We've been so lean sixed, myopic, and contractual in how we learn and how we take in information, because we've had to be become more focused on these very small, very specific tasks. It starts in grade school with reading, writing, and arithmetic, standardized testing and testing to the test, and creating robo-students who memorize formulas. They retain it just long enough so that they can regurgitate the information back to teachers and (later on) professors. That's how we measure academic proficiency and that's how these academics become academics - by rewarding their very focused linear exploration of knowledge.

In the end, from age five onwards, we have no experience exploring ambiguity, problem solving, or a blank sheet of paper. If it's not on the task, we don't do it. As a result, we often don’t develop the ability to master complexity, understand art, or even philosophy in many ways, because we're so busy hammering out exactitudes.

That in turn has created this crisis of consciousness for the consumer. I would say the consumer and our world in general is less aware of art and why we have art. They are less aware of the beauty and the peace of a sunset. They're less aware of family, laughter, or some of these simple, beautiful things that make life wholesome and great, because we're so connected to digital, standardization, and achievement. What we’re really facing is a crisis of consciousness in that we need to pull away from being robo-academic and drone thinkers.

When it comes to business, you have to be both; you have to be stable, disciplined, and accountable, as well as imaginative, creative, optimistic, and idealistic. It is the combination of the two sides that is key and very few people or organizations are able to do both, because they fall into that trap of thinking they're either creative or analytical, they're either a hard worker or they're kind of whimsical. However, limiting yourself to one category is not an answer for anyone.

A thriving business hinges on the dynamic tension of holding both together, not either/or, and that's the beauty of how much opportunity there is in the future of business and all of these elements. There's so much room to grow by letting go, and by becoming either more creative or by focusing, harnessing, and becoming more specific.

It’s about opening up emotional intelligence to be able to problem-solve in a broader spectrum, to be able to have a heightened aptitude for emotional sensitivity, empathy, perspective, and diplomacy. Those all happen by unlocking, unleashing, or unthinking what we all thought we knew to be true.

Now both of those areas are important, but as far as improving creativity, we need to remove the stigmatization of being wrong, because once our kids are afraid to be wrong, once our employees are afraid to be wrong, they'll never come up with anything new. They'll simply be afraid of making mistakes.

Creativity is about trying - maybe not succeeding - but then trying something new again without fear of failure. Improving creativity entails figuring out how to auto correct or self-adjust on your own (rather than being shamed or stigmatized because of a perceived failure), working through setbacks, and increasing opportunities.

What happened to me is not a “woe is me” story. It was just part of the system that we all belong to. I just became aware of it at a later stage in life, and it led me down a different path. After an early mid-life crisis at age 29, I went back and started to explore art again, not because I wanted to, but because it became a way to express my despair.

There’s a tremendous opportunity for everyone to reopen that beginner's mind and go back to when you were five. You don't need to be a critically acclaimed artist to create art. You don't need to get a badge, a merit of achievement, or financial compensation for being able to find respite or hope in creating a sculpture, drawing with your kids, finger painting, or taking photos. All of this leads to problem solving. All of those expressions are forms that our mind uses to navigate ambiguity and master complexity. That's why art is so important. It's not about the finished product, but about the process that opens the mind. That process of open-minded thinking and exploration is what we are losing in our kids and in our businesses.

In my case, I have a really unique platform as an artist, in that I have an opportunity to share as a keynote speaker. I'm building this message and creating an experience through story, interaction, authenticity, painting, live music, and choreography. That experience creates a piece of artwork that is not just a painting, but a brand. It doesn’t matter as much if it’s painting of John Lennon, Albert Einstein, or Steve Jobs; what matters most is that that art reflects the experience that this entire audience had together in creating it.

I recognize that the painting itself need not be worthy of hanging in the Louvre. You might just walk right by it and say, "Oh, that's just an icon." However, my art gives people access to the painting’s background story, that process of creativity, and how they, as an engineer, attorney, sales professional, or insurance agent have that same access to creating great art. Maybe they can’t paint in three minutes upside down, but they have access to this idea, which is what makes my art so sticky. I’ve been able to build a brand around it, because I have a huge platform that I use to share a message to scale and that message is actually what’s exciting. The artwork is just a channel people use to see it and visually take in the message that they heard.

That wasn't meant to be a marketing concept, but it turned out to be a brilliant marketing concept because people want more of what they can’t have, and so by decreasing the amount of supply, it increases the demand tenfold.

I encourage people to find a charity that you are passionate about – one that means a great deal to you, and give to that cause out of the need to soften your heart. We need to step back from the anger, hatred, frustration, and politics, and let the giving be a giving of our soul. Giving is an extension of yourself in remaining human, and so give to what matters to you most.

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To bring Erik Wahl to your organization, please contact Michael Frick at: Mike@Speaking.com