she pro-
from coming through. Some of
crastinated so much that there was no choice
the best ideas come when you are between success and failure.
on a walk by yourself. Movement
allows flow. Don’t be bothered Time is something we can’t explain, and yet
if you look hard for an idea and somehow, we often think we can mold it into
it just isn’t there. It can come in whatever we want it to be. A lot of people find
a second. That empty space can succor in postponing things until tomorrow,
fill up in a moment. Just wait. when they can easily be done today. When
The idea is already sitting there; you get comfortable with procrastination,
YOU just have to arrive. such that it becomes second nature, you have
then closed the tap that accommodates your
creativity and rendered it homeless.

When it is indeed time to get things done,

sometimes you hit a roadblock or just lose in-
terest in the entire thing. Instead of throwing
in the towel and waiting until another day,
have inspirational items at hand to keep you

27
occupied through the block. Whether this is a Whatever you choose, once you start, stick
painting, sculpture, toy, book, or just a quote with it and don’t allow yourself to lose days
on your wall, know what works for you and here and there. Start by setting a target for
maximize the opportunity. your early morning. It could be something as
simple as jogging for a mile, meditating for
One of the greatest disservices fifteen minutes, or listening to (or reading) an
you can do to yourself is to inspirational text.
doubt the efficacy of your
journey and whether you When you stick with the routine, day in day
have what it takes to out, and meet with your target even though
make it over the fin- no one is watching, you’ll start each day suc-
ish line. You’ve come cessfully. When this happens, you’ll begin to
so far, and you’ve believe more boldly in the ability you have to
done it through stick with something and get it done. You’ll
sheer grit and train your mind to know that you can suc-
determination, ceed and finish other tasks.
because you do
have what it takes There’s no hard and
to be a success. Tune fast rule for these
out the negativity that things, and nor
pervades our world, is there a set-in-
and be positive that you stone method of
were made with an over- getting things
whelming capacity to be done. Realize that you don’t have to start at
creative and innovative. the beginning simply because everyone else
does. Just like creating a magic trick, some-
Some routines are es- times you start at the end and work your
sential in giving our way backwards. Maybe that’s the method
lives order. To prevent procrastination, create that works for you; don’t get lost in another’s
an easy-to-follow routine to start each day or methods—even mine!
creative session. Perhaps this is the routine I
delve into in the other section of this book. Your creative mode will not get turned on ev-

28
ery time, so when it does, immerse yourself people quit their jobs and redefine their lives
in it and don’t allow for any outside distrac- in a big way because they want to heed their
tions at that time. Disconnect from all things creative voices, and a lot of change needs to
that have the power to divert your focus: turn be made to do so. But this definitely doesn’t
off your phone, close your computer tabs, and have to be the case for you.
forget about the existence of Facebook and
Twitter for that stretch of time. Your chats will When you allow your creativity to take hold,
not go anywhere; concentrate on what you you put yourself out into the world and you
have to do and block the rest out. open yourself up to criticism and commen-
tary, which can be terrifying. You run the risk
In addition, don’t fall into the trap of trying of being judged and critiqued, and your mo-
to multitask. When in the zone of concentra- tives analyzed by others.
tion, some people try to do as many things
as possible at once, ostensibly to save time. When you come at creativity from a place of
This only muddies the water, however. Focus fear, you’ll be incapable of giving your best
on what you have to do and get it done, effi- and could possibly compromise your vision.
ciently and effectively. Instead, be confident in the person you are.
Know that you have the raw materials re-
quired for success, and leave yourself open
Take risks to hearing the voice of the universe.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with be- Confidence is a state of believing in your-
ing an employee of an organization that pays self, and if you’re going to face yourself and
for your services, so long as when you wake the world, it’s a weapon you need to have
up each day, it’s with a spring in your step. in your arsenal. Trust yourself, trust your
No matter what it is that tickles your fancy, guts, and feel free to accept praise when you
follow it through! Embody it! Then, once you deserve it. Take a deep breath and take the
find it, push yourself to be your best. necessary step outside of your comfort zone.
I guarantee you: there are no guarantees. It
If you want to go out on a limb and awaken may work, and it may not. Understand that
your creativity, you don’t have to give up ev- whatever sides the dice land on, you’re a
ery stable thing in your life to do so. Some success for trying, and you’ll be better off in

29
the end for the experience. mirror, look critically at ourselves and our
surroundings, and get tough about it. Cre-
Get comfortable with failure. Of course, that ativity demands that you face your fears and
isn’t to say seek it out; rather, get to a place act confidently in the face of reality. So, no
in your life where you’re not afraid of failure. more cowering in the face of conflict. No
And remember that in so many of these fail- more withering under pressure. No. Stand
ures are hidden gems of success. Forage, find up, put your foot down, and guide your cre-
those successes, and build upon them. ative fire through this crazy world.

A lot of people will spend a lifetime going Taking big risks and putting yourself on the
through the motions, doing what everyone line demands that you face your personal de-
else expects rather than what they actually mons. Just remember: when you’re looking
want to do. They err on the side of caution in the face of your shadow self, that which
all their lives because they’re constantly bur- you fear also empowers you. Be your shadow
ied under the weight of other’s opinions of self’s own worst enemy, and rip those fears
them. These people forget how to speak the and inadequacies to shreds. Take ownership
language of their soul because they’re wor- of your livelihood, and walk forward boldly.
ried about everyone else. People will talk, no
matter what you do, and it will usually run
the gamut from good, to bad, and back again.
Their opinions are as fickle as the weather.
Why, then, would you want to follow a blue-
Take care of yourself
print of your life as designed by these peo- Your self-care routine will be your road to
ple? Don’t be deterred from your true path creativity, so long as you keep it well paved.
by other’s judgments. Don’t let yourself relinquish the need for
basic human necessities just because you’re
Every creative endeavor requires that you creative. Those stereotypical creatives didn’t
make a choice between taking the risky need to struggle so hard to unearth their
route and remaining in the same place. It creative genius and probably could’ve done
can be hard to face our fears, insecurities, a bit better with an extra shower here or
and seeming inadequacies, but that is what there, anyway.
creativity demands. We must stand before a

30
Take note of the following, and ensure you
don’t forego supplying yourself with what-
STICK TO A SCHEDULE
ever it is you need to maintain a status quo
of creative capability.
Set a time limit for you to work. When it
ends, stop whatever it is you’re doing and
start preparing for bed. This would mean you
need to complete all the work that has been
GET ENOUGH SLEEP allocated for that day before it’s time for bed.
Avoid procrastination as much as possible, so
Lack of sufficient sleep leads to negative ef- you don’t have to rush through your work,
fects on creativity. Depriving yourself of even or carry it over to the next day. While decid-
a single night’s rest could impair your abili- ing on a time to stop working, make sure you
ties to make decisions and think creatively. allow yourself at least seven hours for sleep.
Sleeping gives your brain the rest it needs. Af- Whatever you decide, just make sure to pick
a schedule that works for you and stick to it.
ter all, the brain is the biggest creative tool, so
it’s quite advantageous to rest it.

Some people pull all-nighters during brain- PREPARE YOURSELF

storming sessions, depriving their body of the
sleep it craves. Usually, nothing too produc- Right before you actually go to bed, do
tive comes of such brainstorming sessions, something to get in the mood. Try something
relaxing, so that when you eventually pull the
as the brain is most likely out of juice after a
covers over your body and let your head hit
short while. Don’t forget that you can’t cheat
the pillow, you will have a restful sleep. Some
nature. If you deprive your body of something people have reported that when they sleep,
as natural as sleep, you’ll have to pay for it they dream about their work and at the end
later, and by then, it could be too out of your of the night wake up rather frustrated and
control to do anything about. tired. To avoid this, do something to take the
stress of the day away. Take a long shower,
As well as getting enough sleep, try using the and if you are into meditation, do so for a few
tools below to ensure you get the proper kind minutes before bed. Read a book, take a bath,
of sleep each night: smoke some herb, put some lavender on your
pillow and breathe it in, or anything else that
will lull you into sleepy-time.

31
AVOID STIMULANTS emails at that time. Turn off the television,
too, and let your brain breathe easy. If you go
straight to bed after going through your Face-
As much as you can, avoid stimulants be- book feed, there’s the possibility that your
fore going to bed. They can deprive you of the
mind will be pondering something you saw
sleep you need. If and when you eventually
there as you dream, without any conscious ef-
do fall asleep, you may end up not getting
fort on your part. And we really want to keep
the relaxing and refreshing effect that comes
our sleep, and our dreams, as clean as we can
from a good night’s rest. Excessive drinking
at all times.
before bed will only give you a terrible hang-
over the next morning, and this will obviously
limit your productivity that day.
STAY ACTIVE AND HEALTHY
Your health is your wealth, and a healthy
you is one of the greatest contributions you
can make to your community. When not
weighed down by illness, you can be proac-
tive, affording yourself the opportunity to
make meaningful contributions to mankind.
Making any meaningful contributions from
a hospital bed might be a little impossible, if
not entirely so.

Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Avoid things

that would damage your health like ciga-
rettes and drugs, and maintain a healthy body
STAY AWAY FROM SCREENS weight. Try working out as much as you can,
go on long, cleansing walks, take the stairs
For about two hours before you sleep, log more often, and generally do things that will
ensure you are in good shape.
off the Internet on your computer and avoid
browsing social media feeds or replying your

32
Innovate idea that you can’t improve. This is where true
innovation is found, after all: in the fight, the
struggle, the uncomfortable wrestling with
C reativity and innovation are linked, and what it is and what could be. For this reason,
there is no way one can exist without the oth- the single most important companion to have
er. Innovation is the birth of creativity—cre- on the way to innovation is creativity.
ativity coming to fruition. Innovation means
turning the impossible around and redefin- You don’t have to be an expert; you can cre-
ing it. Innovation is spinning ideas into real- ate something new in any field, just so long
ity, like Rumpelstiltskin did straw into gold. as you have the inspiration needed to devel-
All innovation begins with creative thinking, op new ideas and the bravery to struggle
coupled with creative ideas, and followed by with what you create.
massive action.

