Wk 3: Reading Response to Julia Hutchinson's Post on the Art of Possibility Ch 5-8

Julia's Post:  

Week 3 / Blog 1 – The Art of Possibility (Ch. 5-8)
I started this week’s reading while on my train commute into NYC. The quiet ride (despite sharing a train car with 250 other riders) was briefly interrupted by my “Wow!” response to page 68:

 It’s so true! The conductor doesn’t make a sound at all. Yet it is his influence and ability to empower others to make beautiful music that counts. I immediately applied the principle to my role as an instructor. It doesn’t matter how great of a designer I may be. Any determination of greatness lies in the work that my students produce. It lies in my ability to help them become problem solvers and critical thinkers. The students our program graduates are, in many ways, a reflection and the product of the instruction they receive. Now, is it a direct correlation? Is there an absolute cause and effect relationship between the quality of instruction and the demonstrated competency of the student? No. There are too many other factors to consider. However, the principle of empowerment and influence simply cannot be undermined.

My Response:

HERE'S THE LINK.

I had the same "wha?" experience. I had never really reflected on it. What I love about listening to this book, particularly at my age, is that we process information on a deeper level due to more life experiences. A sentence may trigger a whole series of related matrices of thought and emotions. I additionally am a design instructor. At times, I go off on tangents too that are triggered. Lately, I have been much more aware of these triggers. I believe it is my responsibility to guide students through these same processes, yet teach them to filter unimportant ideas and concepts. I teach them to redirect those thoughts into creating designs. As a designer, the more in tune you are with the subconscious forces that influence your ideas, the better.

Wk 3: Reading Response to Justin Fishel's Post on the Art of Possibility Ch 5-8

Here's Justin's Response: 

Wk 3 reading – The Art of Possibility (chapters 5-8)

Within The Art of Possibility, chapters 5 through 8, I found several of these chapters to be quite interesting and substantial to my every day work and personal environments. Here are my takes on this weeks reading.

Within Chapter 5 (Leading From Any Chair) of The Art of Possibility, I found that this chapter was about the fact that leadership can in fact come from anybody who possesses greater self-sufficiency. Mr. Zander’s consistently praises that individuals are able to shine when they are given the opportunity. As an educator is can be sometimes difficult to let go and allow your students ‘to prove you wrong’ so to speak. This method is becoming quite popular within my classroom because of my personal experiences as a student, I enjoyed to be challenged and really enjoyed proving my educators that I could do it and exceed their expectations.

Chapter 6 (Rule Number 6) within The Art of Possibility spoke itself quite strongly towards me. Many times I am criticized for being to laid back, easy going and should take things more seriously. Mr. Zander discusses several different aspects that we as individuals can do to see the different possibilities that surround us in our daily lives.While reading chapter 7 (The Way Things Are), I noticed several aspects that encourage individuals to see things for what they are and move on with life. I am a firm believer for moving on and when less time is spent dwelling on the past, the chances for new possibilities becomes an illusion and not reality.

Reading chapter 8 (Giving Way to Passion) spoke to me in such a way that it expressed to me to be free and passionate about what I do within my everyday life. Individuals must allow themselves to be free and passionate and not so attached to the ways in which other people may view or judge them. If they can achieve this, then high levels of achievement will be reached.

Here's the Link.

Here's my response: 

Yes, I agree! Did you make that graphic? Because I'm going to print and hang it up in my office. As a visual person, I can comprehend/understand an idea or a concept much quicker and more thoroughly by seeing a visual metaphor.

The second part that I am wondering is if high levels of achievement can be reached, how do we measure them and how do we know that they are high levels? One way that I can see progress towards health, as I call it, would be to look back at the journals I have written over the years. It's not really a linear progress, but more of a matrices or a web of consciousness. I would like to see more follow-up on this idea in the book.

Wk 3 Reading: The Art of Possibility - Upward spiral

Toscanini: Read more about him here.

This is some good ammunition that I’m going to add to my cookbook of resiliency and coping techniques. Although Toscanini, the great Italian maestro, was, more than likely pompous and mildly narcissistic, I love his line. The story goes as this: once, in a fit of anger, Toscanini fired one of his orchestral members. The member, on the way out the door, hollered at Toscanini, some profanity. Toscanini replied “It’s too late for an apology!” What a perfect response. The recipient of this response is dumbfounded. What can one respond?

As a teacher for the better part of twenty years, we learn to respond quickly to adolescent temperament while maintaining a level of respect and, yes, a hierarchical structure intact. 

