Tea with McNair

• meet a dinasaur

In my brainstorming book "HATCH!" I share the story of the first time I heard the word "Imagineer." It was on the "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" TV program. Walt was giving the Disneyland Ambassador a tour of the model shop at Imagineering (Glendale, CA, just a few minutes from Disney Studios in Burbank.) 

As they approached the scale model of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" attraction Walt introduced Claude (Coates) as "the Imagineer in charge of the pirate project." This was the first time I had ever heard the word Imagineer. My head exploded!

On my first day at Imagineering (twenty-five years later) I met Claude Coats and ...well, it's all in HATCH!, chapter 5 (page 58, third paragraph ..."CLAUDE COATES ...") But go back to the last paragraph on p.57 to get the "complete Claude" and how I was inducted into the rare, exclusive, invitation-only "Disney Dinosaurs Club." I recently discovered a high quality clip of that show with Walt, Claude, "Ambassador Julie" ...and other Disney legends ...(sculptor Blaine Gibson.) Notice in the video the difference in height between Walt and Claude. Walt was 5' 10" and my friend Claude was 6' 7" ! He was a former track and field athlete at USC, and an architecture major.

[Claude comes in just before the 2:30 mark. It is Walt at his storytelling best.]

Claude's son, Alan, has created a wonderful website in honor of his father. It features a good deal of Claude's art. He began creating backgrounds for many of the Disney animated features and went on to be one of the top Imagineers from the beginning of Disneyland in the early 1950's through the early 1990's. Here's the website:: www.ClaudeCoats.com . [Click lower right corner —next to "YouTube"—to expand to Full Screen view.]          <7>

• coming to LA early DEC: want me?

I will be in Los Angeles area December 4 & 5 for a corporate consulting event. I'd love to add your college, church, or organization for a speaking or consulting engagements BEFORE or AFTER that first Wed. & Thurs.

If you are even a little interested, call or email ASAP to discuss possibilities. (Airfare to LA is already covered.) My DIRECT email is on "About" page of this blog—bottom of my bio.

How about one of my "HATCH! Brainstorming Secrets" workshops for your staff, performance of one of my one-man plays for Sunday morning as a Christmas "pre-game warm up." or my "Recapturing Your Creative Spirit" presentation to boost your staff, faculty, congregation, business breakfast event on creativity, or special worship & creativity service(s).

• CONTACT ME SOON before the calendar fills up on either side of my December 4,5 booking ...in Southern Cal.                             <12>

• saturday, tuesday, sunday, monday ...are they the same?

Seems no matter what we fill them with, everyday of the week has the exact same amount of time. Saturday is the same as Tuesday, Sunday and Monday are just alike, too—in the number of hours to spend, waste, pass without our notice, or accomplish ...something.

But today is SATURDAY. It just feels different. Sunday—whether you are a church goer, game watcher, Starbucks fixture, or dog park regular—has just as many hours as Monday. And MONDAY ...is "here-we-go-again", "time-to-make-the-donuts", "where's-my-ToDo-list ....LISTS." Yet there is a different feel to Monday morning from the moment the starting bell on our smart phone says, "Get Up, Get Going!....snooze ...NOW!"

Saturday, for many, is yard work, pool care, kid's ball games, swim meets, grocery runs (or grocery slogs, 'cause the markets are jammed with other citizens thinking Saturday is a good day ...or the only day to hit-the-lonoleum-and-grab-the-Wheaties.) And dozens of other "errands" that did not get done this week on the way home from work.

So, why not grab the difference that Saturday and Sunday hold and do different activities? SCHEDULE an hour—mayber one, two, or three hours (more if you can)—to start, continue, or complete a favorite project, hobby, creative ...(you'll fill in your project here.)

"The hardest part about starting, is starting." ~ Guy Kawasaki

If you start today, or add a few more focused minutes to a long-forgotten project, I promise you will end the day feeling better for having fed your creative soul. It can be a hobby, an actual artistic pursuit, or the ancient practice of reading for personal enjoyment. 

Let Saturday be a time to recreate in some way other than sitting in the bleachers watching others carry the ball—your kids, a college team, or your favorite professional squad. Time to get off the side lines and onto the hiking trail, bike lane, or ...you know what you like. Love golf, but haven't found time for even nine holes in months (or years)? Why not grab two buckets of balls and hit the driving range and a half hour on the putting gree. You know you'll like it. And you'll come home more of a human being. 

