Scarecrow

I'm not going to lie, this morning my head is full of stuffing.

Initially I considered doing a fun little segment on Superbowl Sunday. Then I took a sneak peak at the post Cheryl has in store for us tomorrow and I decided there was no way my idea could live in the shadows of her brilliance.

So desperate am I for some creative inspiration on this rainy, dreary, I'm-so-over-it-Thursday morning, that I decided to consult with Roger von Oech. Roger is Highlowaha's trusted friend and author or the Creative Whack Pack, most often seen trolling our site on Wednesdays. But, desperate times, desperate measures.

Each card in Roger's Whack Pack contains a principle about creativity. The idea is to whack your idea with a card from his pack and, by virtue of applying his creative principle, improve the quality of your original idea.

I drew a card wondering how one of von Oech's creative principles might work in the absence of an original idea. Here's what I got...

See the Positive. The human mind, "notes scientist W.I. Beveridge, "likes a strange idea as little as the body likes a strange protein and resists it with a similar energy." When you judge new ideas, focus initially on their positive ad interesting features. This will counteract a natural negative bias, and help you to develop more ideas. What's positive about the idea?

I have no choice but to ask myself, what is positive about my having no idea?

Richard just walked by and said, "It's positive, because it makes you appear human." I'm pretty sure there's no question among readers as to whether or not I am human. But, Richard loves me and he hasn't had coffee yet. What can I expect?

How about...

• It's positive because you'll get through the post faster and you'll have a couple extra minutes to spare.
• It's positive because in the absence of something new to think about, you might actually reflect on something old.
• It's positive because it reminds us that new is not always better and there's room for tried and true.
• It's positive because, having no idea means my brain is declaring today a holiday and, as is usually the case after holidays, that it will come back better and more refreshed.
• It's positive because my lack of idea might prompt one of you to jump in and share one of your ideas...

Do I finish with an invitation to join me in the comment section and to share one of your ideas? Or, maybe you'll help generate more reasons why my lack of ideas is positive. Or, maybe someone takes a hand at applying von Oech's creative principle to a totally different idea. Or, maybe I scrap the whole meet-me-in-the-comment-section thing and end with something trite or witty. Here's the thing...

I have no idea.

Signing off until tomorrow...