Successful people are comfortable with fail-

ure. They know, in trying to be true to them-
selves and do great things, they will make
some mistakes. Fail with your idea over and
over again until it becomes something truly
innovative—until it becomes a success.

Steve Jobs said in 1997 that “creativity is

just connecting things.” Creative people are
able to draw lines between different things,
connecting totally unrelated ideas to create
new ones. While some people are innately in
touch with their creativity, others of us tend
to lose sight of it from time to time… and
often when we need it the most!

Ideas are great, amazing things, but don’t al-

low yourself to get so hung up on an initial

33
Marc Spelmann : I have always been classified as a
creator and performer by my
Not all brains work peers within the magic industry.
I started out performing as
the same an enthusiastic kid, always
fascinated with special effects
and magic principles. I was always
Marc Spelmann is a mentalist out of the dreaming up ways of creating
UK. His contributions to the world of mag- ghostly apparitions, moving objects
ic and mentalism are colossal. People in the and oddities that would baffle
industry of the impossible know of his work, the adults around me. I was an
and for good reason. Marc is a performer unconventional child and am now
whom I have looked up to for many years. an unconventional adult.
I just love the way his brain observes prob-
lems, then beats them to death until they re- I had a built-in brain for magic
incarnate as solutions. as a child, but I wasn’t well
read, in that I didn’t own any
magic books or have anyone in
my family with an association
to show biz, let alone magic. Yet
I was always baffled at the
reactions of my family when a
magician was on television. For
whatever reason, I simply knew
how things worked, what the
magician was doing, and, in most
cases, I could replicate the close-
up pieces. I vividly remember
watching David Copperfield’s
Vanishing Statue of Liberty and
knowing the exact method—
the same with his Death Saw
illusion, Timothy Wenk’s Misled
(pencil through bank note), and

34
countless other illusions and close- weights when an idea just pops
up demonstrations. I say that in your head. For me, this is
with the utmost respect for how most of my creative ideas
those outstanding, beautiful pieces happen. Something just clicks, and
of magic which have inspired me an idea is born, sometimes leading
greatly. I don’t really know why to a full-fledged effect I use, or
or how, but I just knew what was other times ending up as an idea
happening. I think in some ways written in my notebooks.
you need to think outside of the But what about when we have
box and have a topological brain. to be creative? What if we have
a show that needs that great
The reason I am writing this is to ending; a quick, dynamic opener;
emphasize a simple fact: not all a script for that PK effect; or
brains work the same. If they did, something new for our close-up
we would all play the piano and set? Everyone will be different,
be scholars. The fact is, we all see as stated before, but my
things differently, are inspired personal preference is a good
by different things, and, to be coffee shop, a comfy sofa, and
more specific in relation to our my iPad or a notebook with
topic, our creativity will be born some inspirational, lifting music.
from different things. I can only I’m essentially taking myself away
relay what works for me and the from regular distractions in my
process I go through to create. life. I’m away from my office
For ease of reading and reference, with just some music to take
I will categorize them below. You me somewhere and my mind.
may find some of these work for Whatever you need to do to feel
you or you do them already. They comfortable and prepared, do
aren’t rocket science, but just the it. You wouldn’t go to the gym
various ways I get creative. in boots and a fur coat—you
would prepare yourself, and the
Your environment: Creativity same should apply to creating.
can come at any time. You could Get in the zone in whatever way
be sitting on the beach, stuck you need—music, solitude, maybe
in traffic, or in the gym lifting daydreaming or relaxing in the tub.

35
It doesn’t matter what, how, or I listed my requirements, then
where. Just give yourself some went through every method in
space to go inwards. my mind. It took a while, but once
I hit on the method, I was so
Just write something: This is inspired. I love that routine and
something I learnt from a dear so do many others, including my
friend many years ago. Rather friend Banachek, who put it in
than stare at a blank page, it’s Psychological Subtleties 3.
better to write everything down,
even if it’s something you know Write and walk away: Sometimes
will be scrapped. Just write it when we get stuck, we come to
down. I do this with everything— what marathon runners call “the
scripts, routines, methods, wall.” It is quite literally the most
procedures, etc. I just write and frustrating thing. My advice is
write; inevitably most of it will be walk away. Go to the gym, go
changed, rewritten, or scrapped, to the cinema, and just get away
but sometimes the hardest thing from what you are trying to do.
to do with anything is to actually Frustration leads to anger, anger
start. Don’t worry if it doesn’t clouds the mind, and forcing ideas
make sense or seems outlandish, isn’t enjoyable and is often a waste
unachievable, or silly. Just write of time. It is far better to take
it down, and it may inspire you a breather, have some fun, and
and lead to something else, or, at come back after a day or two.
the very worst, just be erased.
When I created Transmission I have a newspaper prediction
from Chapter One of my DVD which had to be solo operational,
set, The Chapters of Marc in that I couldn’t use assistants. It
Spelmann, it came to life by my had to be straightforward and
wanting a drawing duplication set direct. I read everything I could,
that was totally impromptu—no including old manuscripts, books,
devices, gimmicks, etc. I wanted and notes, but it just wouldn’t
something I could do anywhere, click. I walked away and literally
at any time, as long as there forgot about it for six months,
were paper and pens. and then one day it just fell into

36
place. The effect was born in If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! I
2002; it then led to my Prize think this is by far the most
Draw routine. ridiculous statement ever made
— most likely by some lazy
Which comes first? I always person who had no vision. If
hear this debate from we didn’t develop, advance, and
colleagues and associates: “Do progress, we’d still be sitting in
you think of the routines first, candlelight and cooking on log
then decide on the method, or fires. Always analyze everything
do you have a method that you do, and, by all means, fix
then leads to a routine?” things, even if the old version
works. Sometimes we need to
This is a very good question, but move forward and try a new
it has no answer as both occur in approach, method, or device.
equal measure. Most of the time, Anything that gets our brains
I dream up the routine or effect ticking is a good thing. Sure,
I’d like to be able to achieve, then it won’t always be relevant or
continue to find a suitable method required with certain effects,
or methods; sometimes, I even but, to be honest, I can’t think of
discover a method or technique a routine that I haven’t fixed or
that’s amazing. With the latter adjusted, even when it was getting
scenario, I find myself searching the reactions I wanted.
for a place to use this method, Those are a few paragraphs
applying it to a routine. This isn’t that may help with creativity
a bad thing, as, to be honest, and development. It may just be a
how we get to the finishing post section you skipped, which means
is unimportant, as long as we you won’t have read this bit either.
get there. If it’s a routine, then Regardless, I wish you the very
method, or method turning into best with whatever you do, create,
a routine, who cares? Sometimes invent, or develop.
a method will spark creativity,
thought, and possibilities which
will only assist in helping us
develop more individually.

37
Get Inspired
Introspection is the examination of one’s
own conscious thoughts and feelings. Ask
yourself important self-revealing questions,
Inspiration! The bedrock for any creative such as:
breakthrough. Some of the time, inspiration
can come to us in the form of a “light-bulb • Who am I?
moment,” hitting us over the head with ide-
ation. But more often than not, this isn’t the • What matters most to me?
case. In fact, inspiration will often arise due
to a great deal of sheer conscious effort. • What do I want to change in
my environment?
Waiting for inspiration to find you can be
just that: a waiting game. Rather than wait • What is my purpose here?
around until inspiration waddles its way over
to you, try sitting down for a brainstorming A lot of people would generally run away
session, where you call upon inspiration or from asking themselves such questions, as
perhaps go digging for it all on your own. discovering one’s true self is really one of the
greatest challenges we face as individuals.
Not everyone will have the proverbial “light- The life hack here is to overcome this chal-
bulb moment,” so inspiration will have to lenge, because you will then discover a new
part of yourself to explore.
be sought after, both within and without.
You will have to look within yourself to find
Meditation can help a lot on this journey of
out what makes you who you are, what you self-discovery through introspection. Calm-
are passionate about, and what interests and ing the mind and ridding it of the constant
fascinates you, for in all these things, you babble is advisable to connect with one’s self
will find your source of inspiration. In other on a deep level. They say the best way to
words, push your own buttons and really dig get things done is to not do anything at all
into getting to know yourself. If you can find for a while. This is where meditation comes
your own unique identity in this ever-chang- in: de-stimulating the brain. Through medi-
ing world, then you will be your own source tation, you will be able to quiet the constant
of inspiration. chatter of the mind, bringing in focus, insight,

38
and calmness. What meditation does is blur
the unimportant things, bringing the import-
ant ones into sharper focus, so we can best
manifest what we most desire.

