Creativity isn’t just music, literature, or the arts. It extends to improvisation and problem-solving. Baeth Davis engages public speaker, creativity coach, and the Founder of Creativity Muse, Vivian Geffen, in a conversation about creativity for practical people. Vivian talks about her start in improv and how it has helped her in problem-solving and becoming a better coach. Baeth and Vivian then explore Vivian’s human design chart to gain more insight into her creative process.

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Creativity For Practical People With Projector Vivian Geffen

You are attending Align to Your Design, the show where we meet people who I feel are aligned to their design doing novel, interesting, unusual, creative and innovative things in the world. You get to meet these extraordinary guests, and then we look at their human design chart. That’s how the show rolls. We appreciate you reading. Please leave a review if you’re moved and share this with your friends to introduce all these amazing people and the system of human design to others.

Our topic is a topic I’m passionate about and my guest is passionate about. Our topic is creativity for practical people. Our guest is Vivian Geffen. She is nationally known as a creativity consultant and improvisation teacher. We’ll be talking about improvisation because I love improv. Using her life model of creativity, she helps people navigate transition, which might be due to breakups, emptiness and career dissatisfaction. She’s turning those jumbled and excessive thoughts about where you’re going and what you’re going to do next into synthesized and cohesive plans. We all need that one. We’re in transition.

Vivian guides you to clarity to create the bridge that will take you from where you are now into what’s next. She has degrees in Business and Creativity, and these degrees have supported Vivian’s endeavors as a workshop creator and facilitator, speaker and teacher. Her true magic lies in her ability to listen deeply so she can translate and feedback to you on the depth of meaning of what you’re saying, so that you’d feel validated, heard, and able to think confidently and creatively about what is possible for the next steps of your journey. With that, let’s bring our wonderful, beautiful, amazing guest, Vivian Geffen, to the show. Vivian, it’s good to be with you.

It’s good to be with you. Thank you.

I’m excited about this topic. Right out of the gate, what led you to study Creativity?

My motto is creativity is life and life is creative. I had a yearning for more creativity in my life and I didn’t have an outlet. I wasn’t an artist and I wasn’t a musician. I wasn’t a writer or something in the arts that felt like, “This is my creativity.” Yet I was like, “I want more creativity.” That led me on a journey to ask, “How can I have more creativity?” I ended up with the answer, “Maybe I can study it and learn because what I wanted to do is facilitate.” I found that there was in fact places you can study creativity. I went and I got a Master’s degree in Creativity, and that opened up the whole world of the creative thinking process. It becomes a way of approaching your life’s creativity, embracing the possibility of asking questions, and being curious. From that, you can find your way.

I love that, you can live creatively. Will you tell us what the acronym LIFE stands for?

In creativity, the process follows a natural path. That is how I’ve chosen to rename and make my model. It stands for Looking glass. The vision piece in the future, what it is that I want, what’s missing, that looking forward, the dreaming phase. When you get a sense of that and start to notice what’s missing or what it is that you want, then you go to I which is Ideas, the Ideation phase. How might I have these things? Asking all the questions, looking at all the possibilities, and then when you hone down and you think, “This idea sounds good. This sounds like something I can work with,” then you F, start to Formulate solutions and a plan. When you have the plan developed, you can E, Execute on them, take it out into the world, get your assisters, and find out who your resisters are. Get it out, get its legs and get it rolling.

Also express. I love that. I’ll never forget that now every time I’d hear the word, life. Your formula is clear, creative and visual, which makes it memorable. Who influenced you along your path?

Creativity is not limited to art or painting or writing or music. Creativity is life, and life is creative.

I grew up in Los Angeles and I grew up under the specter of Hollywood. There’s creativity around and there was that world of otherness with the actors, musicians and all of that. That idea of creativity influenced me but I didn’t fit in there exactly, so there was this frustration, “How am I going to find my niche because that’s not going to be my life, but I want this creative expression?” The whole blob of entertainment influenced me, and then I’ve had some wonderful teachers along the way. One woman who I worked with for a long time named Camille was my first improv teacher and helped me develop my style of improv, which is more about story and expression. Of course, the great teachings of Viola Spolin who was the real grandmother of theater games, which is a lot of my teaching too.

Let’s talk about improv. I love improv. Improv has helped me so much to be able to think on my feet in all sorts of communication situations. Not to mention that it’s super fun because you don’t know what’s going to happen next. Why improvisation for you? What do you love about it?

There are many things, which point to its versatility: improv as a tool, as a teaching method, and as an approach to life. The creative mindset goes so well with teaching because you have to remain open, work with other people’s ideas, collaborate, explore, and think about different ways. It keeps you grounded in the present, which is important, connected to others and open. All of those mindsets or ways of being are part of the creative mindset as far as if you’re solving a problem or looking to do things a different way. If you’re innovating and trying to come up with a new product, you need to be open to the world and other solutions.

