On Beyond Zebra

Yesterday, I received a wonderful gift from Sheila Mullen, one of the participants of the Innovation Institute that I lead at McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, NC. This wonderful woman reached out to me after the session and asked that I answer a few questions about the course for a graduate paper she was working on about the need for innovation training and implementation in corporate environments. In return for my aid, she sent this book which brilliantly summarizes the basic tenet of the Innovation Institute - namely - go beyond what you are used to without fear of failure and explore, explore, explore! Theodore Geisel summed it up best:

"And I said, You can stop, if you want, with the Z

Because most people stop with the Z

But not me!

In the places I go there are things that I see

That I never could spell if I stopped with the Z.

I'm telling you this 'cause you're one of my friends

My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!"

I am a huge fan of Dr. Seuss (his postal stamp is a part of my growing collection) but I had never heard of this particular book. I look forward to finishing it and using it as reference material next time I have a little art chat with some students. Thank you, Sheila! Your gift was the best kind there is...unexpected!