The summer I accidentally discovered the innovation secret most teams miss
Click to watch (11:32) or scroll down to read on… Hey there, innovation champions! It's that time of year when the pace seems to slow down, teams are cycling through vacation schedules, and there's this collective exhale that happens across the tech world. But here's what I've learned: summer isn't a season to coast—it's actually the perfect season to create. Let me tell you a story about the summer after my first wedding, when I accidentally discovered one of the most important principles of innovation. I thought I was going to be a writer. What that mostly meant was reading about writing, thinking about writing, with intermittent fifteen-minute stretches of staring at my keyboard, feeling terrible about myself because brilliant prose wasn't flowing effortlessly from my fingertips. As a result, naturally, I started to procrastinate. A lot. I bought some pretty papers at the local art store (feeling like a fraud, because, after all, I wasn't an artist, so I didn't belong in there!) with the idea of gluing the paper around leftover glass votives from the wedding favors to give as holiday gifts. Then it occurred to me that if I cut shapes in the paper, it would make miniature luminaria! But, ever the perfectionist, I didn't want to "ruin" the fancy papers I'd purchased, so I started with the kraft paper that the fancy papers had been rolled up in. Not having an X-acto blade, I used a paring knife (which really hurt my fingers!) and quickly discovered that I wanted more of this! Back to the art store I went, for X-acto knife, extra blades, and soon I was spending hours making paper cuts. I followed my curiosity, and natural fascination for the art form, and just kept going. I couldn't get enough that summer! The Hidden Innovation LabWhat I didn't realize at the time was that my procrastination had led me straight into a masterclass in what I now call the Create the Impossible™ framework. That summer of paper cutting became my accidental innovation lab. Here's what was happening: I was Playing Hard with materials and possibilities. I was Making Crap on kraft paper instead of waiting for the perfect conditions. And I was Learning Fast through immediate, tactile feedback. Sound familiar? It should, because this is exactly what the most innovative tech teams do—except they often don't realize they're doing it. Play Hard: The Summer Permission SlipSummer gives us natural permission to play. The energy is different. People are more relaxed. Deadlines feel less crushing. This isn't a coincidence—it's an opportunity. Your team's next breakthrough might not come from another marathon planning session. It might come from spending fifteen minutes with actual craft supplies, building something ridiculous with pipe cleaners, or asking "What if we approached this like we were making paper luminaria?" When was the last time your team had permission to be genuinely curious about something completely unrelated to your product roadmap? That's where innovations hide. Make Crap: The Kraft Paper PrincipleI call it the Kraft Paper Principle: start with the throwaway material. Don't wait for the fancy paper. In my paper cutting story, I was afraid of "ruining" the expensive materials. So I grabbed the kraft paper that was literally going to be discarded. Best decision ever. It removed all the pressure and let me experiment freely. How many of your team's potentially game-changing ideas never see daylight because they're not "ready for the fancy paper" yet? Summer is kraft paper season. Use it. Learn Fast: The Art Store Feedback LoopThe most telling part of my story? I was back at the art store the next day, buying better tools. Why? Because the work itself taught me what I needed. Not a planning session. Not a requirements gathering meeting. The actual doing showed me the next step. This is how innovation actually works. We don't think our way to breakthroughs—we make our way to them. Creating in SeasonHere's what summer teaches us about innovation: timing matters, but not in the way we think. Summer isn't about slowing down innovation—it's about changing our relationship to it. It's about working WITH the natural rhythms instead of against them. When teams are rotating through vacations, when the pressure is a bit less intense, when there's space for the unexpected—that's not a bug in your innovation process. That's a feature. Your Summer Innovation ChallengeThis week, I challenge you to embrace what I call "seasonal innovation." Here are three ways to start: 1. Schedule Play Breaks: Block 15 minutes this week for your team to play with something completely unrelated to work. Origami, LEGO, pipe cleaners—anything that gets your hands moving and your brain out of analytical mode. 2. Create a Kraft Paper Culture: Identify one area where your team has been waiting for "perfect conditions" to start. What's your kraft paper version? Start there. 3. Build Fast Feedback Loops: Like my quick trip back to the art store, what can you prototype this week that will teach you what tools you actually need? Remember, innovation doesn't happen because conditions are perfect. It happens because we create the conditions for curiosity, experimentation, and rapid learning. That summer of paper cutting didn't just give me a new hobby (which would ultimately lead to a 15-year business as a professional artist and calligrapher!)—it gave me a new way of understanding how breakthroughs actually work. Not through perfect planning, but through playful exploration. Not by avoiding mistakes, but by making them quickly and learning from them. Your team's next impossible solution might be hiding in this summer's slowdown. But only if you're willing to play, make some crap, and learn fast. Stay curious, stay playful, and keep creating the impossible! I'd love to hear from you: What's one way your team could embrace "seasonal innovation" this summer? Hit reply to share your thoughts—I read every response! Senior Leaders: Ready to turn your team's summer slowdown into innovation acceleration? Book a complimentary Innovation Strategy Session and let's explore how the Create the Impossible™ framework can transform your approach to seasonal innovation. ⏳ A Heads-Up on The Creative Sandbox Way™I first published The Creative Sandbox Way™ to help individuals reconnect with their creative voice and overcome the blocks that keep us stuck. Back then, I wasn’t working with organizations or speaking to business audiences—but now I see how the same principles apply. Leaders and teams struggle with perfectionism too. They need space to experiment. They need creative momentum. So I’m finally updating the book’s price to reflect the value it offers in that world too. If you’ve been meaning to grab a copy (or gift one), now’s the time—before the new price goes into effect next week. 🎧 Melissa Gets Geeky!What do graphic recording, innovation, and Play Hard / Make Crap / Learn Fast have in common? They all showed up in my conversation with John Rouda on his podcast A Geek Leader—and we had a blast unpacking them. We dove into:
I’ve been making knot doodles for long enough now that I recognize my own style in my work. That's it for this week! Creatively yours, P.S. When you’re ready to build a culture of thriving innovation, so your team can Create the Impossible™, here are three ways I can help: 1) Download my FREE Innovation Culture Assessment to evaluate where your team stands 2) Download the first 50 pages of my book, The Creative Sandbox Way™, to reconnect with your creativity 3) Click here to schedule a complimentary Innovation Strategy Session Did someone forward this email to you? If you'd like more articles like this right in your own inbox, click here to subscribe! |