How will YOU celebrate creativity today?

Dr. Seuss’s book, Oh, the Thinks You Can Think is a tribute to the power and beauty of creative thinking.

Seuss, in his quirky brand of brilliance, writes: “There are so many thinks that a thinker can think! Would you dare yank a tooth of the RINK-RINKER-FINK?”

He goes on to pen, “Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!”

The book is full of Seuss’ signature illustrations – brightly colored imaginary animals, black water and a white sky, and even a blow-up swimming pool suspended precariously in mid-air.

And because he is an established writer of children’s books, we tend to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ brand of creativity.

But how must Seuss’ work have seemed to publishers as he was getting his start back in the 1930s?

Seuss actually submitted his manuscript of Mulberry Street, his first published book, to 27 publishing houses and received 27 rejections. The book was not published until a friend of Seuss’ agreed to show it to decision-makers at Vanguard publishing in 1937. The book was well received by librarians, teachers and, of course, children. And soon, books including “The Cat in the Hat” and “Horton Hears a Who” followed.

Seuss is now viewed as a trailblazer in the children’s literature field, primarily because he was among the first writers to create easy readers that managed to be interesting and engaging to young readers.

What can we learn from Seuss’ story?

•    Creativity is a gift – not a burden. Sometimes, when we are working with young people or even making decisions in our own lives, it is tempting to emphasize conformity. Sometimes, when people explore paths that are not conventional, we get nervous. We want to put those people back in the boxes we think suit them, instead of celebrating their uniqueness. And we also are often all too willing to stay within the boxes that others have created for us.
•    We shouldn’t be afraid to do something that has not been done before. Seuss could have followed the formula for children’s literature, writing books that were dull and focused almost entirely on teaching children virtues, instead of inspiring them to read with high-interest stories and wildly creative illustrations.
•    Rejection is a reality of life. Not everyone is going to like the way you teach. The way you sing. The way you manage people. The way you speak. The key is to find people who do see your vision, while also constantly striving to improve and to hone your craft. Rejection does not, ultimately, mean failure.
•    Not everything in life has to make sense. Many of Seuss’ illustrations and stories do not make sense on the surface. What in the world are Sneetches? Why are we intrigued by “Kitty O’Sullivan Krauss in her big balloon swimming pool over her house?” Should we really wonder, “How long is the tail of a zong?” The beauty of Dr. Seuss is that really, a lot of what he writes and draws is, indeed, nonsense. But there is magic within that wild imagination of his – magic that has inspired generation after generation of children and, I many cases, given them the courage to embrace their own creativity.

Creativity is not to be feared. It is to be celebrated

– in our own lives and in the lives of the young

people we serve.

How will you celebrate creativity today?