Improv for that perspective is a great way to train your mind, to be that way, accept what’s given to you, work with it and play along. Also, the confidence. When you’re playing improv, it’s play. It’s a game and nobody’s life is at stake. It teaches you to take risks, to risk looking funny and risk saying “the wrong thing” when there is no wrong thing. There are choices. There are maybe better choices that will put a scene forward or not choices. I always say it’s not brain surgery. It’s play.

There’s a whole world of applied improv where we’re working with different populations where those skills help them in their fight from dementia or integrating immigrants. It goes on in businesses, team building, management, leadership and all of it. It’s ways of role-playing almost in a way to help build skills. The magic of that is the debrief, self-reflection and looking at, “How did I respond? What did I learn? What do I see? How is it applied here?” It’s the reflective part. It’s a versatile tool and that’s why I love it.

Could you share possibly 2 or 3 things that you discovered over the years doing improv that maybe surprised you about yourself?

It’s vulnerable to say this but I discovered that I liked myself. That’s how I got to improv and that’s why it was so magical, but this real deep insecurity, dislike and super self-consciousness. I could be in the moments expressing myself and have laughter or feel witnessed or play along. I enjoyed being enjoyed and I liked the humor. I found myself funny. That level of self-acceptance, which they always say, “You can’t love anyone else until you love yourself,” that helped me develop my self-love and self-acceptance. Over time, I got that. I found my creativity. In that yearning of wanting to be creative, I found that I was creative and I also learned that I could speak. This might be a good bridge to human design extemporaneously pretty well, in which we come to learn right later on that I have that channel.

Your voice in the now.

I was comfortable that way.

The way you’re wired is perfect for the improv because you find the magic in the intuitive moment and you can’t prepare for that. You’re only present for it and it arises. Do you have any suggestions to help engage creativity? If so, what would you suggest?

I would suggest, number one, if you know the first rule of improv is ‘yes, and.’ What is ‘yes, and?’ It’s accepting an offer and adding to it. To notice for oneself when they’re in a conversation or someone makes a suggestion or has an idea or puts forth something, if your knee-jerk reaction is to say “no, but or no, why,” to just notice that. Even if it’s an idea that is not the right idea or it’s not the right suggestion to pause for a moment and ask yourself, “What could work there? What isn’t a nugget there that is being received? Is there anything inside that like, ‘I don’t like the big idea, but this intention or the suggestion or this thought or this kernel, maybe there’s something here?’” Not throwing out the baby with the bathwater. That takes up a moment of mindfulness pause or practicing saying ‘yes, and’ then building on it or asking a question.

Opening to it.

Notice if you’re someone who automatically says no. Instead of saying that, take a breath and be curious for a moment, “Why would this person be saying that to me? They’re probably well-intentioned.” Hopefully. Maybe they’re seeing something in there, so getting a little curious. Receiving, then getting curious, “What could possibly be in this suggestion?” If I had a moment to think about it, or even saying thank you, taking it away and thinking about it.

Receiving, getting curious, and being with it for a moment. Those are all ways to develop your creativity because creativity is essentially taking pieces from other ideas or repurposing them or seeing what’s useful, when it isn’t, how some other industry or piece of nature or person solved a problem. Also, what did they find that maybe you could use in your way and developing something new out of that, so getting inspiration from it. You can’t be inspired if you’re saying no all the time.

What’s one of the things that surprised you the most in learning about and teaching creativity?

I don’t know if it surprised me but what liberated me was the fact that creativity is not limited to art or painting or writing or music. Those are artistic pursuits. There’s a conflation of art and creativity. When people say that they’re not creative, they’re often talking about that expression. That doesn’t mean that they’re not creative. It means they’re not doing that, opening to how you approach the world, how you approach a problem, or how you might interact with your child. The way you might solve an issue for your family or for your school or something in your community or in your life that engages creative thinking and creative problem-solving. That insight for me, I didn’t know. That was when I went to school and I studied and I learned that, and then that was my big a-ha. I was like, “That is my way into working with people creatively and how to have more of it in my life even though I am not a painter or a singer.”

If someone were to create a daily habit or several-times-a-week habit around expanding their creativity, what are some tips that you could give to our audience in terms of developing that creativity, maybe habits they could foster if they want to that you found helpful?

