Table of Contents

Acknowledgments. Lincoln Center Institute. The Authors. Part One: The Premise. Introduction. What, Why, and How. Part Two: The Practices. 1. Make Mist. Ready, get still, go. 2. Leave the Campfire. Know your enemy: it is you, scared. 3. Flip What's Foolish. Make it wise to be foolish, and every fool will generate wisdom. 4. Make Way for Awe. Nurture humility and the wonder that comes with it. 5. Reinvent the Wheel. Be willing to give back the givens. 6. Think Inside the Box. Make greedy, grateful use of limits. 7. Hoard Bits. Collect obsessively; sift; trust that the right bits will emerge. 8. Mix Your Metaphors. Change the metaphors that frame your reality. 9. Renew Your Narrative. Ask whether your story still serves you. 10. Untie Your Tongue. Talk about work with someone who doesn't understand it. 11. Swap Bodies. Lose yourself in a role. 12. Make a Gap. Obscure part of the picture. 12.5. Finish the Story. Make the ending open-ended. 13. hunk It. Show how small it all starts/ 14. Don't Blink. Snap in slow motion; see how you get primed for decision. 15. Cloud Appreciation. Search out ambiguity and sit with it. 16. Spotlight Off, Lantern On. Trade sharp focus for full-field awareness. 17. Play Telephone. Engage in meaning-laundering. 18. Help Out a Boobonian Make every task a quest. 19. Teach Nonzero Math. Expand the pie before dividing it. 20. Microexperiment. Test your hunches playfully. 21. Rewrite History Turn "what would've been" into "what could be". 22. Design for the Hallway. Let informal spaces thrive. 23. Routinize Randomness. Regularly rinse out expectations. 24. Ride the z-axis. Find elemental forms, then play with scale. 25. Challenge Your Challenges. Find better problems. 26. Break the Hand. Unschool yourself periodically. 27. Yes and ... Never say no to an idea. 28. Fail Well. Treat failure like a skill. Part Three: The Purposes. Conclusion. Resources. Index.

About the Author

Eric Liu is the founder of the Guiding Lights Network, dedicated to mindful and imaginative mentorship. His previous books include Guiding Lights: How to Mentor and Find Life's Purpose , the official book of National Mentoring Month; The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speaker , a New York Times Notable Book; and the national bestseller The True Patriot , which he co-authored with Nick Hanauer. A former White House speechwriter and senior advisor to President Bill Clinton, Eric is now an educator and civic entrepreneur in Seattle. Scott Noppe-Brandon is executive director of Lincoln Center Institute (LCI) , the leading organization in developing skills of imagination through guided encounters with the arts. A noted speaker and author, Scott has helped start numerous public schools and is an ardent campaigner for arts and imagination in education.