Lessons Learned From The Voice.

Like much of TV-watching America, I am hooked on The Voice.

What I am most struck by is the repeated advice from the judges to the artists to maintain their originality.

Contestants who morph into copycat performers get axed; those who continue to challenge the contours of their own unique style succeed.

The same sage advice can be applied to writing: stick with your authentic voice. Explore its edges, but keep it your own.

Take Time to Waste Time.

That's the advice of Jonah Lehrer in his new book Imagine: How Creativity Works.

New science shatters the myth that a select few are creative.

Instead he recommends taking a break when you feel stuck: get outside, take in a movie, tour an art gallery. He also talks about embracing the rut and pooh-poohs brainstorming.

http://www.amazon.com/Imagine-Creativity-Works-Jonah-Lehrer/dp/0547386079/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335192250&sr=8-1

Relentless Change Requires Reinvention

The Wall Street Journal recently ranked consultant Gary Hamel as the world’s most influential business thinker.  Fortune magazine has called him “the world’s leading expert on business strategy.”

Hamel has some compelling ideas about how reinventing management.

http://www.youtube.com/das_captcha?next=/watch%3Fv%3Daodjgkv65MM

Where Creativity, Culture and Commerce Intersect.

"Creativity is the biggest mandate in business today," says Teressa Iezzi, editor of Cocreate.

Fast Company's snappy blog is must reading for creative folks.

 http://www.fastcocreate.com/

19 Outstanding Words.

Mental Floss has rounded up some doozies, as my dad used to say that will impress your friends and colleagues.

My favorite: Kummerspeck (German): Excess weight gained from emotional overeating. Literally, grief bacon.

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/110995#ixzz1qvXOLUNU

The Power of Certainty Anchors. In Uncertain Times

Uncertainty can freeze you in place.  It's something many of us have learned over the last few years.

The book Uncertainty: How Turning Fear & Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance by Jonathan Fields shows you how to use it to your advantage.

From finding your certainty anchors to refueling your brain, this is essential reading for those who want to use uncertainty as a creative catalyst.

http://www.amazon.com/Uncertainty-Turning-Fear-Doubt-Brilliance/dp/159184424X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332975854&sr=1-1

A Better Way to Succeed in Business.

Pick a Fight. Reasons to Quit. Inspiration is Perishable. Meetings are Toxic.

These are the new rules of business according to authors Jason Fried and David Hansson in their terrific book Rework.

It's a plain-spoken playguide to doing business now.

http://37signals.com/rework/