To get started, try spending at least twenty static rules our soci-
minutes each morning meditating. Try focus- ety demands we follow.
ing on the sensation of your breathing, and
that alone. Try not to get caught up in your There are few adults who can say with
thoughts. Rather, allow your every thought to all sincerity that they don’t care about
float away as it comes to you. Acknowledge it, what others think of them. Most of us do;
and then release it. Don’t hold onto anything.
we carry the weight of others’ opinions
If it’s worthwhile, it’ll come back! Empty your
around and allow it to drown out our own
mind, and allow the calm to take over your
body. You will feel the difference for the rest authentic voices.
of the day.
Children are able to live out their dreams.
They don’t see anything they create as unre-
alistic or impossible. Life seems like a mar-
Think like a child velous, magical place when viewed through
the lens of childhood. This lens is similar to
Becooming an adult has its luxuries and
the one we should adopt when we dig into
freedoms, but it also possesses its fair share of
our creativity.
responsibilities and regulations. Often, these
regulations can feel a bit like strangulations,
The dynamics of this perception change as
keeping us at an arm’s length from what we
we mature. We become bogged down by the
most desire.
responsibilities we face, and we stop day-
dreaming; we stop playing and we, in turn,
Children are more pure and raw in their in-
forget how to be creative. That childlike
teractions with the world. They’re generally
mentality fades away and falls into the back-
less fearful of persecution or judgement, as
ground of our daily lives. It disappears as we
they’re mostly unaware of its existence when
become bound to our responsibilities. We be-
it’s present. Children are generally more au-
come blinded by everything else around us
thentic and changeable, not regulated by the

39
and just try to do our best to hang on for out why and how they work. Don’t stop un-
this wild ride. til you get to the end of the line and there
are no longer any questions on your mind.
You’re an adult, and there’s no going back,
even though so many of us wish we could! Play with the elements of the life you’re
So, how can you be or think more like a leading. Allow yourself the freedom to let
child? The first step is daydreaming. Your go and engage your mind creatively with
adult mind might think it silly and maybe what’s in front of you. When children play,
even a waste of time, but daydreaming has they superimpose their thoughts on their re-
been found to enhance creativity. When you ality such that in their minds, they become
exist in this state, it acts as a stress reliever one and the same. When children play, they
and prevents you from getting stuck in mo- don’t spend time thinking about the conse-
notonous routines. Contrary to adult opin- quences of what they do or say. They don’t
ion, daydreaming does not detract from care how they will be viewed, as they aren’t
productivity; it can actually help you be- trying to impress anyone. They’re only try-
come more productive. ing to have fun.

You don’t have to spend the better part of While we don’t want to completely relin-
your day daydreaming to enhance creativ- quish our wise, educated, mature minds, we
ity. Fifteen-minute daydreaming breaks do want to open the doors to our creativity
are all you really need to open your mind and give it a chance to really flow when we
to new ideas. This helps you visualize your give ourselves moments to be free and act
dreams and goals as a reality, as well. When like children.
you allow yourself to daydream, you’re able
to focus more on the intangible nature of Experiment and try new things. One of the
your goal and really dig into the questions killers of creativity, and the rut we so often
that most leave unanswered. fall into as adults, is the comfortable feel-
ing we get from being in the same place
Do yourself a favor: look at the things that and doing the same things over and over
interest you and actually be interested in again. As we live in our safe zones, we get
them. Learn more than their surface fea- comfortable with our routines and hesitate
tures. Take things a step further and find to try things that are unfamiliar to us. We

40
forget that in unfamiliarity, something truly in a fast-paced world, with so many activities
beautiful might develop. going on and various distractions like the In-
ternet, television, video games, etc. A good
Try some new food, experiment with a for- book is the perfect way to disconnect from all
eign language, go places you wouldn’t nor- of these. Even if it is just for a short period of
mally go, take classes, meet new people… time, your brain will surely thank you for it.
immerse yourself in another’s way of life.
These activities can take you out of your
comfort zone and cast you into regions pre- EXERCISING YOUR BRAIN
viously unknown or unexplored, for the un-
known is the birthplace of creative expres- You’ll find reading to be a leisurely and easy
sion. way to exercise your brain. We have grown
accustomed to exercising our bodies and ne-
glecting our minds. Mental fitness is just as
Read important as physical fitness; some would ar-
gue that it is even more so. Reading exercis-
Readers are leaders, they say, and they tell no es our mind and improves our imagination,
lies. Reading, here, isn’t about reading press making us think and even fantasize about dif-
releases, blog entries, or newspaper articles; ferent scenarios. So many of my great ideas
rather, try to focus on novels, audiobooks, and have struck me while reading (or in my case,
other more juicy, absorbable bits of informa- listening) to a good ol’ book!
tion. Fiction, motivational self-help, autobiog-
raphy—whatever tickles your fancy, really.
Reading books helps to improve creativity in RELIEVING STRESS
a number of ways by:
A tired mind can’t come up with a great
idea; it just doesn’t work that way. Research
IMPROVING CONCENTRATION has proven that reading is a highly effective
way of relieving stress. Allowing yourself to
Just like meditating, reading a book will im- get caught up in a book can distract you from
prove your power of concentration. We live your immediate environment, often helping

41
accumulated tension to dissipate. This form of
escapism is practiced by many people. Actualize your magic
Every book you read is like a database of in- A ssumption is the fastest killer of creativ-
formation, just waiting for you to tap into it. ity, and it’s so easy for us to assume. Much
Books are a window to the world outside of easier than trying to get to the real root of a
yourself. From the comfort of wherever you problem, define it, and assess the reality of
are reading, you can travel to various parts of how best to solve it, that’s for sure.
the world, experience cultural diversity, and
learn about the different people in different Assumptions lead us nowhere, save for the
places and their way of life, thus broadening trappings of constant struggle. You see, when
your scope on life. we make assumptions, our fate is already de-
cided, and we fail to actually address what’s
The advantages of reading are numerous. It happening. To come up with a truly creative
is advisable to read at least fifteen minutes a and innovative solution to any problem, one
day to boost brain activity. Read on, friends. must come to understand the actual truths
Read on. of the problems one faces.

There are certain assumptions that need to

be challenged if we intend to fire up our cre-
ative juices. These include, but are most defi-
nitely not limited to, thinking that:

• A certain idea would take too much

time to create and might not be worth
it in the long run.

• We will be unable to find the resourc-

es we need to actualize our idea.

• Things must follow a particular pat-

tern, and deviating from the pattern

42
wouldn’t yield a result.
For example, you could come up with an idea,
• An idea must be wrong if no one else and your inner critic could say to you: “That
has thought of it yet. is a really stupid idea. How did you come up
with something like that?” We all have these
• We won’t be able to craft the idea moments of doubt, but how much credence
ourselves. do we give this inner voice in the end? Our
idea could turn out to be stupid, but we can
Assumptions will prevent us from exploring only know this after the idea has been seen
our possibilities because we have already lim- through to completion—not while it is still in
ited the playing field. So instead of having, its infancy.
say, a whole world of options at our disposal,
we are limited to work with what’s left after So, how do we tame our inner critic and
our assumptions have gobbled up so much of prevent it from interfering? These few tips
the goodness. should help:
Why do people find it safer to assume things
rather than to actually investigate?
RECORD EVERY THOUGHT
Primarily, the fear of failure inhibits us from
moving past our assumptions. You may car- During a brainstorming session, a lot of
ry the fear of being mocked or publicly rid- ideas will come to you, and you may be
iculed. The fear of being judged is a natural tempted to discard some of them based on
one, especially when trying out new things. the assumption that they’re bad ideas, but
But how will we ever stand out if we always the secret here is not to. Silence the critical
assume the worst? voice for a moment, and write down all the
ideas you can come up with.
Our inner critic plays a major role in the as-
sumptions we make by interference. While Record every idea that comes to you without
it’s good to be your best critic when coming judgment or bias. There will come a time
up with creative ideas, it’s essential to tame when you will sieve through the ideas and
this side of us if it should begin to get out only save the useful ones, but for this initial
of control. stage, record absolutely everything. Remem-

43
ber that there is no right or wrong way to How you treat your assumptions will de-
record your thoughts. Some people prefer to termine how they affect you. If you treat
use sticky notes, while others use audio re- them as the core of all you are doing,
corders. Use whatever works for you, so long doubts may start to set in. However, if you
as it serves its purpose. only use them in certain situations, where
they help more than hinder, they will be a
valuable tool in your belt or perhaps even
WRITE YOUR WORRIES a weapon in your arsenal.

The way you handle criticism depends large-

ly on where it originates. So, write down your
criticisms, and free your mind of all lingering
thoughts. Not just the ideas that come to you,
but your criticisms of those ideas, too. Why do
you think a particular idea might be faulty?
Why do you think it just won’t work? Writing
these thoughts will certainly help you to gain
a deeper insight into your work, as you will
be able to see where corrections can be made.

FILTER
After gathering your ideas and criticisms,
it is time to sift through everything. Your
standard for filtering these ideas depends
on many things, your personal values
amongst them. Remember to set aside the
ideas that don’t work rather than complete-
ly discard them. Now just may not be the
right time for a particular idea.

