2009: Year of Creativity

This post comes late by six months. Last year, I consciously made a decision to embrace unpredictability in my life; to bring in more color and variety to an otherwise mundane existence. So, I started working on an agenda. An agenda that would help me drive this initiative. After much soul searching, I decided that I would assign a theme to each coming year and strive to inculcate the theme in anything and everything I do.

For 2009, I assigned, “Creativity” as the theme for the year. Though I am not very happy with the commitment levels adhering to this theme, I am glad to have a few successes though. Let me share a few of them:

• Starting the GLAD service: GLAD stands for Grammar Lessons a Day. The idea that cropped up in my mind to share simple grammar lessons with my colleagues, one lesson a day. Creative evaluation: Other than the idea of starting a daily grammar service being creative, the coining of the service as GLAD is more creative indeed.
  
  
• My icebreaker speech: By breaking the mould of a regular icebreaker speech in Toastmasters, bringing in humor was another creative thing to do. Have a look at the speech and let me know what you feel.
  Creative evaluation: I think the idea of narrating incidents in different timezones was very dramatic and creative. I am proud I accomplished it. And I won many prizes for the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OI3346wh_0

• Hosting annual event: I hosted the annual event at Bhavans College of Communication all by myself. This was my first attempt to stage a show in front of a live audience. When the audience laughs at your jokes, you know you have done a good job.





• Invented some original jokes: In past few months. Nothing is more endearing that devising your own joke good enough to draw chuckles from an attentive audience. Here they go: Joke 1:"It was introducing a pretty looking girl in our club who was the evaluator for a speech.
  I said, "The next evaluator is a model. ( A brief pause. Very important). I mean a role model. (Audience laughed). She is a role model for all her club members as she brings in all her roles lot of creativity and enthusiasm etc etc" Joke 2: "A husband once introduces her wife to someone, "Meet my wife. She is the pillar of my life." And then in hushed voice in his ears, "Actually a caterpillar. She has been eating into my life" " Joke 3: "Sorry I haven't prepared the speech today. I am speechless. "
  
  
• The idea of assigning themes to year in itself is a figment of creativity.
  
  I am still not happy because I know I didn’t pursue the goal consciously. But I still have 6 months to make up for the lost time. And I know some are in the pipeline and some will surely jump out of the hat. Please watch out for this space.
  
  I am sure each of us go through purple patches of creativity. I would like you all to mention your creative outbursts that you have exhibited in your life.