The Principle of Creativity

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2024 marks the Lunar Year of the Wood Dragon — a year filled with exciting opportunities, new possibilities and an invitation for boldness and daring.

Like the Wood Dragon, we take to the sky to explore that which we have never imagined. At the heart of this journey, we discover something new about ourselves and the world

Among our core practices at The Kahakulei Institute is the Principle of Creativity -

Be open to see, hear, and try something new.

What does this principle look like in practice? Here is one example:

I recently facilitated a community circle in a rural town where the mayor would make an appearance. He arrived, along with the City Manager, Nick.

The mayor said, “I’ll only be able to stay for a few minutes, but Nick will stay for the entire meeting.”

I shook Nick’s hand and welcomed him, but Nick, apparently, was not feeling it. He grumbled, turned his back and took a seat in the back of the room. There he sat, with arms folded.

The mayor made his remarks and left. I then led the group into Triads — an activity where people gather in groups of three for a short discussion. Nick approached me and said, “I really don’t want to do this.”

I asked him to give it one round, and be open to see, hear and try something new.

Nick sighed, but agreed and took a seat with two community members, both of whom spoke Spanish. I called for an interpreter, put my hand on Nick’s shoulder, and said thank you.

Then, they were on their way, with each taking turns answering a series of questions. From across the room, I could see the women providing animated responses and I saw something else: Nick was leaning in.

No more than a few seconds after the conclusion of “Triads,” Nick made a beeline to me. Somewhat breathless, he spoke with a new energy.

“Something unbelievable just happened! These two women told me everything they love about our community and they made it clear what they wanted to see. Their neighborhood doesn’t have safe sidewalks or any greenspaces. Not one!

They invited me to come to their homes, sit down for a meal with their families and friends, and hear them out. They even thanked me for representing the town and told me I was a very good listener.”

Nick was positively beaming!

“I’ve been the City Manager for two years, and never went to that part of town — not because I didn’t want to, but because I don’t speak Spanish. Sorry for my rough start this morning! But their causes are my causes. I got to hear their story and now I can do my job better.”

Well done Nick! Thank you for practicing the Principle of Creativity. Please carry on. This principle won’t let you down!

Maybe, just maybe, we fall into living our lives by following pre-written scripts. These scripts may be imposed upon us, handed to us or even created out of our own processes.

The magic of the Principle of Creativity lies in the gentle nudge it provides — a reminder that we don’t and can’t always hold all the answers.

When we are open to seeing, hearing, and trying something new, the vast possibilities of our world reveal themselves to us once again.