44
Daniel Madison : I believe that although creativity
is in us all, some of us have
Fishing for Creativity easier access to it. For the less
creative amongst us, it’s not that
Daniel is a very close friend of mine and one it’s difficult to access; it’s more
of the most acclaimed magicians in the under- that it’s difficult to understand
ground of our community. He has a unique how to do so. I believe that
way of branding himself as something larger anybody can decide at any
than life. Daniel’s contributions to the magic moment to be creative without
world are far too many and extravagant to list forcing it, but this requires
here, but he has written multiple best-selling that the individual knows how
books that feature his incredibly innovative creativity works. The key is that
and creative effects, and he has worked with one doesn’t have to force it or
just about every well-known magician of the at times even try.
twenty-first century. I have looked to Daniel
and his work for many years as an example
I can’t think of many things
of what it means to be yourself and not give a
more unsatisfying than fishing,
shit about what anyone else thinks.
but nonetheless, I will use it as
an analogy. A man doesn’t jump
into the water and swim after
the fish; he doesn’t try to
catch the fish. Instead, he uses
a technique that means the fish
will come to him. All he has to
do is relax and wait for the
bite. Without the fishing line, he
is just a man by water. We can
always be that man by the water
as we’re always a second away
from creativity—we just have

45
 to understand how to drop that there are no rules and barely
line in to initiate the session. any structure. If you’re a card
worker, you’ll naturally think
There is a fine line between easier with cards as the subject. I
fishing and sitting by the water never sit down to create, as I’ve
like an idiot. Certain places will learned from experience that
evoke your creativity more than the best and most powerful
others. The more comfortable ideas have always found their
and settled you are in one area, way to me. This is because I’m
the more closed your mind always open to ideas. I’m not
will be, as it doesn’t need to always looking or thinking, but I
register or even be aware of have just found a way to secure
its surroundings. Being in new that line so I am always that man
places outside of your comfort sitting by the water and that line
zone forces your mind to open is always there.
up more and take everything
in. Putting yourself in situations It’s not easy for me to tell
like this means you can take you how to create or even
advantage of the way your offer advice. You won’t think
mind is working, so when you the same as I do, and I don’t
begin to think of new plots or think the same way you do.
effects, you have a secure line Nobody can tell you how you
into a potentially solid creative work best. That’s something
flow; your mind is open, more you will discover through
aware than usual, and very trials and experimentation, and
susceptible to new things. it is one of the greatest things
about what we do. I stay away
I don’t think it’s fair or right from magic books and DVDs
to suggest there is a format and barely spend time with
or a model to creativity— magicians, as I do what I can to

46
protect the way I’m influenced.
It’s the outside world and the
spectators that dictate how
powerful my ideas are. I don’t
want that to be the main point
of these words, so I’ll end short
on one point I always live by:
magic is dead. It’s for you to
convince your audience otherwise,
no matter how big of an idea
you want to find.

Don’t hunt.
Go fishing.

47
Brainstorm otherwise wouldn’t have and makes sense of
what seems like utter nonsense.
Since we’re constantly watching out for our- It’s important to be in the right frame of mind
selves and trying to steer clear of failure and
to brainstorm. In today’s fast-paced world of
ridicule as much as possible, we effectively
technology, distractions abound from social
place ourselves into boxes that shouldn’t even
media, emails, SMS, and calls. These keep
exist in the landscape of our lives.
your mind occupied so you don’t have the
time and space for anything else. Find a quiet
When we think and have the “ah-ha” moment
space you can exist in and limit your distrac-
when an idea hits a home run, we find our-
tions. Place your phone on silent mode and
selves second-guessing after the initial excite-
disconnect from social media. When you do
ment wears off. We say things like, “Who do
this, the ideas will swarm to you in different
I think I’m fooling? Of course, it’s not good
forms. Write down as many ideas as come to
enough!” or “Maybe it isn’t such a good idea
you. Don’t think about what makes sense or
after all.”
what doesn’t; write them all down the way
they come to you without editing or even
In a way, you could say we prepare for failure
reading through what you wrote at the time.
before it even comes because greater portions
Trust in the spectacular power of your mind.
of our minds expect to be and are afraid of
There will be plenty of time later to edit.
being unprepared for it.
After putting pen to paper and breathing life
This is a creativity killer. You can’t keep sec-
into the things in your head, mind map these
ond-guessing yourself every step of the way.
ideas together and see what connections you
So, generate loads of ideas. Don’t try to edit
derive from them. Treat this as a fun, silly ex-
them in your head. Why? Your head is the
ercise, and don’t take yourself too seriously so
one thing you have complete control over. At
you’re able to keep the playful mindset that
least there, you should be able to stay true to
enhances creativity.
self. The mind is a powerful force, the extent
of which most of us never get to know in a
It’s not easy, and I won’t attempt to sugarcoat
lifetime. When you allow your ideas to flow
things. What I can tell you is that it does get
naturally, your mind makes connections it
easier with time. Humans are highly adaptive,

48
and your brain will learn the things you’re in- At this stage, you need a time and space that
terested in and those you aren’t. The more you is all yours where you won’t be disturbed.
engage your mind and draw mind maps, the Imagine trying to engage with yourself
better you’ll become at it, and when you see it when people are constantly in and out the
working, you want more chances to play with door asking you numerous questions. Find a
it. Overall, you’ll be getting more done and quiet place, empty your mind, and then pick
allowing your creative soul greater freedom. an idea. When you pick that idea, ruminate
on it; strip it bare and try to see everything
about it in action. What are the pros? What
Visualize are the cons? What are the strong points that
make it better than other ideas? What are its
Ideas are abstract, lifeless things. After a undesirable traits? What problems will come
while with proper work, they become some- up? Can you handle them? What possible
thing tangible that can be of use to others. ways can those problems be resolved? What
parts of the idea will completely blow people
When you have an idea, visualize it working away, and what parts will require more work?
or being implemented. You’ll be able to dis-
cover new things about your idea. You’ll be Make notes about everything during this
faced with the components of it that will work, process. Notes are tangible evidence you can
those that will require a little tweaking before reflect on at a later date. They will give you
they do, and those you need to get rid of. insights into decisions you make and help
you streamline them in order to make better
Do you see what is happening here? Your informed ones.
idea is getting refined; you’re chipping off
the unnecessary edges and maximizing the Are you tired yet? The process of visualization
necessary ones so that, ultimately, the fin- is a very involved one; it isn’t a walk in the
ished product is the very best it can be. In park. It will tax you and leave you drained,
doing this, be optimistic, but practical. Don’t but it will also provide a clearer picture of
set out to see the bad in every part of your what needs to be done.
idea, but don’t be so optimistic that you ig-
nore warning signs.

49
John Guastaferro: I can’t remember a time I’ve
ever sat down and said, “Okay,
The Discipline of today I’m going to be creative.”
It’s something that comes about,
Creativity often at unexpected moments,
spawned by outside triggers
John Guastaferro is a magician, speaker, and and bursts of insight. I agree
member of the world-famous Magic Castle. with Jay Sankey’s comment that
He’s a good friend who has shown me how “creativity is something that
to make my magic more impactful and emo- happens more than something we
tionally appealing to my audience. I respect actually do.”
his work and his character immensely!
John believes magic is much more than just
So, can we force creativity?
finding a card or deceiving the senses. It’s
Not exactly, but I believe we can
about connecting with people.
make ourselves more attuned to
opportunities that expand our
thinking. By definition, creativity
is aligned with fostering ideas
that are new and different. Yet,
one of the strongest ways to
get there is to study old ideas
and be as familiar as possible
with the ideas of others. Use
the insight gained from reading
books and sessions with other
magicians as a launch pad
for further exploration. The
freedom of creativity requires
the discipline of study, research,
and exploration.

50
 In my book Discoveries & ways, applying an unlikely premise
Deceptions, I talk about the to a classic effect, or maximizing
importance of being constantly the inherent qualities of an
curious. This involves deep everyday item. Often times, a
interest beyond our magic simple shift in thinking can create
library and being open to learning a massive impact, an approach
opportunities that appear every I talk about in my book One
day in the world around us. I Degree.
make it a point to write down
something new I’ve learned every Let’s look at some examples.
day. It could be something I
hear in a conversation, see on a Take my effect Lost & Found,
billboard, read on a Twitter feed, where a card vanishes and
or discover in any number of reappears inside a clear plastic
other sources. Try it. Download sleeve. The effect was born out
an app that allows daily entries, of previous knowledge of Roy
and make the commitment to Walton’s effect Jefferson’s Jest
write down at least one new (and related effects by Steve
thing you’ve learned each day. Hamilton and Peter Duffie).
All these effects focused on
Be a sponge for ideas that vanishing a card from a clear
occur both inside and outside sleeve, and I set out to discover a
your interest in magic. This way to make the card reappear
helps provide fertile ground back inside. Using the natural
for new discoveries. By the friction of the plastic sleeve
way, these new ideas need not next to a playing card made this
be as grandiose as medical illusion possible.
breakthroughs or archaeological
finds. New ideas can come from My effect Truth in Advertising
combining concepts in different evolved by adding a small change

51
 to my previous effect Optical MacDonald’s Aces was new.
Opener. The simple addition of This also led to the creative
an odd-backed card not only pattern focused on the magic of
elevated the magic, but it also toasting/clinking glasses, etc.
led to the advertising hook.
I suppose another personal Creativity evolves out of
example of creativity can be the discipline of researching,
found in one of my recent questioning, seeking opportunities,
effects, Multi-Mental. Armed solving a problem, applying
with years of exploring and previous knowledge, or striving to
performing an array of multiple- make your magic more personal.
selection-type routines, I became This is a great start for anyone
inspired to add newness, not to wanting to be more creative. Do
the productions themselves, but you always strike gold? Hardly.
to the premise—in this case, one But the process of exploration is
of mindreading. worth it.

In one final example, my use of Finally, don’t let long periods of

wine glasses in Vino Aces (from creative block deter you. Take
One Degree) came about by enjoyment in jotting down new
trying to solve a problem — learnings every day, especially
in this case, trying to make those that come from sources
MacDonald’s Aces accessible outside of magic. I think you’ll
to a wider audience. While the find your magic becoming
idea of using a wine goblet stronger in unexpected ways.
with playing cards dates back
many years, it’s application with

52
Finalize This stage of organizing is meant to help
consolidate and streamline your ideas.

You have the idea. You have spent the time When you do this, it won’t be smooth sailing.
thinking about it, challenging it, and now It will be tough, and sometimes, you’ll want
you’re ready to pull it all together. You now to give up. But if you fall underneath the
have a tangible product, something on which weight of it all, you’ll have lost more than
you can put your stamp of approval. just your idea. You will have lost your time,
energy, your brain power, and conviction.
Life offers so many different facets; so often You will have let down that relentless voice
when we become trapped in our own world, inside your head that continuously tells you
we lose sight of what our ideal goal really is. to go for it.
Take a step back, and allow what you have
created to percolate. During this time, you can So, in putting it all together, know there are
read a book that speaks to you, listen to a talk battles you will have to fight, and a lot of
show host who inspires you, take a walk in the them you will feel ill-equipped for. Fight all
gardens, or go for a soak in a hot spring. the obstacles in your path. Know that, like
failures, they, too, are brimming with valu-
This isn’t to say you should just leave the able lessons that can aid you in the process
work sitting there gathering dust without of bringing your new idea to life.
doing anything about it. If you do that, you
might lose the momentum that has taken
you such time and effort to build, and you
could even lose some of the finer aspects of
your idea. Leave it for a day or two, and after
clearing your mind, you can then revisit all
the notes you made during your brainstorm-
ing and visualization sessions. Then, you can
put together the things that work into a new
list, from which you can begin to wrap up all
the loose ends of your idea.

