Creativity Tips: Forget Your Phone

This past weekend, I was rushing to get somewhere and left the house without my cell phone. By the time I realized it, I was too far away and running too late to go back.

You know what happened? The world continued to spin. Astonishing, I know. And I'll tell you a secret: My multi-tasking brain breathed a sigh of relief.

Today, give your brain a break. Forget your cell phone. Let your creative cells regenerate in the silence.
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All right. I can't resist. My inner old person is coming out:

"When I was young, we didn't have cell phones. We had one phone in the house, it was in the hallway, and you sat there and talked. That's all you did. You sat, you talked, you listened. You paid attention: You didn't walk around the house, picking things up. You didn't check Facebook while your friend was talking. And long-distance calls were special because they were expensive."

Whew. I feel better now. I'll go put on my bifocals and read a book.

Food is Love: Extreme Eggplant

According to a story in the Kansas City Star this week, "In Turkey, the mark of a good cook is whether he or she knows how to make more than 40 eggplant dishes."

Isn't that fascinating? Creativity, talent ... it's all so relative. Heck, you can be the best cook in Kansas, and not know more than, oh, two eggplant dishes. But you better have at least 40 cookie recipes ready to go!

I have one eggplant recipe, and it's a riff on Eggplant Parmesan II from AllRecipes.com. Print that recipe then ...

For starts, I didn't know what to do with eggplant the first time I made the recipe. Peel it and cut it in thin slices. Then, salt the slices and let them stand, sideways, for about 40 minutes in a colander. Blot dry.

I didn't have Italian seasoned bread crumbs, so I used Caesar croutons, crushed and mixed with some flour. And, I didn't use the basil. The result? Very yum. It did take a long time, but I'm notoriously slow with prep work.

One eggplant recipe down. Another 40 or so to go!

Amber Update

Several of you have asked lately about Amber, my niece with the heart of gold who's kicking cancer in the tush. Good news: That last intensive round of chemo shrunk the tumor in her stomach!

That means: We're moving ahead. Amber goes back to the hospital today and will be there for a few more weeks for another chemo treatment.

Before she headed off for the hospital, Amber asked me to tell you how grateful she is for all the "Amuse Amber" links we sent last time -- and all the good thoughts.

So, how about it, team? Got any more fun sites for Amber, to keep her amused while she's in chemo isolation? I'll start. We can Fuel the Fun at the Skippy site. That's right: Nothing more fun than playing with peanut butter.

Creativity Tips: Celebrate Children's Book Week

What's your favorite children's book?

As a child, I loved the Bobbsey Twin series. My buddy Lynn and I still refer to each other as the Bobbsey Twins.

As a mom, my favorite is Dinner at the Panda Palace by Stephanie Calmenson, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott. Both of the girls loved it:

No matter how many,
No matter how few,
There will always be room
At the Palace for you!

Every child should be a reader. And every adult. You're clearly a brilliant and discriminating reader: You're here! So give yourself a present: Make the Children's Book Week 2010 Bookmark for yourself!

Creativity Tips: Find a Cheerleader

When I got my hair cut short a year or so ago, my friend Brenda called and left a fun voicemail telling me how adorable I looked. She doesn't know this, but I saved her message. So, every 21 days, I have the pleasure of hearing Brenda's enthusiasm pouring through the phone.

Cheerleaders are wonderful. We all need them. So ask yourself: Who on your creative team leads the cheers? Who notices when you -- or someone else -- does something brilliant, great, innovative?

If you don't have a cheerleader, find one. And don't stop there. Take a lesson from Brenda: Be one!

Creativity Tips: Be More Like Betty White

One of the many lessons I learned from listening to Ben Zander speak years ago was this: Don't take yourself so damn seriously.

Betty White brought that lesson to life when she hosted Saturday Night Live. One of my favorite parts was the monologue. If you missed it, here it is.

Happy Monday!

Food is Love: Drink is ...

You have two choices. You can be a creative wizard and complete the "Drink is ..." sentence in the blog headline.

Or, you can skip the writing and go right to the reward. Visit my good friend Jenn's TeaMoka store and order some of the best tea ever. Consider Caribbean Sun. Brew it, pour it over ice, go outside, sit in a comfy chair, sip your tea, breathe the sunshine.

Ahhh. Now we're talking love.

Speaking of love, here's to Mother's Day. And for team members who are missing their moms, your Jewish mother is sending an extra hug your way.