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Hey there, innovation champions!

Back in 2010, I hit a creative wall that felt insurmountable. After fifteen years as a professional artist, I was burned out, creatively blocked, and completely stuck. The irony wasn’t lost on me – I’d built my entire career around creativity, yet I couldn’t create anything for myself anymore.

The joy that had originally drawn me to art had been buried under client demands, perfectionism, and the pressure to monetize every brushstroke. I was trapped in my own success.

Sound familiar? This pattern plays out in organizations all the time. What starts as genuine innovation enthusiasm often calcifies into rigid processes, metrics-driven thinking, and a culture where risk-taking feels dangerous rather than exciting.

But here’s what I discovered during that difficult period: sustainable innovation isn’t about constantly pushing for the next breakthrough. It’s about building frameworks that naturally foster creativity over and over again.

The Birth of a Framework

My journey back to creative joy started with a simple realization: I needed to think like a four-year-old again.

When my nephew was small, I noticed something fascinating about how he approached creativity. He didn’t worry about whether his drawings were “good enough.” He didn’t strategize about his LEGO® constructions. He simply played with complete absorption and delight.

So I created a set of “rules” designed to put me back into that four-year-old mindset. These weren’t restrictive rules – they were liberating guardrails that gave me permission to create without judgment.

At first, I had just a handful of these guidelines. “There is no wrong.” “Think process, not product.” “Just start anywhere.”

To my amazement, these simple principles worked! I started creating again – not for clients or for money or for external validation, but for the pure joy of it. I shared my creations on Instagram and in a daily newsletter. And gradually, my mood shifted from cranky and depressed to happy and energized.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was developing a framework – a sustainable system for accessing creativity that would eventually help thousands of others unlock their creative potential too.

From Personal Practice to Universal Framework

Over time, my handful of “rules” expanded into ten guideposts that became the backbone of my book, “The Creative Sandbox Way™.” And those guideposts, in turn, informed the three core steps of what I now call my Create the Impossible™ framework:

1. Play Hard
2. Make Crap
3. Learn Fast
   

What makes this framework sustainable isn’t just that it works – it’s that it works repeatedly, across different contexts, and continues to generate results over time.

And that’s the key insight I want to share with you today: Truly sustainable innovation doesn’t come from one-off breakthroughs or isolated moments of genius. It comes from building frameworks that consistently create the conditions for creativity to flourish.

The Sustainability Paradox

Here’s the paradox of sustainable innovation: It requires both structure and freedom. Too much structure, and creativity gets suffocated. Too much freedom, and it dissipates without impact.

The most effective innovation frameworks find this delicate balance – providing enough structure to guide the process while leaving enough open space for the unexpected to emerge.

This is exactly what my Create the Impossible™ framework does. Let me show you how each element supports sustainable innovation:

Play Hard: This element creates the conditions for divergent thinking and exploration. By approaching challenges with curiosity rather than pressure, we open up possibilities that wouldn’t emerge from conventional problem-solving.

For teams stuck on complex problems, I recommend starting with a seemingly unrelated play activity. Consider using an improv game like “Fortunately/Unfortunately” where each person builds on the previous statement with an alternating fortunate or unfortunate development. This playful detour can loosen thinking patterns and create connections that analytical approaches might miss.

Remember, play isn’t a distraction from the work – it’s a catalyst for innovation, especially when conventional approaches have hit a wall.

Make Crap: This element creates psychological safety for experimentation and iteration. By giving ourselves permission to create imperfect first attempts, we overcome the paralysis of perfectionism.

For organizations struggling with a culture of perfectionism, I recommend implementing a “crappy first drafts” practice. Set aside dedicated time where team members intentionally share work that’s unpolished and incomplete. Make it explicit that the goal isn’t perfection but exploration.

The beauty of this approach is that it not only generates more ideas but often more diverse ideas, since people feel safer sharing unconventional thinking when perfectionism isn’t the standard.

Learn Fast: This element transforms “failures” into learning opportunities. By approaching setbacks with curiosity rather than judgment, we create a continuous improvement cycle.

I strongly recommend implementing regular “learning reviews” after project milestones – not just at project completion. These shouldn’t be blame sessions, but genuine explorations of what’s working, what isn’t, and what adjustments might yield better results.

Consider structuring these reviews around three simple questions:

1. What went well that we want to continue?
2. What didn’t work as expected and why?
3. What will we try differently next time?

