Using our Creativity to Open Things Up
If I were to ask you how you express your creativity, what would you say?
Actually – take a minute and think about it. Imagine I just asked you in-person. What would you say?
In the late 1980s, Brazil was struggling with a related, yet very different question: How do we enhance the democratic structures of our society? Following years of a military dictatorship, this was no small challenge and creativity was desperately needed. They were attempting to build something that would last. And one of the answers came in the form of “participatory budgeting,” a process – never attempted before – where neighbors would get together to engage directly in the budget-making process for entire cities.
This new idea was piloted in the city of Porto Alegre in 1989, and within a few years, had led to decreased infant mortality across the city, increased public service performance, increased trust in the government, expanded citizen involvement, and a myriad of other incredibly positive democratic features.
As it turns out, people liked sharing what they thought their tax money should be used for!
This creative idea, born in the midst of a very specific crisis, has now expanded to more than 11,500 cities globally, including Seattle, New York, and Chicago.
In our current day – and in our current moment of intersecting crises – our creativity is what will invite new futures to become possible.
Grace Lee Boggs once said:
We need to connect visionary work with resistance work. One is not possible without the other. Both are essential parts of a more holistic movement for change.
This past weekend, nonviolence trainer Kazu Haga joined about 30 of us and spoke about this need to imagine new ways of being.
In particular, he talked about the importance of finding a new posture in which to engage in activism – a posture not just of “shutting things down,” but of being present and “opening things up.” A posture of curiosity and community-building.
Kazu Haga speaking on nonviolence and fierce vulnerability. From November 23, 2025.
I admit – it can be hard to imagine the how of this kind of activism. It’s going to take some creativity.
So I want to invite each of us into it this week:
As you find yourself in the midst of interpersonal conflict, or while you’re reading the news, or perhaps out on the front lines at a protest: how can you respond with an energy of curiosity, creativity, and openness?
Rather than jumping to the energy of “shutting things down,” try asking a question. Or rather than rage-posting on social media, text a friend and ask how they’re experiencing the moment.
See what becomes possible when you do.