53
Concluding rites:
Hey, you’ve made it this far. Congratulations!
More than anything else, I want you to realize
you are creative. I want you to live your most All you have to do is check in each day with
fulfilled, passionate life and to follow your the workbook I’ve created for the challenge,
creativity, whatever it may be. If we all focus complete a creative exercise or two, and ab-
on creativity—if, like a tidal wave, millions of sorb a trick, tip, or piece of advice. Checking
people realize that they’re creative, and they in with the morning routine and creativity
then use that creativity to impact the world exercises will push you forward in expressing
around them positively—we will change the your creativity, living your creative life, and
world for the better. leaving your stamp on the earth.

Is that a lofty goal? Sure thing. But a possible When we are dead and gone, the only thing
one? Most definitely. Every decision we make that remains of us is what we’ve created. I
impacts others. If we choose to use our cre- have had the gift of creating two beautiful
ativity to fuel the world in which we live and children. They are part of my creativity; I cre-
forego the fear, doubt, and self-destruction ated these amazing things that move, emote,
that attempt to inhibit us from creation, then and express, all on their own. In raising them,
we can create the lives we want to lead and I’ve encouraged them to adopt a mindset that
cultivate the kind of world we want to live in. will hopefully carry on my legacy of creative
expression. But this legacy can be left in any
This is the mission; the next steps are up to way you see fit. So please go out there, and
you. It’s time for you to accept the challenge of carry these ideas and ideals of creativity in ac-
living a creative life. You’re the only one who tion onward.
can follow through on unearthing your own
creativity, and so in that vein, I have crafted a Live the most creative life you can, starting
30-Day Creativity Challenge, in which I take with the 30-Day Creativity Challenge, found
you through all the necessary steps to truly within this book.
implement creativity in your life.

54
 About the Author:
W hen Adam was six years old, he showed
his first magic trick to his father and, at that
gratitude moment, knew this was what he wanted to
do for the rest of his life. The look of won-
I would like to start by expressing gratitude to der and joy on his dad’s face triggered some-
thing in Adam that made him know, even at
my mother and father. Without their support,
I never would have built up the confidence to such a young age, he was born to create and
express myself so freely. perform magic.

To all my friends in the magic community, I’d Devoting not just his childhood, but his entire
like to say thank you for the support you have life, to the art of magic, Adam has become
shown me and my creations over the years. the general manager of the most successful
You all play a huge part in who I am, and for magic store of all time, Ellusionist, and has
that you have my deepest respect. gone on to invent many products, including
various magic tricks, decks of playing cards,
I am extremely grateful to everyone who and illusions that are used by fellow magi-
helped make this book a reality: everyone cians all over the world—including his most
who contributed to the essays within, to all recent invention, the Fiddle stick. Adam has
the readers who sent me their constructive invented some of the best-selling magic
criticism, and every other hand that helped tricks of all time.
me turn an idea into what you’re now holding
in your hands. Adam currently lives in New Hampshire
with his wife Natasha and their two children,
Lastly, I am grateful for my beautiful wife Carter and Alina. He performs his keynote
Natasha and our two perfect children, Carter speech on creativity and award-winning
and Alina. You are the reason for everything magic and mind reading shows all over the
I create. I still ask God every day what I did to world. While not performing, he spends his
deserve such a beautiful family. time inventing viral products and innovative
magic tricks and illusions.

55
 Take a minute to pat
yourself on the back
As with the creative process, beginning something is the easy part, finishing it is
what separates the winners from the drifters. The last part of this book is simply
to get you inspired. I’ve researched some inventions that have interesting stories
about the creative process. There is no easy path to something beautiful. Even
things as simple as Potato Chips have a very unique and insightful creative pro-
cess behind them.

I hope this last section inspires you to hold nothing back in your creative adven-
tures. Sometimes the goofiest idea that was given the right amount of love and
attention becomes the most impressive piece once it’s brought to life.

56
AWESOME INVENTIONS a cranky guest complained about Crum’s
fried potatoes.

They were too thick, he said. Too soggy and

Potato chips bland. The patron demanded a new batch.
Crum did not take this well. He decided to
They have been one of our favorite snacks play a trick on the diner. The chef sliced a
from the time we were kids, right through potato paper-thin, fried it until a fork could
adulthood. However, do you know how these shatter the thing, and then purposefully
crispy delicious treats were invented? It has over-salted his new creation. The persnicke-
been said that they were actually part of a ty guest will hate this, he thought. However,
little revenge plot. Hotel chef George Crum the plan backfired. The person loved it! He
enjoyed a wonderful knack for cooking. From ordered a second serving. Word of this new
his kitchen at Moon’s Lake House near Sara- snack spread quickly. “Saratoga Chips” be-
toga Springs, N.Y., Mr. Crum could “take any- came a hit across New England, and Crum
thing edible and transform it into a dish fit went on to open his own restaurant. Today,
for a king.” That skill came in handy – the that accidental invention has ballooned into
upscale Lake House attracted customers who a massive snack industry.
were used to being treated like kings. In 1853,

57
X-Rays pass right through paper, wood, and even
skin. The lab chemical that lit up – the one
that tipped off Röntgen – reacted to these
In the late 1800s, the world became a seem- rays. He called the phenomenon X-rays. The
ingly magical place. Scientists discovered
X stood for “unknown.”
radiation, radio waves, and other invisible
He continued his experiments using photo-
forces of nature. For a while there, many seri-
graphic plate to capture the image of vari-
ous researchers joined séances and believed
ous objects of random thickness placed in
in ghosts. Science had discovered so many
the path of the rays. He generated the very
mysterious phenomena – things that the eye
first “roentgenogram” by developing the im-
could not see but were definitely there – that
age of his wife’s hand and analyzed the vari-
many people wondered, what else might be
able transparency as showed by her bones,
out there?
flesh and her wedding ring. Upon seeing this
skeletal image, she exclaimed, “I have seen
German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen dis-
my own death!”. Based on his subsequent
covered one of these invisible powers by
research and experiments, he declared that
accident. Röntgen experimented with cath-
X-ray beams are produced by the impact of
ode-ray tubes, which are glass tubes with the
cathode rays on material objects.
air sucked out and a special gas pumped in
them. They work like modern-day fluores-
cent light bulbs. When Röntgen ran elec-
tricity through the gas, the tube would glow.
However, something strange happened after
he surrounded the tube with black cardboard.
When he turned on the machine, a chemical
a few feet away started to glow. The card-
board should have prevented any light from
escaping, so what caused this distant glow?

Little did he know that the cathode-ray tube

had been sending out more than just visible
light. It shot out invisible rays that could

58
Stainless Steel noticed that one of his failures had retained
its luster, while the others had rusted. The
sample contained about 12 percent chromi-
Steel has been forged for millennia, with um, which had reacted with the oxygen in
the earliest known examples reaching back
the air to form a thin, protective film. Even
to Turkey in the 18th century BC.
when it was scratched, the film would quick-
ly restore itself. Brearly called his invention
Steel, which is iron with a small amount of
“rust-less steel.”
carbon added to it, offers some advantages
over iron in terms of hardness, ductility, and
Since the 16th century, Brearly’s hometown
tensile strength, but because it is still mostly
of Sheffield was known for manufacturing
iron, it rusts. Everything made out of steel
cutlery, and Brearly immediately saw the po-
will, over time, inexorably transform into
tential for his new invention. Up until then,
a crumbling powder. Throughout the ages,
most cutlery was made of ordinary steel,
metallurgists attempted to add other ele-
which had to be polished frequently to avoid
ments to steel to prevent rusting, sometimes
rusting, or silver, which was prohibitively ex-
with modest success. But there was no reli-
pensive for many people. Brearly approached
able way of mass-producing rustproof steel
his old schoolmate Ernest Stuart, who was a
until 1912, when a metallurgist named Har-
manager at Mosley’s Portland Works. After
ry Brearly from the English city of Sheffield
testing Brearly’s material in a vinegar solu-
tried to come up with a better gun. Most gun
tion, he dubbed it “stainless steel,” and the
barrels are grooved or “rifled” in a spiral pat-
name stuck. The Portland Works building
tern that causes the bullet to spin, increasing
still stands in Sheffield, where it serves as a
accuracy. However, the friction between the
low-cost space for independent cutlery mak-
bullet and the barrel causes wear, eventual-
ers and metallurgists, along with many art-
ly making the barrel too big for the bullet.
ists and musicians.
Brearly sought to develop a steel alloy that
would resist erosion.

