In 1969, President Richard Nixon had proposed significant cuts to funding for PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. On May 1, 1969, the amazing Fred Rogers went before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Communications to ask them to reconsider. I have watched this clip several times and without fail, it leaves me a bit teary-eyed as I sit in admiration of Mr. Rogers and all that he stood for. He never wavered in his convictions. I am so thankful that he didn't.
A few weeks ago, I subscribed to National Geographic. I grew up looking at the magazines and regardless of the general theme of the issue, I could always find something fascinating in those glossy pages. After I filled out the subscription form, I looked online to see what the current NG issue had to offer and was taken aback by what I saw.
Huh? Yes, Nudibranchs. Mollusks, sometimes known as sea slugs. Their name means "naked gill." They live in saltwater, have a life-span of about one year and are toxic. Some Nudibranchs have their own toxins and others acquire them from what they eat. Interesting, but these facts are not what amaze me about Nudibranchs. These little fellas happen to be some of the most creative-looking creatures I have seen. See what I mean? (This photograph and a few others, by David Doubilet, are offered by National Geographic as free computer wallpaper.)
Whether or not you care about random little sea creatures, I want to encourage you to go look at the pictures of the Nudibranchs on the National Geographic site. They are all so different and beautiful in their own ways.
Randy Elrod has this very cool thing going on called Watercooler Wednesday. Essentially it's a blog carnival about things that make your life more creative. (Click here to learn more about it and how to participate.) Since I'm changing things up a little with the ol' blog, I thought I'd start participating. Here goes...
If you have any memory of the '80's and it's music, you are bound to remember this classic from A-ha:
Remember? Great song...the hair...the awesomeness of the video (perhaps more creative than the average music video being done today, despite the classic '80's melodrama)...the overall Norwegian-ness. Good times, 1985, good times.
So fast forward to last week. I was poking around YouTube for the Take On Me video and happened to look at the "Related Videos" in the sidebar, where I stumbled upon this (fast-forward and start it at the 1:30 mark):
Ukulele? playing Take On Me? Odd, yes. What struck me, though, is that the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra would even think to tackle anything other than traditional ukulele music, let alone an '80's classic. Did you notice the crowd's response as soon as they heard the first few notes? Not only did they respond - they participated wholeheartedly. There was creativity and community that night in Wellington.
How often do I try to tackle something outside my comfort zone of skills, giftings and abilities? Not nearly as often as I should. How do I respond to others' attempts at creativity and thinking outside the box? Do I turn my nose up if it's different or am I willing to give it a chance? I would do well to remember that creativity does not have to equal perfection.
