At some point along the line, I came across the idea of creating an imaginary board of directors. I think it was something that Thomas Edison actually did and I think he finally cared a little bit about hearing people speak in his head. It was also something that Doc did in the movie. Return to the future. But put all that aside for a moment.
The basic idea is that you can stimulate your own creativity by first forming an imaginary board of directors and then, when you have a difficult problem to solve, mentally consulting each of them. I realize this may sound a bit crazy, but bear with me. The answers you get are simply your own thoughts, but this is a tool for accessing the creativity that is within you. It’s an idea that appeals to me a lot and I’m definitely going to give it a try.
So the first thing to do is select your own plate. You can have a lot of fun here deciding who you will appoint. People can be alive or dead; No matter. What you need are people who you think are, or were, in some way outstanding. You want people who can represent different perspectives and you want people that you look up to.
Personally, I think you probably want to keep the board fairly small and select only one person to represent each perspective that you will need to cover. So you don’t want multiple people to represent creativity, for example. After some thought, here is a short list of candidates for my own Imaginary Board of Directors:
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Thomas edison
- Martin Luther King
- William Shakespeare
- Oscar Wilde
- Nelson Mandela
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Gandhi
- Albert Einstein
- Richard Branson
- James caan
- Walt disney
- Steve Jobs
- Sir Christopher Wren
- Sir Bobby Charlton
- Socrates
- Pablo Picasso
- MC Escher
- Edward De Bono
- Salvador Dali
And here are the five positions (perspectives) that I have on offer:
- Director of Creativity
- Design Director
- Business director
- Editorial Director
- Director of Morals / Ethics
As you can see, I had to do some mental interviews to select my final board. With Leonardo, Walt Disney, and Albert Einstein applying for the Director of Creativity position, it was a difficult decision and I can change staff from time to time. But here is the final choice for my own plate:
- Director of Creativity: Steve Jobs
- Design Director: Thomas Edison
- Writing Director: Oscar Wilde
- Director of Morals / Ethics: Nelson Mandela
- Business Director: James Caan
Now, to make use of this idea, you must first enter that quiet meditative state that we have talked about in the past and then, in your imagination, you go to the boardroom. There he meets with his fellow directors and holds his board meeting in which he raises the issues that are of immediate interest. And each of the directors has the opportunity to present their point of view from their own perspective.
There you have it: a really cool idea to explore your own creativity. I wonder if you would like to try it too.
