I’ve been saying “Thar She Blows a lot.” It’s like a soft rock hit on the radio that you don’t like yet you keep singing in your head for weeks on end. What’s that about? It could have been from the Magic Treehouse pirates book we read recently but I can’t remember.
Alas, while van-life / camping at Leo Carillo this past week with my family, I came across their whale watching sign and the headline said, “Thar She Blows” on it. I thought, perhaps this is a sign (quite literally, yes).
I desperately searched for meaning in the ‘ol whale watcher phrase, but ended up coming up dry. It really is just something you say when a whale spouts water while surfacing. Forgive my search for symbolism, I am overly vigilant right now always searching for signs that keep me on the path forward, sometimes bordering superstitious. But to be driven, and entrepreneurial, I must remain curious and creative, and I have to be keep believing in signs and miracles and surrounding myself with people who say, “You’ve got this! Keep going!”
To be a creative problem-solver, sometimes I just need a little pressure and some boundaries to really find my way. When we set out to camp last week, we forgot many things: tops to swimsuits, a kettle for the camp stove, my clean-crafted wine (gasp!) but we kept being resourceful and finding ways to work with what we had. I still remember the best coffee we made using a toddler sock for a filter and drip system while off-grid camping on the Salmon River in Idaho. It took 30 minutes to make, but it made an impact! It was SO good. Just another example that the best things take time.
On this recent camping excursion, Matt said, “I’ve come to accept that we’re just meant to get good at working with limitations.”
Spoken like a true creative. Good creative people know the best work comes when we’re forced to get, well, creative and exercise some resourcefulness.
When I worked in advertising, the success of a good creative campaign hinged on how well written the creative brief was. The brief set the tone for everything to come. While briefing in the team, sometimes we create these elaborate novels for briefs that would suffocate the team. We were thorough, sure, but at the expense of leaving room for inspiration. Other times, the brief would be too bare, and not provide enough guidance or direction. The team would leave the briefing room paralyzed. There was TOO much freedom and the team was not sure how to succeed at the task at hand. The best creative briefs were always 1 page-ish, outlined goals and provided boundaries (do’s and don’ts) but never prescribed exactly what to do. We’d often refer to a good brief as a “good sandbox to play in.”
This theory was further supported while interviewing nature school founder, Melissa Sheppard last week. She told me that all kids don’t actually know how to do free play. A surprising thought. Some kids are just waiting to be told what to do. Whether this be a symptom of an overly scheduled culture where kids are never bored, or something hard wired, the fact stands… most children just need a little structured guidance to get things flowing. Melissa taught me about “purposeful play,” a well known term amongst alternative and Waldorf-based educators. Think of it as a way to spark inspiration, but not force lead. She put “purposeful play” in context, with a story about a class approaching a creek crossing. When you reach the passing, the teacher might say, “Oh look at the grass on the other side, doesn’t it look so nice!?” From there, a child might say, “Oh yes, let’s find a way over!” And then a lesson on bridge making might ensue, guided and supported by the teacher. Or the whole class may instead say, “It’s too deep and rocky, let’s turn around.” And so it is. The teacher will say, OK, and the class will return. The teacher will not force feed another solution. How unique and rare is this approach to education?
I love this approach, because isn’t this true for life? We get given paths and opportunities, then we are given (yes, given) a limitation or a boundary and we can decide to turn back or find a way through.
While in Joi Cafe last week, I stumbled across the book…The Obstacle is the Way. Turning trials into triumph by Ryan Holiday. Truth be told, I haven’t even read it…but immediately resonated with the headline and proclaimed an audible, “YES” while filling up my water jar.
Right now, like me, you might be at a proverbial creek crossing. You could decide to turn back and return to what is known and comfortable, or you could say, “Gee that grass looks nice over there! I’m gonna build a bridge to get to it.”
Be a bridge maker, because sometimes the grass really is greener on the other side.
This is the methodology for how I want the Behere enrichment programs to flow. Our program guides will guide children towards awesome solutions without doing the work for them, encouraging independent thinking, resourcefulness and an early application of an entrepreneur’s mindset. It may start with log-bridges and forestry skills, but it may blossom into an incubator and entrepreneurial academy for people of all ages. That’s the goal.
For now, Behere is a creative space solution for all independent workers and learners searching for a better way to work and learn who need an actual PLACE to go. Environment is everything. We will build a beautiful space for you to be at peace but with enough freedom to feel wild and free. Boundaries and freedom, together in perfect harmony.
In many ways, I feel like that whale coming up for air after months under water, simply surviving and getting through a move, bootstrapping a tiny home build, sick kids, and working to launch Behere while managing all of life’s to-dos.
I imagine just before a whale surfaces, they feel an intense amount of pressure just before the release. I bet that release feels amazing. I’m looking forward to releasing all the Behere services to the community, bringing us together to work and learn in new ways that honor our individual gifts and fill in the gaps where we all need help.
Therefore, we will be starting with a “Wild and Free Family” book club in September. If you’re interested, please pre-order the book and reach out to me so I can get you on the elite list. Formal details to come.
As adults, we often put a lot of focus on our personal growth or our kids success in their academics or sports, but how often do we invest time improving our family culture? Just like anything else, it takes practice. I want to get good at being a peaceful family. We are a little more seasoned on the spicy side in the Lawler household, and so we are working on softening the edges and growing in our patience. If we can improve as individuals, we can improve as family units too. Behere exists not as some outdoor daycare so you can work, we’re here to help families be together more and find their flow as a unit that also honors each member’s individual gifts.
So let’s do this! Join the book club, and let’s get to work.
Thar She Blows!
Brooke
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