This approach can accelerate innovation cycles and build organizational knowledge that benefits future projects.

Building Your Sustainable Innovation Framework

So how can you apply these insights to create sustainable innovation in your own context? Here are three strategies that I’ve found particularly effective:

1. Create “Framework Rituals”

The most sustainable frameworks become embedded in daily or weekly rituals. For example, you might:

• Start team meetings with a five-minute creative warm-up
• Schedule monthly “crappy prototype” sessions where everyone brings an intentionally unfinished idea
• Implement regular learning reviews that focus on insights rather than outcomes

These rituals gradually shift the culture from seeing innovation as a special event to treating it as a natural part of how work happens.

2. Design for Adaptability

The most sustainable frameworks evolve over time. My own Create the Impossible™ framework didn’t emerge fully formed – it grew through experimentation and iteration.

Build this adaptability into your innovation framework by:

• Regularly reviewing which elements are working and which might need adjustment
• Encouraging team members to suggest modifications based on their experience
• Intentionally experimenting with new approaches and incorporating what works

3. Connect to Purpose

Sustainable innovation frameworks aren’t just about process – they’re about purpose. When people understand why these approaches matter, they’re more likely to embrace them even when challenges arise.

My own framework emerged from a deeply personal need to reconnect with creative joy. In organizations, connecting innovation frameworks to meaningful purpose – whether that’s customer impact, team wellbeing, or broader mission – creates an emotional investment that sustains the practice over time.

The Sustainable Innovation Cycle

What I’ve learned through my own journey is that sustainable innovation creates a virtuous cycle. The frameworks we build today shape the innovations of tomorrow, which in turn inform how our frameworks evolve.

Like all complex systems, these cycles have natural ebbs and flows. There will be periods of extraordinary creativity followed by times of consolidation and integration. The key is not to fight these natural rhythms but to work with them – to recognize when it’s time to play hard, when it’s time to make crap, and when it’s time to learn fast.

So as you think about innovation in your own context, I encourage you to look beyond the immediate breakthrough to the sustainable systems that will generate creativity for years to come. Build frameworks that balance structure and freedom, that become embedded in your culture, and that connect to meaningful purpose.

Because true innovation isn’t just about what you create today – it’s about creating the conditions where innovation can continually renew itself, bringing fresh energy and ideas even when the initial excitement has faded.

Stay curious, stay playful, and keep creating the impossible!

I’d love to hear from you. What frameworks have you found most helpful for sustaining innovation in your work? Click here to share your story!

Senior Leaders: Ready to build sustainable innovation frameworks in your organization? Book a complimentary Innovation Strategy Session and let’s explore how the Create the Impossible™ approach can transform your team’s creative potential.

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Hey there, innovation champions!

Have you ever found yourself completely stuck on a project, feeling like your creative well has run dry?

I still remember the sickening feeling in my stomach when I got my very first art commission. After the initial excitement wore off, panic set in. I seriously contemplated calling the client to cancel the contract and return their deposit.

Who was I kidding? I had no idea how to bring their vision to life!

This pattern repeated itself countless times throughout my 15-year career as a professional artist. And it still happens today with every workshop I design, every keynote I write, and every song I compose.

The cycle looks something like this:

Initial Excitement: “This is going to be amazing!”

Crushing Self-Doubt: “What was I thinking? I’ll never figure this out!”

The Messy Middle: “I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’ll keep trying…”

Breakthrough: “Wait… I think this is actually working!”

Completion: “I can’t believe I ever doubted this would come together!”

Here’s a little visual that, while tongue-in-cheek, captures the journey perfectly:

What I’ve discovered is that this cycle isn’t a bug in the creative process—it’s a feature. The very discomfort of pushing through those moments of doubt and confusion is exactly where the most innovative solutions emerge.

The Universal Innovation Renewal Cycle

What fascinates me is that this pattern isn’t unique to art. I see the exact same cycle in the tech teams I work with, whether they’re developing new products, solving complex engineering problems, or reimagining their business models.

Innovation isn’t a straight line. It’s a series of expansions and contractions, of flow states followed by plateaus.

The problem? Most of us aren’t prepared for the inevitable plateaus. We interpret them as failure, as evidence that we’ve “lost our touch” or that our initial idea wasn’t good enough.

But what if these plateaus are actually an essential part of the renewal cycle? What if they’re not obstacles to innovation, but doorways to deeper creativity?

