The Pencil-Sharpener-Creativity-Block
Conspiracy Theory

Newly Made-Up Pencil Equations Reveal the TRUTH!

By Chris Dunmire, www.creativeslush.com

There's nothing as creatively magic as a freshly-sharpened pencil to an 8-year-old facing the blank "paper canvas." Once the pencil's sharpened, you'll quickly notice a sudden burst of energy in the child as he squiggles and squaggles graphite doodles all over his paper. Don't believe me? Next time you have the opportunity to watch a kidling beeline from the pencil sharpener back to his desk, notice his renewed interest in his work. And if he returns to the sharpener for a second time — don't stop him. Creative genius is in the works!

I have a theory about why this happens — why the pencil sharpener infuses children with more creative juice. Ah, you're truly fooled if you think it's only a case of a dulled pencil tip. And I'm only going to tell you if you promise not to think I've been sniffing those Sanford-brand Mr. Sketch fruity-scented markers for too long (aaahhhh, aaappple....).

Here it is (the conspiracy theory): I think the pencil sharpener really peels away the secret "creativity block" embedded within the pencil's paint (think sun-block). Yes, the undetectable creativity block molecules that pencil manufacturer's conspired to make as an additive to the yellow, red, blue, white, and green chewy-friendly paint that bonds to the pencil's wood. Why? Because creativity block promotes an excessive use of the pink eraser at the pencil's top.

Mmm hmm. That's right. See, when a child is creatively blocked, they do a lot of starting and stopping with their drawings. Sooner or later the clean white paper gets marred with miscalculated lines and mistakes and the child is all to eager to erase them away. (Next time notice all the erasures surrounding a child's drawing. See, I know what I'm talking about!)

For you skeptics, here's my mathematical deducing of this theory in pencil equations. Follow my logic, please:

(Creativity Block) + (Blank Paper Canvas) = Lots of Pencil Sharpening
OR (Creativity Block) + (Accidental Doodling) = Lots of Pencil Erasing

(Lots of Pencil Sharpening) = Gone Pencil
OR (Lots of Pencil Erasing) = Gone Eraser = The Need for Another Pencil

(The Need for Another Pencil) + (Buy More Pencils) = More Pencil $ales

(More Pencil Sales) = Happy Pencil Manufacturers

Boy, I wish I was selling pencils.

Now just wait until you hear about my theory on why manufacturer's always make us use a #2 pencil instead of a #1. •

About the Author | More Articles
Chris Dunmire is the CEO of Creative Slush Playbooks and the driving force behind multiple creativity-inspiring articles, projects, and features for the Creativity Portal Web site. She's trained as a creativity coach with Eric Maisel, Ph.D., and teaches creativity and art-related workshops using her playbooks (not workbooks!) to inspire people of all ages to explore and express their individual creativity.