Subscribe to RSSColoring Superman
Coloring inside the lines has always been a huge frustration for me. Not that I wanted or even had the talent to recreate the bold lies within my Superman coloring book – I just grew extremely frustrated that “the lines” were the limit of where my creativity could go. What are these guidelines and who decided them? More importantly, why were each of the crayons the size of small submarines – large cylinders of heavy wax – and entirely too bulky to hold? Trying to color the “S” on Superman’s chest with these was exasperating! Even if coloring book rules were to be followed, how could I receive my gold star when the tools to use were not useful to me?
This first strong memory of internal rebellion did not grow from a heart that desired control or wanted to do better. Instead, it was a strong passion to do more, to do something different and to make something new. Subverting the system had no real magnetism to me – unless in the process a better way – a new way – could be created.
We all have such moments. They come in those uncommon intersections when divine revelations are discovered in the everyday – when what we are doing simply exhausts itself in fruitless frustration. The resulting frustration – when the results requested and the resources given do not align - deserves our attention. I firmly believe we each desire more, but we often grow weary in clumsily coloring superheroes with crayons that are way too big. Forcing what we know exists but remains constrained within the limited lines we’re told exist – or sometimes sold to be. And we call this good.
The ironic frustration remains: coloring superman with submarine crayons can become comfortable. You hold the colors differently – you make smaller marks – you are more timid in your approach, and you settle. We can each grow accustomed to striving with unwieldy tools all the while dreaming of completing the Sistine Chapel. While raw talent deserves to be considered, more often than not we, as individuals and organizations, need to be given new resources, new vision, and new approaches using new tools in order to create true impact and lasting change. These are changes that not only bring more opportunity but also invite that opportunity to thrive.
That’s why I’m here at New Iron Media – and here to be. To keep using the tools I’ve been given to color new superheroes. Not because different is cool, but because knowing the reason I’m here sparks something new.