Take everything you think you know about creativity and throw it out the window. In his new book, The Hidden Option: Igniting Creativity to Solve Life’s Impossible Problems, Jonathan Malm not only redefines what it means to be creative but also challenges us all to tap into our God-given creative gifts to seek and utilize what he calls the ‘hidden option.’
Using personal stories of growing up with his missionary family in Guatemala, Malm invites us to reexamine our thoughts on creativity as an artistic trait and shift to a universal attribute for all of us.
“For many of us, before we can start believing that we’re creative, we have to change our definition of creativity from artistry to problem solving—seeing a hidden solution to the issue that nobody else sees.”
What is compelling about this book was Malm’s use of simple storytelling to illustrate his point and guide the reader through the process of shifting the paradigm on creativity to something that is available to everyone, if only we choose to look for it.
Another aspect of Malm’s book that is quite remarkable is that this concept of the hidden option, though newly laid out in his book, is not a new idea in itself. In fact, he points to Scripture to illustrate that God himself created the hidden option. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but Malm doesn’t pretend to be the inventor of the hidden option, just someone who has found its usefulness in every aspect of life and wants us to tap into this God-created gift in our lives too.
Malm encourages us through story, Scripture, and practical illustrations to trust God’s creativity and his ability to use it in our lives. As we learn to seek out the creativity of the hidden option, we cease to see the world in black and white and start seeing the ‘canvas of infinitely glorious colors’ of God’s canvas and, in turn, point it out to others.
I highly recommend this book, not just for those in church communications, but for anyone who has ever been told they aren’t creative and have given up on trying to be. In The Hidden Option, Malm taps into our inner creative child and draws us into living a more creative life in this beautifully written and practical guide.
More:
- Buy a copy of The Hidden Option: Igniting Creativity to Solve Life’s Impossible Problems by Jonathan Malm.
- Read our guest post from Jonathan Malm about going beyond creativity and innovating to solve your church’s problems.