I’ve had a playful and curious attitude saying yes. You’re playing little games with yourself like this is a fun improv game, but alternate uses like this. You can entertain yourself, “What is this? This is my mustache. This is my antenna. This is my little looking glass.” Playing with yourself, finding an actual game to get you out of your different mindset, or reading about different industries or subjects or topics. I’m looking for things that connect or similar or how you might borrow something. Trying to get yourself inspired. Spending time in nature, taking walks outside, journaling or asking yourself different ideas. Anything that you can do that helps you remain a bit open and exposing yourself to new concepts. There’s a whole discipline of people who study nature and how nature solves problems, and then they take that and they use it for the industry. It’s fascinating.

What do you do?

I teach improv, so I’m always looking for new games and engaging in that way. I do those things. I’ll read, get inspired, spend time in nature, play with my dog, look for ideas, and have conversations. It’s my approach. That’s how I am now. It’s like people who are twelve-steppers. They work the steps, but eventually, you are living the steps. You’re breathing. That’s how you are in life now, “I apologize for my mistakes. I take responsibility.” It’s not like, “I’ve got a responsibility here.” It becomes part of who you are. It becomes who you are as curious person looking for connections, “I’m not saying yes. I’m looking for what works at the moment.” It’s an orientation. Does that make sense?

Improv is a great way to train your mind, to accept what’s given to you, to work with it, and to play along.

It makes perfect sense.

Did I give some tips?

You did and it was great. Let’s talk about human design and then we’ll have a look at your chart. What has been your biggest insight so far about your human design chart? How did it affect your process in life?

Have we talked about my signature and what I am?

No, we haven’t. Should we start there?

Yeah, I think so.

Just give a context. For those of you who are new to human design, Vivian is a projector, 1 of the 5 types. They are the manifester, generator, manifesting generator, projector and reflector. Projectors are about 21% of the population and you have an aura that goes forward that’s penetrating in terms of vision and knowing. Of all the types, the projector sees the truth with clarity and without a lot of emotion. It’s one of the things I appreciate in projectors. They can give and receive feedback without it breaking their spirit. You can get into it. You and I can get into it. My mom’s a projector. You can get into it with a projector. You can debate, argue and suss things out, and the projector is not going to fall apart because ultimately, you see the truth. The truth is the truth whatever it happens to be in your experience and there’s resting in the truth there as a projector. The projector has this incredible truth-telling capacity and this incredible vision. That’s the first thing.

Can I tell you a story?

Tell the story.

My communication is direct and I have been asked to tone it down and it’s hard. I was in a meeting once and this gal sat down next to me and she was chomping on her gum. I was trying to listen and I couldn’t listen. Inside, I was like, “I have to ask her to stop or calm it down. You’ve got to do it nicely. How am I going to do it nicely?” We’re back and forth. I turned to her and I gently put my hand on my knee and I say nicely, “Excuse me.” She looks at me and I go, “You’re chewing like a cow.” A flush came over her nice and then shocked. I was mortified.

That’s awesome. I love that. It’s true.

I had an old friend come over and he was always so much younger than me and now he’s in his 40s. I don’t remember saying this to him, I said, “You’re not pretty anymore.” When he came over again, he’s like, “The last time I was here, you said I wasn’t pretty.” Sometimes, the directness is a problem.

You blurt. That’s great.

Who’s going to want to work with me after I say that?

The thing is you’ve got to have tough skin in life. Besides, people can’t laugh at themselves.

On the flip side, that’s what makes me a great coach because I can listen so well. Synthesize and reflect on what’s being said. Hearing what’s inside and what’s being said and making sense of it.

What makes a projector, projector? First of all, some projectors do have motors but no sacral. Sacral is not defined in projectors, manifestos or reflectors. Reflectors have no definition in the centers and a manifester, somehow, 1 of the other 3 motors will connect up to the throat. Here we have a straightforward splenic projector. Your spleen is defined because gate 57, the gate of intuition, connects right up to gate 20, the voice in the now, which is why you blurt. I have 57-20 as well. You and I both blurt out true statements and they’re not always packaged in a way the other person would like to hear them.

It’s being mindful of the blurting because we can control it if we are aware of it, but there are times when in improv, for example, it’s perfect because what blurts out is so unexpected. It makes for great humor and it makes for great storytelling. This channel is a blessing to anyone who needs to communicate spontaneously in the now because this is what this channel does. For you, it’s your only channel in your design.

You can’t love anyone else until you love yourself.

Essentially, you have a lot of concentrated energy on the spleen and the throat, which if we took this chart in without knowing what the numbers mean or whatever, and we’re talking about the centers in that one channel, your life is about intuitive communication. It’s about communication in the now and it’s about many different kinds of communication. You have five gates active off of the throat. There’s a huge need to communicate. Because the gates want to connect with their open opposite, you need to be connecting with groups of people because that then enhances what you’re able to communicate.