The text The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

gives us insight on flipping situations, or more aptly, directing the energy of a situation or event using insight and asking the question: what do we want to become of this situation? What do we want the outcome to be? And How can all participants, willing or unwilling, benefit? 

I’ve given some thought to the idea of scarcity thinking. I have been a victim and conscious participant of this type of thinking, sometimes out of necessity and poverty, and sometimes out of survival.  I’ve found a quote that I would like to share on the status of victimization: 

This quote adequately addresses the conscious shift that the authors allude to in their book. It is the idea of thinking in scarcity and the downward spiral. If you feed thoughts into the downward spiral, it gains momentum and grows in size. This is a brutal combination. 


I am reminded of the holocaust story of the small girl who, in the camps, found a small raspberry and carefully wrapped it and placed it in her pocket for the day. At the end of the day, she gave it to her friend. What if the most beautiful possession that we had, we instead gave it to our friend? 

I would like to suggest and experiment with the idea of the upward spiral. Perhaps this reaches out like rays of sunshine, lighting those in its path. . . . .

Wk 2: Reading Response to Devloun Jeter's Post on the Art of Possibility

Here's the Link.

Devloun wrote:

It is amazing to find out that the perceptions of human beings are selective in order to survive within different settings. Regardless of or financial status, we have adapted to view only the necessities to overcome struggles in life. Now I wonder what I am missing because of my selective vision. During the chapter “Its All Invented”, Zander brought me to a brief point of enlightenment when he specified that if we factor out our own interpretations of reality then maybe we will be able to focus on actual truths. I never looked at my perception of the world as a negative aspect that’s holding me back from discovering the actual. Deep!

It is now become a clear understanding that, as a race, we live in a typical realm of assumptions without focusing “outside of the dots”. Our competitive nature as human beings construct a mentality that pushes us to reach for top and survive the struggles of life regardless of how we make it. Living in a world of measurements (mine is more expensive, or status) pushes the competitive desire to have more in order to survive and get ahead in the world. I fall victim to this life of measurements and having the ultimate competitive nature to win. I sometimes view myself within the category of scarcity- thinking because of my strong desire to become successful. The only time I actually realize that I am opening to the universe of possibilities is when I study Astronomy. Infinite space in the universe allows me to view into the heavens, far beyond the realm of whats measurable.

Giving an A has to be the most relatable read within this book. During my fourth year I awarded each student with an A at the beginning of the semester. The response was instantly observed from students facial expressions. Almost as if a burden was removed from their lives. I did have an understanding that allowing everyone to begin with an A would motivate them to strive to keep it, but after reading I have a better understanding of why it should be done. A lot of excellent points were made as well with student performances. It never dawned on me that students become so competitive with their performances that they don’t take the necessary risks to improve. I think this chapter would be an excellent read and discussion lesson for my students during this up coming semester.

Contribution has always played a key role in my music program. I’ve always depended on students to contribute at the top of their musical abilities. I never thought about developing a game from it. I think this may be a great way to witness through their eyes how they would contribute to their peers on a weekly basis. How they would use their talents to improve those within their sections. This may take the competitive/selfish edge away and build more of a collaborative environment. I think this is a great idea.


This book has become too good to put down. I will continue reading.............. 

My Response:

Certainly there is some measurement in the wide expansion of the stars? Perhaps because we can't attempt to measure the universe, this is why is holds our fascination. I think you touched on an important thought. It is a thought that I wrote down in my car also while listening to the book on tape. The thought concerned competition. My students also shut down prior to testing. The authors pointed out that this anxiety is caused by the feeling of competition and being confined. Perhaps if the students worked in a more collaborative way, the stress would decrease and the achievement of goal outcomes would increase. I'm in the process currently of establishing collaborative techniques and strategies that I may employ amongst my students. Because afterall, it is all an invention. Why not direct the path of the invention?

Wk 2: Reading Response to David Middlebrook's Post on the Art of Possibility

David's response to Chapters 1 through 4: 

When I first opened the book, When I first opened the book The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, I didn’t know what I was in store for. I’ve read self-help books before, but this one seemed different, went about it at a different angle. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the chapters.

Chapter 1. Its All Invented is about understanding that it is all invented and you can break through barriers that keep you in the box if you recognize assumptions you make about life.

Chapter 2. Stepping into a Universe of Possibility is about moving away from the world of measurement and into a world that reaches beyond survival and scarcity to one of openness and opportunity.

