i'm about to impart some of the wisdom i have gained from my time in the organizational leadership masters program at chapman university.

there's this thing that MIT senior lecturer peter senge has written about called "creative tension." i really dig it (yes, that is exactly the kind of language that will be used to identify theories and best practices in my thesis)

"people often have great difficulty talking about their visions, even when the visions are clear. why? because we are acutely aware of the gaps between our vision and reality." (senge)

hmmm ... tell me more mr. senge.

"but the gap between vision and current reality is also a source of energy. if there was no gap, there would be no need for any action to move toward the vision. we call this gap creative tension."

yes. this sounds vaguely familiar ... continue ...

"there are only two possible ways for the tension to resolve itself: pull reality toward the vision or pull the vision toward reality."

??

"we fight against what is. we are not so much drawn to what we want to create as we are repelled by what we have, from our current reality."

ok ...

"you see, "it's not what the vision is, it's what the vision does. truly creative people use the gap between vision and current reality to generate energy for change ... without constraints there is no creating."

ah. so this is my problem. i live in l.a. it's dynamic ... known for it's creativity.

but i'm a business kind-of gal. some may say that i take myself and life too seriously. i've never really seen that as a negative thing. why? because i get things done. i loved my blackberry for this very reason ... it validated my seriousness. it almost gave me a reason to be all business, all the time. i actually felt like i had permission to be perpetually professional. sickening right?

but i live in l.a. and because of this, i would go to bed at night praying for opportunities to explore my own creative side. i no longer felt content being all business in this bohemian world ... what, with all the filmmakers, artists, musicians ...

so i caved.

i purchased my iPhone. why? because it made me at least look like i was a creative behind my business suit (and consequently ... i started acting like one)

the fact is ... i'm not really a fun person. well, at least not naturally. i would prefer a good meeting or conference over a night out on the town. but this little device has made manifest my alter-ego. and i proudly admit to shutting my office door and having a few fights with my light saber that have been known to defeat the thick aura of stodginess around my desk.

and the best part? it has even, on occasion, cleared the air long enough for me to embrace this little gap that senge talks about and create something beyond my wildest imagination.

so, yes. perhaps this is a little far fetched. perhaps the invention of the iPhone isn't going to bring life to the business people like me across the world. but it gave me an excuse to let loose and explore the possibilities within the tension between the life i have and the life i dream of.

so what feeds your creative side?