The UCLA School of Medicine's "REAL AGE" project ( along with Dr. Oz) has determined that pursuing or ignoring your life's passion(S) can ADD or SUBTRACT up to SIX (6) YEARS to your life. Go to www.RealAge.com and take the fascinating personal "test" and discover your "real age"—no matter how long your body has been roaming the earth.

Here's what I know: on days that I scribble a cartoon for my friend's newsletter, write new pages or paragraphs for my next book, read more pages in any book on creativity ...those are GREAT DAYS. I finish the day feeling far better about life than a day filled with neccessary items, errands, email follow ups, and bill paying. I do like getting things done, too. But getting creative time is more human. I am more me on those days.

"A human being human is being creative." ~ McNair

Sunday is a day of rest. Whether you worship the Eternal and find yourself with a community of believers and friends or opt for the a racket and net, manicured lawns and fairways, we do well to let Sunday be different. Really different. Actually different. Rest. Next to water, with a book in hand. Don't have a good book you're working on at the moment? CHeck the list in the left hand column of this blog ...OR, download the FREE PDF at the top of this blog—in the What's Brewing section: HATCH-SAMPLE. If you like that, read all the pages by ordering the full book:

Signed, personalized copies of HATCH! available, HERE.

I am writing this blog post on Saturday. Today I will put in more time organizing my recently move studio/office (downstairs to upstairs): sort, purge, organize more of my stuff. Then I may run just a couple quick errands. But most of the last third of the day will be spent writing more pages for Book No.2 (NOT the title) in my creativity series for which HATCH! is the beginning. (I started HATCH! ten years before it was published ...the hardest part about starting ...but it is out there for all the world to read, use, be inspired by.) In those ten years I wrote and published three other books and did a bit of traveling, speaking, play directing and play-writing. (All the while I was thinking about and working on HACTH!, bit-by-bit.) And soon "eHATCH!" will be in your smart phone, iPad, Kindle, Nook, Slab, Paddle, or ...

It takes time. Time to work, create, relax, play fetch, catch, or finally stop by Hobby Lobby and sign up for the beginning watercolor class. Oh, yes you can. It will take a few minutes to sign up, a couple hours of class each week, and it will add years to your life, really.

It takes time. Everyday—Saturday, Tuesday, Sunday, Monday—we are given a new batch or minutes and hours with which we can ....create more life.

It's Saturday and that's what humans being human do today.        

 [Don't forget to read the last two or three..or four previous blog posts.]  <11>

 

• when you think about ..it's better

Headed for a meeting, a working lunch, or a "stop by my office later and we'll work on it" session? Take three to five minutes and THINK ABOUT IT. Prior to any meeting with co-workers, friends, clients ...anyone, take a few minutes and focus your creative mind on what you think about IT. (Whatever the topic.)

If it is a meeting at work, or community organization, there will likely be a printed or emailed agenda* of topics to be covered that you receive in advance.

• Print the agenda

• Jot down a few of your creative ideas, or constructive concerns about each item. 

• If any item(s) is not in your area of expertise, jot down a question so you can understand the topic better and then lend some of your brilliance

* ANY meeting you attend that does NOT have a published agenda in advance, at the end of that meeting politely request a published agenda for all future meetings. Make it positive and sincere. [The best agendas will also have the name of the person presenting each item. This will enable all attendees to contact that person in advance with any questions.]

Try this :: "If I had received a list of today's topics—a simple agenda in advance—I could have spent a bit of time thinking about and preparing to come to this meeting ready to more fully participate."

Advanced thinking is valuable for every participant. There may be some on your team who are introverts. This does not mean they are shy. It certainly does not mean they have no ideas or don't like to talk.

Introverts prefer to process information internally, on their own. At Disney Imagineering some of the most actively creative team members I invited to join project teams were introverts. I made sure to meet with them (one-on-one, in their work space) in advance of meetings to fill them in and get them thinking.

In every case, they arrived ready to participate and full of great ideas. 

Extroverts will benefit from a little heads up as well. 

When you think about (in advance) every thing is better.                       <12>