Chapter 3. Giving an A was the chapter that really spoke to me. This quote from the book sums it up.

“The practice of giving the A allows the teacher to line up with her students in the effort to produce the outcome, rather than lining up with the standards against these students.”

The grade, in a sense, takes us out of the world of measurements and into the world of possibilities. It is an invented thing that allows us to be creative without worries.

Chapter 4. Being a Contribution is all about making a difference in others lives and taking the focus off of our self.  “Naming oneself and others as a contribution produces a shift away from self-concern and engages us in a relationship with others that is an area for making a difference. “

This book and its practices have already begun to make me look at life and the endless possibilities that it offers. I’m looking forward to reading the next chapters.

Here's the link. 

My response:  

David, thanks for your quick synopsis of the chapters. I've been thinking lately about "scarcity" thinking. After some reflection, I was quickly able to identify this type of thinking within myself. Additionally, I was able to identify people who are in this frame of mind. If we open up our thinking, abundance comes. I purchased the book on tape and am taking an eight hour road trip today. I am looking forward to listening to the text as well as reading it. The content is so dense that it takes time to absorb that much information. I'm putting faith in the ideas expressed by the authors in this book. Additionally, I am looking for applicable ways to incorporate the ideas, philosophies and best practices into my workplace.

Wk 2 Reading: The Art of Possibility - Constructed Reality?

The idea of "flight paths to the eternal", a quote from the book The Art of Possibility written by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander generated some reflection on self-actualization. See the TED talk here.


At the college I teach at, I am continually preoccupied with the concept of establishing pathways for these predominately first generation college students. If the idea of higher education was not a path that was established in your brain as a child, then it is difficult to imagine what and why college education is and how can it benefit one. I've found that instead of preaching the benefits of higher education, I need to "show" rather than "tell". This is agreeable with the ideas in the book where the authors discuss the idea of "generating active practices that shift" rather than forcing or arguing. . . 


I apply this to my own life when I encounter obstacles. I think about my past self, my present self and my future self. Where do I want to be and how can I begin to grow and establish paths and "shoot" out tentacles to attach to success? 


Let's deconstruct the notion of "we create our own reality". The book establishes an more in depth exploration into this popular catchphrase. The authors call it "It's all invented." They make analogies between how a frog sees the world and how that idea can metaphorically be applied to our perceptions of reality. The frog, according to the book, has extremely selective perceptions that it needs for basic survival. Humans, although more complex, also perceive those attributes that we are programmed to receive. Therefore, we are not seeing all of reality. If we could "reprogram" what we see to create new pathways for perceptions, then we could possibly create our paths. 


Let me give an example of this at work. I'm testing my own hypothesis of how we create experiences of survival. The other day I was driving in a large major city. I am unfamiliar with driving in the city and am somewhat overwhelmed. After residing here for about a month, I figured out (learned behavior) that there are major arteries of "paths" or highways/interstates. Not unlike the human circulatory system, the minor arteries (side roads) feed into larger vessels/routes. I was trying to get across the Columbia River, which is a large river. I needed to cross a bridge. I figured it would be really obvious, plus there was a sign that said I5 (the major artery bridge) turn right 3/4 mile. Wow, ok that's easy. I was discussing the idea of the nine dots with my son. Ironically, this puzzle is about perception. The directions are to: connect all nine dots using only four lines: Here's some examples of how some folks have attempted to solve this problem. 

And so on, try it yourself. I will not give you the answer because I know that you can look it up. Here's a hint: like I said before, it has to do with being open to possibilities and thinking "outside the box". 


While discussing this with my son, I completely missed the exit. How could this happen? I was astounded. There is not another exit for six miles. You would think I could see it as my vision is unencumbered by buildings - it's a river for goodness sakes! It's like the exit completely disappeared. There are three explanations for this: 


1. I was distracted with the discussion with my son, and 
2. My perception was askew. Let me give a more in depth explanation of this phenomenon. The exits are counter intuitive to a newbie like me. When you are expecting the exit to go right, it actually goes left and then 180 degrees merge. 

The final explanation: 

3. This is somewhat more nebulous and illusive. Perhaps we are unconsciously creating pathways, inventing realities. For someone who has no experience of the city, my mind perceives what I program it to receive (I know you are singing "Hotel California" at this point). Whoa! that's wild. And a little out there. . . .

PREZI: Highlights of Multi-Media Production

Yay, well as I'm getting ready to apply my newfound skills, I've been creating more customized presentations of my research. Here's one:  


PREZI PRESENTATION