Let me break this down using my Create the Impossible™ framework:

Play Hard: Embracing the Plateau

The first element of my framework is “Play Hard”—approaching challenges with a spirit of curiosity and exploration.

When you hit a creative plateau, your instinct might be to push harder in the same direction. To double down on what’s worked before. But that’s like trying to force your way through a brick wall.

Instead, what if you treated the plateau as an invitation to play in a different space? To explore tangential ideas, experiment with new approaches, or simply give yourself permission to wander?

I discovered this by accident during a particularly frustrating art commission. After days of getting nowhere, I put my “real” project aside and started doodling absurd, impossible designs just for fun. No pressure, no expectations—just pure play.

The breakthrough for my actual project came during this playful detour, emerging from a connection I never would have made if I’d kept banging my head against the same wall.

This is why play isn’t just fun—it’s functionally crucial for breaking through creative plateaus.

Make Crap: The Power of Productive Failure

The second element of my framework is “Make Crap”—giving yourself permission to create imperfect first attempts.

Creative plateaus often stem from perfectionism. We get stuck because we’re afraid to make something bad, to fail publicly, to shatter the illusion of competence we’ve worked so hard to maintain.

But every master artist knows the secret: you have to make a lot of bad art to get to the good stuff.

When I was teaching calligraphy, I would tell my students they had 500 bad alphabets in them that they needed to get out before the good ones would start flowing. This wasn’t to discourage them, but to liberate them—to give them permission to make those necessary “bad” attempts without judging themselves.

In tech innovation, we call this “failing fast” or “rapid prototyping.” But too often, companies adopt the terminology without embracing the underlying mindset. They still expect each iteration to be better than the last, leading to risk aversion and incremental thinking.

True innovation requires genuine comfort with productive failure—with making something truly crappy as a stepping stone to discovery.

Learn Fast: Finding the Pattern

The third element of my framework is “Learn Fast”—extracting insights from every experience, especially the challenging ones.

Creative plateaus are rich with information if we know how to read them. They’re telling us something important about our approach, our assumptions, or our process.

When I’m stuck in a creative project, I now ask myself:

• What pattern am I repeating that’s no longer serving me?
• What assumption am I making that might be limiting my options?
• What am I avoiding because it feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar?

These questions often reveal that the plateau isn’t a sign of failure—it’s a signal that I’ve outgrown my current approach and need to evolve.

In one particularly challenging art commission, I realized I had been trying to force a technique that had worked perfectly in previous pieces but wasn’t right for this new context. The plateau was simply my creative instinct telling me to try something different.

Breaking Through Your Next Plateau

So how can you apply these insights to your own creative cycles, whether you’re developing software, leading a team, or solving complex business problems?

Here are three practical strategies that have helped me and the teams I work with:

1. Schedule Strategic Detours: When you hit a plateau, don’t just push harder in the same direction. Deliberately schedule time to explore adjacent spaces. If you’re stuck on a coding problem, try sketching it visually. If your product strategy feels stale, study an entirely different industry for inspiration.
   
2. Create Low-Stakes Experiments: Designate specific projects or time blocks where “failure” is not just allowed but expected. Google’s famous 20% time worked precisely because it created a space where the pressure to succeed was removed, allowing true innovation to emerge.
3. Document Your Cycles: Start tracking your creative cycles. Note when you enter a plateau and what ultimately helps you break through. Over time, you’ll start to see patterns that can help you navigate future plateaus more effectively.

Remember, every great innovator from Einstein to Jobs experienced these same cycles of expansion and contraction. The difference isn’t that they avoided plateaus—it’s that they learned to recognize them as a natural and necessary part of the creative process.

The plateau isn’t your enemy. It’s the silent partner in your innovation journey, forcing you to question your assumptions, explore new territories, and ultimately break through to solutions you could never have planned in advance.

So the next time you feel stuck, remember: you’re not failing at creativity. You’re simply in a renewing phase of the cycle. Embrace it, play with it, learn from it—and watch as the breakthrough emerges when you least expect it.

Stay curious, stay playful, and keep creating the impossible!

I’d love to hear from you. What’s your go-to strategy when you hit a creative plateau? Click here to share your story!

Senior Leaders: Ready to help your team navigate creative plateaus more effectively? Book a complimentary Innovation Strategy Session and let’s explore how the Create the Impossible™ framework can transform your team’s approach to innovation cycles.