Imagination First: Unlocking the Power of Possibility

When imagination becomes habit, it can transform your work and your life The best corporations know that innovative thinking is the only competitive advantage that cannot be outsourced. The best schools are those that create cultures of imagination. Now in paperback, Imagination First introduces a wide-variety of individuals who make a habit of imaginative thinking and creative action, offering a set of universal practices that anyone can use to transform their life at work, home, and play. These 28.5 practices will enable anyone to become more imaginative and to teach others to do so as well from corporate executive to educator to platoon sergeant. Bonus content includes Winning "practices" submitted by the public Guidelines for educators who want to cultivate creativity in their classrooms Expanded resource section The book is filled with illustrative stories of creative leaders, teachers, artists, and scientists that clearly illustrate the original practices and new material that shows how to bring imagination to life.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments xi Lincoln Center Institute xv The Authors xix Part One • The Premise 1 Introduction 2 What, Why, and How 18 Part Two • The Practices 41 Practice 1 • Make Mist 42 Ready, get still, go Practice 2 • Leave the Campfire 46 Know your enemy: it is you, scared Practice 3 • Flip What’s Foolish 52 Practice 4 • Make Way for Awe 58 Nurture humility and the wonder that comes with it Practice 5 • Reinvent the Wheel 64 Be willing to give back the givens Practice 6 • Think Inside the Box 68 Make greedy, grateful use of limits Practice 7 • Hoard Bits 74 Collect obsessively; sift; trust that the right bits will emerge Practice 8 • Mix Your Metaphors 80 Change the metaphors that frame your reality Practice 9 • Renew Your Narrative 84 Ask whether your story still serves you Practice 10 • Untie Your Tongue 90 Talk about your work with someone who doesn't understand it Practice 11 • Swap Bodies 94 Lose yourself in a role Practice 12 • Make a Gap 100 Obscure part of the picture Practice 12.5 • Finish the Story 106 Make the ending open-ended Practice 13 • Chunk It 108 Show how small it all starts Practice 14 • Don't Blink 114 Snap in slow motion; see how you get primed for decision Practice 15 • Cloud Appreciation 118 Search out ambiguity and sit with it Practice 16 • Spotlight Off, Lantern On 124 Trade sharp focus for full-field awareness Practice 17 • Play Telephone 128 Engage in meaning-laundering Practice 18 • Help Out a Boobonian 132 Make every task a quest Practice 19 • Teach Nonzero Math 138 Expand the pie before dividing it Practice 20 • Microexperiment 142 Test your hunches playfully Practice 21 • Rewrite History 146 Turn "what would've been" into "what could be" Practice 22 • Design for the Hallway 152 Let informal spaces thrive Practice 23 • Routinize Randomness 158 Regularly rinse out expectations Practice 24 • Ride the z-axis 164 Find elemental forms, then play with scale Practice 25 • Challenge Your Challenges 170 Find better problems Practice 26 • Break the Hand 176 Unschool yourself periodically Practice 27 • Yes and ... 180 Never say no to an idea Practice 28 • Fail Well 186 Treat failure like a skill Practice X • Make Up Your Own 192 Part Three • The Purposes 197 Conclusion 199 For Further Exploration 213 Index 237