He failed multiple times, and his heap of

steel scraps grew bigger and bigger. After
several months of trying and failing, Brearly

59
Plastic heat-resistant. He dubbed his invention Ba-
kelite, and referred to it as “the material of
1,000 uses.”
Chances are that, right now, you can spot a
half dozen plastic items without even having
He underestimated its potential by several
to turn your head. In fact, if you are wearing
orders of magnitude. In the following de-
glasses with lightweight or scratch-resistant
cades, Bakelite was used to make electronics
lenses, chances are that everything you see
components, auto parts, cameras, telephones,
is, in a sense, plastic-wrapped. Leo Baeke-
buttons, letter openers, clocks, radios, toys,
land, the Belgian-born chemist who in 1907
telephone casings, billiard balls, kitchen-
developed the first plastic, probably did not
ware, rosary beads, chess pieces, and tens
set out to dominate your visual field with his
of thousands of other items. Over the 20th
creation. His original goal was much more
century, Bakelite and its descendants – Plexi-
modest: to find a replacement for shellac, a
glas, polyester, vinyl, nylon, polyurethane,
resin secreted by a South Asian scale bug.
polycarbonate, and so on – transformed the
stuff that our world is made of, from nat-
Baekeland’s “Novolak,” a combination of
ural to synthetic. Items that were crafted
formaldehyde and phenol – an acid extract-
from wood, ivory, or marble, are now afford-
ed from coal tar – failed to catch on as a
able for almost everyone. Yet at the same
shellac substitute. Little did he know he was
time, the ersatz topography that Baekeland
about to stumble on something far more im-
brought forth does not always sit easily with
portant. But he noticed that by controlling
us. What’s more, most petroleum-derived
the temperature and pressure applied to the
plastics will remain in the environment for
two compounds (using a massive iron cook-
centuries, if not millennia.
er that he called a bakelizer) and by mixing

it with wood flour, asbestos, or slate dust, he
had created a material that was moldable
yet robust as well as non-conductive and

60
Saccharin “Fahlberg had literally brought his work
home with him, having spilled an experi-
mental compound over his hands earlier that
Saccharin came as a sweet surprise (Pun
day,” writes the Chemical Heritage Founda-
Intended). Before Sweet’N Low and diet so-
tion in its history of saccharin. “He ran back
das, there was a plucky researcher studying
to Remsen’s laboratory, where he tasted ev-
something completely different: coal tar. In
erything on his worktable—all the vials, bea-
the 1870s, Russian chemist Constantin Fahl-
kers, and dishes he used for his experiments.
berg worked in the lab of Ira Remsen at
Finally he found the source: an over boiled
Johns Hopkins University. Remsen’s team
beaker”. Fahlberg had actually created sac-
experimented with coal-tar derivatives, see-
charin before, but since he never bothered
ing how they react to phosphorus, chloride,
to taste-test his concoctions, the chemist had
ammonia, and other chemicals. (Not exactly
no idea. In fact, a modern chemist proba-
the most appetizing profession). One night,
bly would have never discovered saccharin.
Fahlberg returned home and started to chow
Nowadays, people thoroughly wash their
down on dinner rolls. Something was off.
hands before leaving the lab. If Fahlberg had
The rolls tasted curiously sweet. The recipe
followed the normal rules of cleanliness, the
had not changed, so what was going on here?
world would be without this zero-calorie arti-
He soon realized that it was not the rolls. It
ficial sweetener.
was him. His hands were covered with a mys-
tery chemical that made everything sweet.

61
teflon “Rather than discard the apparent mistake,
Plunkett and his assistant tested the new
polymer and found that it had some very un-
Roy Plunkett invented Teflon while trying usual properties: it was extremely slippery
to make a better refrigerator. When the Du-
as well as inert to virtually all chemicals,
Pont chemist was only 27 years old, he had a
including highly corrosive acids,” writes
big idea. Plunkett wanted to combine a spe-
DuPont in its corporate history. “The prod-
cific gas with hydrochloric acid. He gathered
uct, trademarked as Teflon in 1945, was first
the desired gas (tetrafluoroethylene) but
used by the military in artillery shell fuses
wasn’t quite ready to start experimenting. So
and in the production of nuclear material
he cooled and pressurized the gas in canisters
for the Manhattan Project.” While Plunkett
overnight. But when he returned the next
invented Teflon, he didn’t come up with the
day, the gas was gone. The canisters weighed
idea of using it for cooking. About a decade
the same amount as when they were full, but
after Plunkett sawed those canisters in half,
nothing came out. Where did all the gas go?
a French engineer named Marc Grégoire in-
troduced “Tefal” pans, the first to be lined in
Confused, Plunkett cut the canisters in
Teflon. The idea came from his wife. Before
half. The gas had solidified on the sides,
Tefal, Grégoire used Teflon on his fishing
creating a slick surface.
tackle to prevent tangling. But his wife real-
ized that the nonstick surface would be per-
fect for cookware.

62
Play-Doh are not publicly known, but it is said that the
McVickers added an artificial almond scent
to the recipe.
The modeling “Doh,” with the unique
smell, that children (and even adults) love to
In 1956, Play-Doh was first sold at Woodward
play with was not originally used for fun and
and Lothrop, a department store in Washing-
games. In fact, it was used for the exact oppo-
ton, D.C. It came in only one color – off-white.
site: cleaning.
Colored Play-Doh came out the following
year and was sold at more department stores,
Before World War II, coal was commonly
such as Macy’s in New York. The McVickers
used to heat homes, which left soot stains on
became millionaires as Play-Doh ads were
walls. Noah and Joseph McVicker of Kutol
broadcast on kids’ shows such as “Captain
Products, a Cincinnati-based soap manufac-
Kangaroo,” “Ding Dong School,” and “Romp-
turer, created the doughy material to rub the
er Room.”
soot off wallpaper. However, after the war,
natural gas became a more common heat
source. As coal was phased out, few people

needed Kutol’s cleaning product. The com-
pany faced bankruptcy.

In the early 1950s, Joseph McVicker learned

that his sister, a schoolteacher, used the ma-
terial in her classroom as modeling dough.
And thus, Play-Doh was born. The McVick-
ers decided to market their nontoxic creation
as a children’s toy. In 1955, they tested their
product at nurseries and schools. A year lat-
er, they created the company Rainbow Crafts.

The “Play-Doh smell” came from the

McVickers trying to hide the original clean-
ing aroma. Many ingredients of Play-Doh

63
Mauve Perkin dropped out of school and his father,
George, used his entire life savings to build a
Chemist William Perkin wanted to cure ma- factory that produced mauve-colored items.
laria. Instead, he started a new movement in
Within a few years, the family became ex-
the fashion industry.
tremely wealthy.
In 1856, Perkin was an 18-year-old student at
Perkin’s dye was quite vibrant and didn’t
the Royal College of London. He attempted
fade or wash out, but that’s not the only good
to create artificial quinine, an anti-malaria
thing that came from Perkin’s new color.
drug derived from tree bark. He was unsuc-
Mauve helped kick-start a chemistry revo-
cessful. However, his curiosity spiked when
lution. Experiments from other labs soon
his failures resulted in a thick, purple sludge.
resulted in thousands of useful carbon com-
pounds, such as an actual artificial quinine.
The color caught his eye. The sludge, made
with a carbon-rich tar from distilled coal, took

on a unique shade of purple, a very popular
color in the fashion world at the time. Perkin
was able to isolate the compound producing
the color, which he named “mauve.” Perkin
had created the first-ever synthetic dye.

64
Superglue He came across the material again in 1951.
This time, Kodak experimented with cyano-
acrylates for heat-resistant jet airplane can-
Eastman Kodak researcher Harry Coover
opies. Again, the stickiness got in the way.
discovered Superglue years before he fig-
But then Coover had an epiphany. “Coover
ured out what to do with it. At first, its sticki-
realized these sticky adhesives had unique
ness infuriated him.
properties in that they required no heat or
pressure to bond,” writes the Massachusetts
Coover first came across cyanoacrylates (the
Institute of Technology (MIT) in a column
chemical name for these überadhesives) in
from 2004. “He and his team tried the sub-
World War II. His team tried to use the ma-
stance on various items in the lab and each
terial to create plastic gunsights. Too bad the
time, the items became permanently bonded
cyanoacrylates kept sticking to everything.
together. Coover – and his employer – knew
Coover dismissed the chemical and tried di
they were on to something.”
ferent approaches.
While Coover’s original patent called the new
invention “Superglue,” Kodak sold the adhe-
sive under the less-evocative name “Eastman
910.” “Later it became known as Super Glue,
and Coover became somewhat of a celebri-
ty, appearing on television in the show ‘I’ve
Got a Secret,’ where he lifted the host, Garry
Moore, off the ground using a single drop of
the substance,” writes MIT.

65
Silly Putty Wright hoped there would be some conven-
tional use for it.
You can stretch it. You can bounce it. You However, the government was not interest-
can throw it. The eraser-colored goo was not
ed. Wright sent samples of it to scientists
intended to become one of America’s favor-
around the country and they, too, were not
ite childhood toys, but actually a synthet-
interested. However, partygoers found the
ic substitute for rubber during World War
goo very entertaining. In 1949, a second char-
II. Rubber – used for tires, gas masks, life
acter entered the scene: the unemployed
rafts, and boots – was essential for the war.
Peter Hodgson, who saw an opportunity. He
With Japan attacking many rubber-manu-
borrowed $147 to buy the rights from GE and
facturing countries in Asia, America was in
began producing the goo, which he renamed
a pickle. Citizens were asked to donate any
Silly Putty. He packaged it in plastic eggs be-
old tires, rain boots, coats, and anything else
cause it was close to Easter.
made of rubber.
Soon children across the country wanted Sil-
But it still wasn’t enough. The government
ly Putty. Kids could stretch and distort their
reached out to companies to invent a syn-
favorite comic book heroes by slapping the
thetic rubber with similar properties.
putty down on printed pages. It became one
of the fastest selling toys in America’s history.
In 1943, James Wright, an engineer work-
ing for General Electric, entered the scene.

Wright just happened to combine boric acid
and silicone oil in one of his test tubes, creat-
ing the goo that would eventually fill hours
of playtime.

