Description

Episode 191: Blue Sky Thinking

Marie opens this episode with two stories. First: the time she wore a wig made entirely of live flowers for her brand photoshoot — heavy, fragrant, slipping sideways — and came away with the image that became the signature of this podcast. Second: the time she ended up in a sheer black dress, Back to the Future sunglasses, holding a teacup and saucer under a giant spotlight in total darkness, having absolutely no idea why — and came away with some of her all-time favorite photos.

Neither shoot had a plan. Neither made logical sense. Her brain tried to talk her out of both.

And that is exactly the point.

Oh — and somewhere in the middle she also accidentally shipped mermaid skeletons, rain boots, and press-on nails to her friend in New York instead of herself. (The 4-year-old is keeping the skeletons.)

Today’s episode is about blue sky thinking: the practice Marie has used for over 15 years in innovation education, teaches inside the Make Ideas Real course, and uses constantly in her own life and work. And if your brain is already saying okay but how do I actually do it — that’s exactly the brain this episode is for.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• What blue sky thinking actually is, where it lives in the design cycle, and why skipping it is the reason most people end up with smaller, safer, more derivative versions of what they could have built
• Why your brain automatically rules out anything it hasn’t seen before — and the one simple thing you can say to your brain to get it to drop its defense shield and actually play
• The neuroscience of what happens when you enter real ideation: why the prefrontal cortex (your bouncer) quiets down, how your brain starts connecting concept A with concept Z, and why neuroimaging of jazz musicians is one of Marie’s favorite things
• The three principles every innovation lab agrees on: quantity leads to quality, wild ideas spark realistic breakthroughs, and deferring judgment unlocks creativity
• The Flamin’ Hot Cheetos story — a janitor, a broken machine, some chili powder, and a pitch to the executive team
• How Marie used blue sky thinking to start writing her book: a full month of voice notes, journal pages on planes, a notepad by the bed, and zero filtering before the pile was enormous
• The Stanford d.school circle game — grab a pen and paper, you’re playing it in this episode
• Three rules for blue sky thinking: go for fluency AND flexibility, avoid constraint, and be ridiculous at first
• Three ways to practice this week: free-flow writing, the quadrant method, or the Post-It method (Marie’s favorite — one idea per sticky, 15-minute timer, no judging, then cluster by theme and notice what lights you up)
• How to use blue sky thinking for anything: a side hustle, a birthday party, a career pivot, a family vacation, a yard redesign, your social life

Mentioned in this episode:

The Make Ideas Real course — where the full blue sky thinking process lives

The Institute for the Future in Palo Alto and Stanford d.school

Adam Grant’s new book Vibe (Marie heard him speak live the night before recording this)

David Allen’s “someday maybe” list — for all the ideas that don’t make the top 3 but are too good to throw away

Photographer Stacy Keck and florist Natalie Gill of Native Poppy — San Diego

One spot just opened in the Moxie Mastermind — and doors close this weekend. They won’t open again until March. If that spot is yours, reach out to Marie directly now. Find her on Instagram or at dothebloom.com.

How to connect with Marie:

• On the Web | The Local Bloom
• Instagram: @the.bloom.coach
• All Things Marie on LinkTree

JOIN THE BLOOM ROOM!
We'll take all these ideas and apply them to our lives. Follow me on Instagram at@the.bloom.coach to learn more and snag a spot in my group coaching program!