Vuja De

Apr 3, 2020

Have you noticed how creativity seems to have increased substantially over the last few weeks?

Whether its new ways of making protective equipment, connecting with friends or finding interesting ways to spend time at home, it seems new ideas have grown exponentially?

Why?

It may appear counter-intuitive that when we have constraints such as staying home, creativity increases.   It has been proven in multiple experiments that being forced to adapt to a constraint brings about “little "c" creativity” which is solving practical problems through new uses of existing resources.

Being home is not a new activity for any of us.

When you are in a situation that is very familiar—like being at home and feel as if you’re experiencing something completely new, it is called VUJA DE (not Deja vu…where you are in new place and yet it feels like you’ve been there before).

With Vuja De, you are looking at the same stuff you see every day and yet you see it with a fresh eye which means you notice and develop new ideas for no other reason than the fact that you have few choices.

The term “Lockdown” is not ideal for how to perceive the circumstances we are in. I prefer the term “grounded” which is another word for “rooted”.

Instead of thinking of this as a lockdown, think of it as a constraint and constraints give you the opportunity to get rooted with some Vuja De so that you can be creative.  Remember a strong tree weathers any storm.

By changing your perspective you are essentially finding ways to make the best of what you have.  Here are some ways to change your perspective so that you develop new ideas for your current “rooting”.

  1. Gratitude - Jot a few gratefuls down in the morning.  This will set you up for being in a good space to accept any constraints you might be experiencing
  2. Look at everything differently.  Defy convention for the simplest things.  For example: your chair becomes a midday workout.
  3. See your new frictions as an opportunity and a challenge
  4. Use the words “grounding” instead of “lockdown” in your  mind and when speaking to others.  It will help you distance yourself from the barrage of news and tap into planning, dreaming and creating.

I hope this helps.  It certainly has helped me.

Have a great weekend, Karl

+Quote:  Our environments either impel us to see things differently or they don’t. That implies that creativity is in many ways situational, not some inborn faculty or personality trait. When people face scarcity, they give themselves freedom to use resources in less conventional ways–because they have to. The situation demands a mental license that would otherwise remain untapped.”  Scott Sonenshein

+Quote:  "With abundance, people simply have no incentive to us what’s available to them in novel ways." Ravi Mehta and Meng Zhu

Karl Choltus

Deep thinking Canadian sharing thoughts created in the shower.