Gregg Fraley

Heads-up! There’s a great creativity post on Mike Brown’s excellent blog, Brainzooming. It’s a listing of 37 articles on ways to be more creative.  I’m kicking myself because I’m not on the list! I realize that even though I’ve written about 300 posts related to creativity, and a book — I haven’t written a piece that explicitly takes on that challenge.  I would argue that my “Magic Jacket of Creative Behavior” post comes darn close!  Well, never mind, no time like the present to make a change — I’ll make the next list with this post! There are a lot of ways to be more creative, in my list below I’ve tried to focus on fundamental Ways of Being that lead to

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I’m busy these days writing a manual for my new company, Kiln.  Writing a technical document is a mixed blessing.  It feels like you’re doing something that will provide value, that feels good, and — it’s often slow going. The manual is for a new innovation process which we’re calling FuseTrail. More about that in future posts, but as part of that effort I had some fresh thoughts about factors that impact innovation. I had all the usual suspects down, things like, respect for ideas, supportive culture, persistence, and talented people. I paused while writing and thought about what was stopping some of the organizations I’ve worked with — and it came to me — the obvious, Courage. This will be

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I’m not the best promoter in the world. I’m not the worst either. As a writer, I often feel like a doctor who complains that all the paperwork “isn’t practicing medicine.” Promoting my book is like that for me, it doesn’t feel like what I do, or what I should be doing. In spite of what I feel, however, I would be wrong.  As an author it is part of the gig to promote, flog, expose, market, and sell the living hell out of your own books. For those of you who aspire to publish a book — and make lots of money — let me tell you some hard truth’s about the writing game. But first, please, go to

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It’s weird and otherworldly. It’s kinda now, kinda wow, and definitely ground-breaking in the industry. What’s happening is the main character in my business parable has decided to have a real-time existence in Twitter. Call it Flash Fiction, call it a miracle, call it a reason to live, but those who accept his invitation — his name is Jack Huber — will be getting 140 character or less messages from a fictional character who is concerned with creativity, problem solving, photography, and his girl friend Molly Dunne. Just thought everyone should know, it took me by surprise. Don the Idea Guy gave me this idea because, well, that’s what he does. If you want to get Jack’s Messages, let me

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It’s been a good year for Jack’s Notebook. I’ve received about a dozen reviews on Amazon, all five stars with the exception of one four star. I got an email recently saying that it looked unrealistic and that it wasn’t kosher to have all your friends do reviews. I do know about half my reviewers, or at least have met them. The other half were unsolicited, so I’m not sure what to do to look better — encourage a few negative reviews? See: Jack’s Notebook I heard recently from a couple of non-reviewing readers who’ve been inspired to do specific things because of Jack’s Notebook. One started a chapter of the American Creativity Association in Greenville, North Carolina. Another asked

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I live in a new country home in Michigan. I have 10 acres of mature trees and I’ve made a game out of identifying them. I’m not bad — I can get 9 out of 10, but one tall slender tree in a thicket near the house was throwing me. I went through the books and based on the leaves, bark, etc. I came up with a Tupelo. Well, I was wrong. My arborist Chris came by and I pointed out my Tupelo. He smiled and said, “creative identification” which was political correct speak for mistake! Chris told me it was actually an Apple tree. He took a long look upwards and pointed his finger. I looked up and saw

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