To me it’s amazing what she creates with sand. Sand. Small grains of sand are turned into beautiful artwork right before our eyes.

I don’t know how she got started. Maybe she was on some beach one day and started messing around. Maybe she took a sand art class. Regardless, there’s no doubt that she creates something masterful with something nearly insignificant.

This week at my new job, I was waiting on my dry erase board to be installed. I tend to have spur-of-the-moment bursts of inspiration. As such, I like to have a place to write them down and let the creativity flow. Before it arrived, I felt like I couldn’t do much of anything. “But what if I have a great idea?” I thought. “Where will I write it?”

And then I watched this video. I learned that in the hands of a true artist, the tools are secondary. It merely takes vision and will in order to manipulate the tools in order to create art, beauty, and impact.

Maybe it’s time we stop waiting for the “right” tools. Perhaps we don’t need the latest of any gadget in order to do meaningful work. Maybe what need is a passion, a will, and a commitment to creating something of beauty.

Passion and talent is what turns sand into art.

photo credit: rahims

We all have them. You give them out pretty frequently, quite possibly at parties. And you probably get a ton whenever you meet up with people.

Get your mind out of the gutter – I’m talking about business cards.

They say so much while saying so little. They’re such a part of the corporate world that we all know what to expect when we see one. Can one really be idealistic when it comes to this staple of society?

Perhaps. That’s exactly the question Matt Cheuvront asks when he challenges his readers to be memorable. His trick? A hand-written business card.

Guy Kawasaki calls attention to the handiwork of Justin Ruckman. These cards are easy on the eyes while cutting to the chase.

Of course, there’s a difference between being memorable and being ridiculed. What you might do by attempting to stand out may have you falling flat on your face. What’s important to remember, then, is the element of risk. No one was ever remembered for playing it safe. No one became remarkable or outstanding by maintaining the status quo.

So, whether it’s your business card or your business suit, your business model or your business plan, be willing to take an appropriate risk. Doing so may open you up to an entire new world of contacts, opportunity, and possibility.

Tell us: how do you take risks at work? How do you know which ones are worth taking?

photo credit: itchys

You know all about the “rules” of the business world; but I bet you also know how a judicious breaking of those rules can create trajectories of productivity and employee morale.

One rule I’ve frequently observed was “no drinking in the office.” Sure, there is always plenty of leaving work to lift a cold one with a colleague or client, but it was always an understood thing that it was for off-site.

I had a wonderful boss once who found a great way to revise and update this rule with good results. Our office was in a restored old house with a deck opening onto a wide green field of a side yard. Because it was a former residence, the office also had a full kitchen.

At the end of an especially stressful day, or upon completion of a big client project — or heck, when the moon was full on a Tuesday — she would stock the kitchen with wine and call everyone to the porch at 4:59 p.m. Wine flowed, as did conversation.

Perhaps not surprisingly, in our down time and with slightly lowered inhibitions, we would come up with some of our best ideas. One did not have to drink, but everyone was expected to come to the porch and laugh and talk and be creative and relaxed. It was genius.

I miss those days. I’m not sure if they are still doing it or not. It may have been the personalities working there at the time that made it magic, but I like to think a good broken rule like this can work wonders at any time and with any group.

Tell us about your most productive, rule-breaking work experience!

We owe the very idea of the learning organization to management strategist Peter Senge. In the 1990s, he provided the ultimate decoder ring for CEOs who wanted to apply collaboration and systems theory in the workplace.

Sandy Bodecker, 56, believes inspiration is everywhere. Last year, his team found what they were looking for in suspension-bridge cables. The result: the revolutionary Flywire technology, and the lightest and strongest high-performance footwear ever.

Making aging less of a drag is Joseph Coughlin’s mission — and with some 80,000 Americans turning 60 each day, it’s a more pressing task than ever. Coughlin, 47, runs the first multidisciplinary research lab devoted to using smart technology to bolster older folks’ quality of life.

Check out the rest of the list and be inspired.