The goo could rebound and stretch more

than traditional rubber, had a very high
melting temperature, and did not collect
mold. Although the “nutty putty” didn’t con-
tain the properties needed to replace rubber,

66
Corn Flakes While John started the shipment process, Will
had an idea: Try the process with corn instead
of wheat. It was a touch-down play. In 1906
Corn Flakes were created (by accident, of alone, the Kelloggs’ company, Battle Creek
course) during a search for good, whole-
Toasted Corn Flakes Company, shipped
some vegetarian food. William Kellogg and
175,000 cases of Corn Flakes, according to the
his brother, John Kellogg, are the master-
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
minds behind one of the world’s most popu-
lar cold cereals.
The brothers experimented with more ingre-
dients, creating Bran Flakes and Rice Krisp-
In 1894, John was the chief medical officer of
ies. After Will decided to add sugar to some
Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, which
recipes, John left the company, believing
was run based on Seventh-day Adventist
that it went against their initial goals. Will
health principles of a vegetarian diet. Will
renamed the company W.K. Kellogg Compa-
worked at the sanitarium as a bookkeeper
ny in 1922.
and manager, but under the guidance of his
brother, he became very interested in health
and nutrition. He eventually helped John
search for new, wholesome diets for patients.
The two brothers were in search of an easily
digestible bread substitute, which led them
to boiling wheat to make dough.

But it never turned into dough. They let the

wheat boil for far too long. When Will rolled
out the wheat, it separated into large, flat
flakes. After baking and tasting, the broth-
ers decided it was a delicious, healthy snack
worthy of their patients. “Granose” flakes re-
ceived rave reviews and patients pleaded for
more after they left the sanitarium.

67
Slinky
The Slinky jingle is the longest-running song
Like James Wright (inventor of Silly Putty), in advertisement history. It first aired in 1962:
engineer Richard James researched to aid
What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs,
American troops during World War II. In
and makes a slinkity sound?
his home laboratory in Philadelphia, James
A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing! Every-
attempted to invent springs that would sup-
one knows it’s Slinky.
port and stabilize sensitive instruments on
naval ships during rough seas. One spring
It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky. For fun it’s a wonderful
was knocked off the worktable and stepped
toy. It’s Slinky, it’s Slinky. It’s fun for a girl or
its way down to the floor.
a boy. It’s fun for a girl or boy!
After James watched it re-coil itself and stand

upright on the floor, a light bulb went off in
his brain.

James showed the stepping spring to his wife,

Betty, and said he could make a children’s toy
out of it. Because the Navy was unresponsive
to the springs, James spent the next couple
of years perfecting his toy idea. Betty came
up with the name “Slinky” and the couple
first demonstrated its toy at Gimbels Depart-
ment Store in 1945. In just 90 minutes, they
sold 400 Slinkys.

Within 50 years, James Industries sold more

than a quarter of a billion Slinkys worldwide
and the slinking toy is still finding its way
into American pop culture.

68
Velcro Under a microscope, De Mestral examined
the tons of tiny hooks that line cockleburs
and discovered they could easily attach to
Many dog owners grumble when their loy- the small loops found in clothing and fur.
al companions play outside and return with
He experimented with different materials to
all sorts of nature stuck to their fur and feet,
make his own hooks and loops form a stron-
bringing the outside environment into their
ger bond. In 1955, De Mestral decided nylon
once-clean homes.
was perfect and thus Velcro was invented.
But not Swiss electrical engineer, George
Velcro, the combination of “velvet” and “cro-
De Mestral, who, after taking a walk in the
chet,” was showcased in a 1959 fashion show
woods with his dog, was fascinated by the
held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New
cockleburs’ ability to cling to his clothes and
York City. However, it didn’t receive positive
his dog’s fur.
reviews from fashion enthusiasts.

Velcro wasn’t widely used until NASA made it

popular in the early 1960s. Apollo astronauts
used it to secure items that they didn’t want
escaping in their zero-gravity environment.
Hospitals and athletic companies eventually
used Velcro after realizing the practicality of
the material. In 1968, Puma was the first to
use Velcro on shoes – Adidas, Reebok, and
others followed suit.

69
vulcanized Rubber prodding, Goodyear also noticed that it still
had the springy surface texture of rubber,
the “gum-elastic” it was known for. Goodyear
In the early 1830s, natural rubber was all
had made rubber weatherproof.
the rage, but the excitement faded. People
realized that their rubber would freeze and
Another tale tells a different story: Good-
crack during the winter or melt into a sticky,
year absent-mindedly turned out the lights
smelly goo during the summer. Natural rub-
to his makeshift lab and spilled his vials and
ber could not stand extreme temperatures,
test tubes containing sulfur, lead, and rub-
so its popularity quickly died.
ber onto a still-hot stove. The result was the
same, a charred rubber-like substance that
Charles Goodyear spent years trying to over-
didn’t melt in the extreme heat. After testing
come rubber’s problems, and he only suc-
in freezing temperatures, Goodyear finally
ceeded by mistake.
succeeded in reaching his goal, and it only
happened because of a careless mistake.
Goodyear tried various powders to dry up
the stickiness, but to no avail. Everything
After many patent battles, Goodyear died
kept melting. These expensive experiments
still in debt. He didn’t start the Goodyear
pushed his family into debt and resulted in
Tire and Rubber Co. – the American compa-
jail time. Yet even in prison, Goodyear was
ny was instead named in his honor.
undeterred from his goal. Some called him
a mad man.
“Life,” Goodyear wrote, “should not be esti-
mated exclusively by the standard of dollars
According to a biography of Goodyear in
and cents. I am not disposed to complain that
Reader’s Digest, he walked into a general
I have planted and others have gathered the
store in Woburn, Mass., to show off his rub-
fruits. A man has cause for regret only when
ber products. This time the rubber had sul-
he sows and no one reaps.”
fur in it to act as a drying agent. Goodyear
got so excited that the rubber flew out of his
hands and landed on a hot stove. When he
examined it, he noticed that it did not melt,
but instead charred black. After poking and

70
Popsicles amusement park in Alameda, Calif., which
closed in 1939.
Kids love Popsicles, so it makes sense that Epperson finally applied for the patent in 1923
an 11-year-old boy invented them.
and began producing even more fruit fla-
vors. He sold the frozen pops on birch wood
In 1905, Frank Epperson from San Francisco
sticks and called them “Eppsicles.” They sold
invented the Popsicle purely by accident. Ep-
for just a nickel apiece. Epperson’s children
person made a fruit-flavored soda drink out
apparently didn’t like the name “Eppsicle.”
of powder and water, a popular concoction
They preferred “Popsicles.” Epperson eventu-
back then. However, one evening, he never
ally agreed with his kids, and the name has
finished making the soda and left it outside
stuck ever since.
overnight – with the stirring stick still in the
cup. It was a cold night, and he discovered
in the morning that the drink had frozen
around the stick. He popped it out of the cup
and licked it.

At first, Epperson didn’t realize what he had

stumbled upon. Seventeen years later, he
served the frozen lollipops to the public at a
fireman’s ball. (Surprisingly, no one else had
come up with the idea yet). They were a huge
hit. A year later, he enjoyed even more suc-
cess after serving them at Neptune Beach, an

71
Chocolate chip cookies That, of course, didn’t happen. When Wake-
field took the cookies out of the oven, she no-
ticed that the chocolate chunks only melted
If your favorite cookie is chocolate chip, then slightly, holding their shape and forming a
you should praise Ruth Graves Wakefield for
creamy texture. The guests loved them.
her mistakes in the kitchen.
Wakefield’s chocolate chip cookies began at-
Wakefield and her husband, Kenneth,
tracting people from all over New England.
owned Toll House Inn in Whitman, Mass.
After her recipe appeared in a Boston news-
Wakefield prepared the recipes and cooked
paper, Nestle gained a huge spike in sales.
for the inn’s guests.
Everyone wanted Nestle’s semisweet choco-
late bars to make Wakefield’s cookies.
One day in 1930, Wakefield had a problem.
She was out of baker’s chocolate for her
Therefore, a marketing deal was struck.
scrumptious Butter Drop Do cookies. Surely,
Andrew Nestle agreed to give Wakefield a
her guests would be upset. Wakefield had to
lifetime supply of the chocolate in return
quickly come up with a chocolate substitute
for her recipe printed on every Nestle semi-
and broke up a bar of Nestle’s semisweet choc-
sweet chocolate bar.
olate into tiny chunks and mixed them into
the batter. She assumed that the chocolate
would melt, spread into the dough as it baked,
and create a chocolate-flavored cookie.

72
Microwave Oven and ships, especially German U-Boats. Ray-
theon scientists looked for new ways to im-
prove the magnetron and increase produc-
It started out more than five feet tall, weighed tivity during a time of great need.
750 pounds, and cost about $5,000. The first
microwave, the Radarange, built by Raythe-
Cooking a TV dinner was not on their to-do
on Corporation in 1947, was based on the ac-
lists. It was only by chance – and after the
cidental discovery of a melted chocolate bar.
war had ended – that one scientist finally
noticed one of the magnetron’s other possi-
Several years prior to Raytheon’s first at-
ble uses.
tempt at the microwave oven, a scientist, Per-
cy Spencer, experimented with a new magne-
While working with the device, Spencer no-
tron, a vacuum tube that releases energy to
ticed that the chocolate bar in his pocket
power radar equipment.
started melting. He attributed it to the micro-
Radar was vital during World War II. It al-
waves and, like any good scientist, conducted
lowed for easier detection of enemy planes
more tests.

First, Spencer tried corn kernels. After they

successfully popped, Spencer tried heating
more foods. The results led engineers to at-
tempt to contain the microwaves in a safe
enclosure, the microwave oven. The Amana
Corporation (acquired by Raytheon in 1965)
first introduced the countertop microwave
oven that is in almost all American kitchens
today to the public in 1967.

