CREATIVITY
My Ph.D. program required that I be associated with an organization so that I would incorporate my learning in the “real world”. When I was accepted into the program, I still did not know what to name the llc. that would serve me in name only until I graduated. With this question secretly renting space in the back of my mind, one day I was listening to an NPR story while driving down M69 on the way to Lansing. I recall the woman on the radio referring to a kaleidoscope. This reference created a mental image of a cylinder-shaped toy with changing images as you turn the tube. Aha! A perfect metaphor to represent the work I would offer people. I intended to create opportunities to turn/change the view of what my clients were looking at, to reframe their image in ways that served their desired outcomes. Through partnering with horses, we could provide people with a new perspective that invited them to see a situation from a different vantage point.
As I shared in the introduction to this book, I named the company Kaleidoscope for the above reason. I also didn’t want the company to bear my name. I’m not completely sure of my aversion to it being called Weber something or something Weber. Even now as I reflect on the name choice, I physically feel a sort of “ick factor” imagining Weber something as my company moniker.
This is opposite position I held when I kept my maiden name. I kept it BECAUSE I didn’t see “Tracy Weber” in “Mrs. William Hausbeck.” Much to the chagrin of my in-laws. The decision to stay Weber also confused my parents who were from a traditionalist generation where you did things the way you were expected. Meaning, a married woman took the man’s name.
As the first person in our immediate family to earn a college degree, I was living into the independence I experienced at college. I graduated from Michigan State University (MSU) one month prior to our January wedding. My courses included a thematics in Women’s studies, so I knew that the historical significance of women taking the man’s name was because wives were considered property. Property. Let that sink in.
We were married in 1985, a time when keeping your maiden name was rare. Bill and I agreed that any children would bear the Hausbeck last name. He and I even bounced around hyphens, though I decided that was more work than it was worth. I also knew that I could change my last name at any time. There is no moratorium on changing one’s name.
So, with a kaleidoscope as a perfect metaphor, how would the company name represent my potential career? The only thing I knew for certain was equine-assisted services were going to be part of the delivery. While many people, to this day, do not understand my languaging of “Kaleidoscope Learning Circle, llc.” often calling my business Kaleidoscope Learning Center, the words “Learning Circle” made sense to me. Calling the llc. a “center” grounded us in just one location and in the beginning I had no way of knowing what the future might hold.
I definitely wanted the word learning in the title, as learning is where growth happens. Circle made sense, because it opened the business up to the possibility of creating other “circles”. I imagined potential circles of influence in a variety of places. A circle is also a powerful shape in facilitation. We “circle-up” so that we are all equidistant to each other. A round, closed circle also represents continuation – no clear beginning or end.
When Kaleidoscope was first created newspapers, radio, magazines, and television advertising were still the primary methods of marketing. The internet was in its infancy, just emerging as a method of sharing one’s story. My degree from MSU was in advertising, so I had expertise and enjoyed the creative process of crafting the pages for our website. I worked with a company near me who could provide technical expertise, optimizing my written words and images.
Ellen, from the tech company, and I decided that the website address should be “myklc” to overcome the barrier of people being able to spell the word Kaleidoscope. The site featured all the important elements, from “Why Horses” to a “BarnQuest” page with specific directions to the farm. How to find us was important because at the time MapQuest was fairly new and prone to sending people to the west section of Rathbun Road, instead of the east which is where we were located. Neither road was actually labeled east or west on the signage, further confusing people trying to find my big blue and white barn. As is my style, I also included some pretty corny groaner puns throughout the website copy. Lots of pictures and detailed information about upcoming programs filled multiple dropdowns.
My horse-head logo in a circle also emerged from a creative inspiration. I was driving on M675 taking the exit onto I-75 when I looked up at a clear star-filled night sky. In the sky was a bright white full moon. The moon’s grey shadows created an outline of a horsehead facing right with a pointed ear, flowing mane, and strong neck reaching the bottom of the moon’s cylinder.
I later discovered that the logo I created looked eerily like the barn logo from where I worked as a kid, JL’s Ranch and Saddlery. My subconscious brought the image to the surface, as even the colors of our two logos were similar. I did not consciously plan to replicate my childhood farm branding. Fortunately, JL’s was now PAL Enterprises, so there was no concern about my logo being a duplicate of JL’s.
When it came time to detail my four-horse trailer, I worked with a local sign maker to make big swooshes reaching from the logo near the gooseneck to the back of the trailer, implying movement. The multi-colored blue, purplish, and shiny silver magnetic tape changed color as light traveled down the wording and swirls. Because the sides of the trailer were a beautiful billboard I used to park it on an angle of my parking lot, so that people travelling past the farm could see it clearly.
One of the most creative decisions we made when building the barn was a suggestion by Sara, who helped me design, plan, and create the space that became Kaleidoscope. The top half of all our stalls were bright blue powder-coated bars. Light and draft size horses appreciate being able to see out of the slated barriers. Sara suggested we turn the front door on the miniatures stall upside down so that the bars would be on the bottom. Because Mickey and Minnie were not tall enough to see the over the top half of the door, we flipped the door upside down, giving them a window to the world outside their 10’ x 12’ stall.
Being “creative” is emotional. It requires a level of confidence that acknowledges there will be those who do not agree, support, or even understand. When I’m actively in the process of creating, there is exploration, confusion, and frustration. My friend, Shannon calls this space, “hell in the hallway”. Where one door has closed and the other has yet to open. Staying in the hallway until the door opens is simply part of the journey going forward, getting through the middle to the other side.
In reflecting on all of the creative decisions mentioned above, the common thread is that when I sense a congruence, an alignment, I can live with whatever choice I am making. When I land on a place where I can allow for others to understand or not, then the hallway door has opened.
For me, the birth of creative projects, such as this book, brings with it a soul-fulfilling juice, a lifeforce that lights me up when I get it right. Creative expression is an embodiment of both my head and heart. While my favorite place in the world is in partnership with horses or now spending time with my grandson, tapping into creative energy and channeling an emerging future is right up there on the list of what makes life worth living!
Recall a time when your creative approach led to the result you desired.
How do you physically feel when you’re being creative? Describe the sensations in your body.
What can you do to commit to more creativity in your life?