73
the Ice-Cream Cone So where did the cone-shaped ice cream holder
come from? Historians agree on the “where”
and “when,” but not the “who.”
The invention of the actual ice cream cone,
or “cornet,” still remains a controversial mys- The 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis celebrated the
tery. But what is widely accepted is the cone- centennial of the Louisiana Purchase (though
shaped edible ice cream holder was indeed one year late). The food was plentiful, and his-
an accident. torians say there were more than 50 ice cream
venders and over a dozen waffle stands. With
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, ice cream the heat, ice cream was the top seller – hot waf-
prices dropped and the creamy dessert quickly fles not so much.
became a more popular treat. Ice cream street
vendors popped up across the US and in Eu- But the waffles proved useful when all the ice
rope. The competition was over more than just cream venders ran out of cups.
flavors; it came down to what they put the ice
cream in. The generally accepted story goes likes this:
ice cream vender Arnold Fornachou couldn’t
Paper, glass, and metal were common mate- keep up with demand and ran out of paper
rials used for holding ice cream. Then came dishes. Ernest Hamwi, a vender next to Mr.
the not so sanitary “penny licks.” Many ven- Fornachou sold “zalabia,” a waffle-like pastry.
dors would scoop their flavor of the day into Because his zalabia wasn’t selling, Mr. Ham-
a glass and hungry buyers would pay a penny wi decided to help his neighbor by rolling up
to lick the glass clean before returning it to one of his waffle pastries and giving it to For-
the vender. Not only was this not the clean- nachou who put ice cream in it. Viola, the first
est way to eat dessert, but also customers kept ice cream cone sold.
breaking the glass or “accidentally” walking
away with them. Other venders teamed up as well, each claim-
ing that it invented the idea. With all the hus-
In 1902, Antonio Valvona filed the first patent tle and bustle of the World’s Fair, no one really
in Britain for an edible ice cream cup. The sec- knows who invented the cone first. Many pat-
ond came from Italo Marchiony, an Italian ents were filed after the fair for “waffle-rolling”
immigrant living in New York. However, these machines, but many still take the credit for this
patents covered bowl, not cones.
accidental invention.

74
Post-it Notes and frequent choir singer – invented the Post-
it Note in a moment of extreme frustration.
They come in all colors of the rainbow, but All of Mr. Fry’s paper bookmarks kept fall-
the original came in only yellow – and that
ing out! Every time he stood and opened his
too was an accident. Post-it Notes are now a
hymnal, the small slips of paper would dis-
must-have tool for many offices, but they
appear into the book or fall to the floor. Fry
wouldn’t exist without a chemical engineer,
needed a way to open his hymnal right to the
a church choir singer, and a persistent labo-
page, without the messy hassle.
ratory manager.
Fry had an idea: Instead of putting the ad-
It all started with Spencer Silver, a chemist
hesive on a bulletin board, put it on the pa-
for 3M, a large manufacturing company. In
per. That way, you could stick the paper on
1968, Mr. Spencer was supposed to be invent-
anything. He took his idea to Spencer, who
ing a strong adhesive for the aerospace in-
of course was ecstatic. The higher-ups at 3M
dustry. However, he accidentally made the
still weren’t. The product was put on the back
exact opposite: a weak adhesive made of tiny
burner for another three years.
acrylic microspheres.
Fortunately, a laboratory manager named
The spheres were nearly indestructible
Geoff Nicholson believed in the idea. Mr.
and would stick well even after several
Nicholson decided that if 3M’s marketing de-
uses. At first, 3M considered Spencer’s in-
partment wouldn’t back the product, then his
vention useless.
lab team would market it themselves. They
handed out free samples and 90 percent of
Spencer wanted to sell the adhesive as a
the people ordered more Post-it Notes.
sticky surface for bulletin boards. He imag-
ined people attaching notes to the board
Fun fact: According to Nicholson, the stan-
and peeling them off when they were done
dard Post-its are yellow because they first
– no nails or tacks required. The idea didn’t
used yellow scrap paper from the lab next
catch on.
door. When they ran out of scrap, they just
bought more yellow paper. No one thought
Five years later, Art Fry – another 3M chemist
to change the color ... yet.

75
Matches first self-igniting match in 1805. Mr. Chan-
cel’s method involved a wooden splint tipped
with sugar and potassium chlorate that was
For more than 100,000 years, humans have carefully dipped into a small bottle of con-
been playing with fire. But no one could cre-
centrated sulfuric acid.
ate a really easy way to start a fire until a Brit-
ish pharmacist tried to clean his stirring uten-
Chancel’s method was highly unpleasant and
sil. In 1826, John Walker was stirring a pot of
dangerous. The mix of chemicals produced
chemicals when he noticed a dried lump had
a yellow smelly gas called chlorine dioxide,
formed on the end of the mixing stick. With-
which explodes when it comes into contact
out thinking, he tried to scrape off the dried
with pretty much anything.
gob and – all of a sudden – it ignited.
Today, matches are made with non-poisonous
Mr. Walker sold the first strikeable match-
red phosphorus, discovered by Johan Edvard
es at a local bookstore. The “friction lights”
Lundstrom. The Diamond Match Company
were three inches long and came neatly in a
was the first to sell “safety matches” in the
box with a piece of sandpaper.
US, forfeiting their patent rights to allow all
match companies to produce safe matches.
Walker wasn’t interested in patenting the
idea, so Samuel Jones copied the matches

and sold “Lucifers.” They were a little more
practical than Walker’s friction lights. Lu-
cifers were shorter and came in a smaller
cardboard box for easy carrying. The earliest
description of a match-like product appears
in a Chinese book titled “Records of the Un-
worldly and the Strange,” by Tao Gu, circa
950 AD. They were called “fire-inch sticks”
and used sulfur to start the flame. Still, they
were not strike able.

French chemist Jean Chancel invented the

76
Safety Glass
Back in the early days of automobiles, be-
fore seatbelts and airbags were part of the
package, one of the gravest dangers was
injury from shards of shattered windshield
glass. We can thank French artist and chem-
ist Édouard Bénédictus for chancing upon
the invention of laminated glass, also known
as safety glass. While in his lab, a glass flask
dropped and broke but didn’t shatter, Béné-
dictus realized that the interior was coated
with plastic cellulose nitrate that held the
now-harmless broken pieces together. He
applied for a patent in 1909 with a vision of
increasing the safety of cars, but manufac-
turers rejected the idea to keep costs down.
However, the glass became standard for gas
mask lenses in World War I. With its success
on the battlefield, the automobile industry fi-
nally ceded and by the 1930s, most cars were
equipped with glass that didn’t splinter into
jagged pieces upon impact.

77
Viagra
Much like the fountain of youth, humans
have long sought magic ingredients that
promise to boost the libido and enhance
sexual function. But the breakthrough that
gave us Viagra (sildenafil) didn’t occur when
researchers were looking for ways to make
men manly; rather, they were testing silde-
nafil as a cure for hypertension and heart dis-
ease. After two phases of testing, researchers
concluded that the drug failed to show prom-
ising results for the heart, but test subjects
noted that … well, you know what part of the
body it did wonders for. Bingo! Pfizer patent-
ed Viagra in 1996 and the U.S. FDA approved
it for use in erectile dysfunction in 1998. Sales
of Viagra continue to exceed well more than
$1 billion per year. Bonus tip: Researchers
have also found that 1 milligram of sildenafil
dissolved in a vase of water can make fresh
cut flowers, um, “stand at attention” for up to
a week beyond their natural life span.

78
Smart Dust
As part of her doctoral project, Jamie Link
was working on a silicon chip when BANG!
– it suddenly shattered into myriad tiny piec-
es. Game over? Not for this chemist. Blessed
with an open and inquiring mind, Link sim-
ply shifted her scientific gaze. What she soon
discovered was that her newly created smart
dust retained the properties of the original
chip and could still function as programma-
ble sensors.

Give the silicon particles a target to aim at

and they’ll not only seek it out, but join to-
gether and change color when they find it. As
for the target – and here’s the exciting bit – it
could be anything from deadly tumor cells
in the body to toxic chemicals carried in the
air or water. Now that’s a welcome mistake.

79
scotchgard
Inventor: Patsy Sherman, a chemist for 3M.
What she was trying to make: In 1953, Sher-
man was assigned to work on a project to de-
velop a rubber material that would not de-
teriorate from exposure to jet aircraft fuels.
How it was created: An assistant accidentally
dropped the mixture Sherman was experi-
menting with on her shoe. While the rest of
her shoe became dirty and stained, one spot
remained bright and clean. She retraced her
steps and identified the stain resistant com-
pound, known today as Scotchguard.

80
The Pacemaker
In the 1950s, Greatbatch had left the Navy
and was working as medical researcher. He
was building an oscillator to record heart
sounds when he pulled the wrong resistor
out of a box. When he assembled his device, it
began to give off a rhythmic electrical pulse.
It was then he realized his invention could
be used as a pacemaker. He spent two years
refining his device and was awarded a patent
for world’s first implantable pacemaker.

Before then, pacemakers were the size of a

TV and shocked patients during use, so you
can imagine how an implantable device
would change people’s lives. His first pace-
maker was implanted in a 77-year-old patient
who lived 18 months with the device. In 1985,
the National Society of Professional Engi-
neers recognized his pacemaker as one of
the ten greatest engineering achievements
of the last 50 years.

Sources: [Link], [Link], mentalfloss.

com, [Link], [Link], medicinenet.
com, [Link], [Link], [Link], live-
[Link], [Link], [Link], modern-
[Link], [Link], [Link],
[Link] [Link]
[Link]

81