It will be so good when we can all get back together in person because a big part of being human and enjoying the experience is being in the auras of other people. It’s being in the energy fields physically of other people because we can have a certain connection over Zoom from the sound frequency of our voice. Our voices do carry a frequency that allows us to connect to some degree, but it is in no way near the connections possible when we meet in person. You have an open chart. I always ask guests before they come on what their question is about their design. What you and I were chatting about before the interview is how does motivation factor into purpose? Before I say anything about your chart, will you share with all of us what motivation means to you?

I’m having this intuitive thing happening as I was looking at the chart about my question. What’s coming out to me is the G center. I have no relationship with that G center. If I had a question, my question might be, “How can I integrate? What’s missing? What’s there that might serve me better?”

That’s a great question. The G Center is the magnetic monopole. It essentially holds us together in form. When it’s undefined, in your case, it’s called undefined because you still have two gates active, the 1 and the 2. It would be considered open. Your solar plexus is open. A center is open when there is no gate activation whatsoever. It’s open. Your G center is undefined, so the 1 in the 2 gates are reaching out for a connection with their opposite pole. The 1 wants to reach the 8 and the 2 wants to reach the 14, so we’ll talk about that.

First, let’s talk about having an open or undefined G center. If it was open, it would look like your solar plexus. It would have nothing lit up. Open or undefined in the center means that one, yes, you’re open to more conditioning. That’s the shadow side of it. There’s a challenge there. The conditioning with the G center is, “What is my direction in life and who loves me? Does anybody love me? Where’s the love?” If you’re asking those questions, it will lead you astray. The other question that the undefined G center or open G center is often asking is, “Who am I?” You’re never going to get a good answer to that because who you are is so fluid depending on who you surround yourself with.

The most important thing for the undefined and open G center is that you surround yourself with people who can lead you places. You’re going to get direction in life from the people with the defined G center when this is colored in. When it’s defined on someone’s chart, it will be colored in yellow. It’s always in yellow when it’s defined. You have to be so selective about who you let lead you places. This can be something as simple as, “Vivian, I found this great restaurant. Let’s go eat here.” You’re like, “Okay,” or your spleen says, “Hmm.” Your spleen is your authority. The spleen speaks in the now through your senses, so it will always give you instant information.

You might get a yes to the restaurant, and then halfway through the meal, you say, “I’ve got to leave.” The other person says, “Why?” It’s because my spleen says, “I’ve got to go.” You may not even know why, but then you get home and then you find it. Maybe your dog wasn’t let out and they need to go out. The future will show you why the spleen is giving you this information in the now. It’s trusting that. Back to the G center, you never want to ask, “Who am I? What’s my identity?” Because you’re not ever going to get a solid answer what the gifts you have.

All people with undefined or open G centers have the ability to feel into the identity and direction of another person. You may not know where you’re going or who loves you or who you are, but you sure as hell do know for other people. When they talk to you, you can see clearly where they’re off the mark, where they’re deluding themselves, and where their opportunities and skills lie. It becomes crystal clear to you who loves them and who doesn’t, who they are and who they aren’t. Over time, you’ve established a sense of yourself as Vivian, where you like to live, what you like to eat, your relationship with your dog, family and friends. There’s identity there, but it’s not something that’s going to give you a lot of confidence like someone with a defined G center.

I have a defined G center, so it’s never occurred to me to even ask, “Who am I?” It’s like, “I’m me, of course. It’s me.” Someone with a defined G center has a lot of direction and has a lot of confidence. What we’re able to do if we’re correct is provide confidence and direction to the undefined G center so that you can be invited to places with people that support and sustain your natural effervescence. The thing you have to look out for with so much openness in your chart is being around any Negative Nellies. It’s bad news for you because you get so impacted by it, and then you can start thinking, “Maybe I’m the negative one.”

It’s clear from our short interview that your essential nature is creative and open. You’re so open. You may have had to learn some defenses even over the years because of other people’s energy penetrating you, or the open solar plexus, for example. Suddenly, you feel emotional and do not know why or the undefined route. You suddenly feel pressured to take action and not know why, or the sacral, never knowing when enough is enough and pushing yourself too hard. All you can trust in is what’s defined. The only thing Vivian can trust in is her amazing voice and that splenic channel that’s giving you impulses always in the now. You are in the now person. Some people are like, “I should not make decisions in the now. It’s better for me to wait for the right timing right out my emotional stuff.” You don’t have that.

One other thing to your question. The one gate is creative expression and I find it so fascinating that gate number one is creative self-expression. That is the number one gate in the design. The one gate could have been anywhere else. The number one gate where we start in terms of identity is expressing ourselves. It’s foundational and fundamental. When that ability to express ourselves is interrupted and thwarted, that’s the main reason people get depressed, become addicts, and become suicidal. Yes, they may have trauma to work through that can affect it, but if someone has a healthy creative life, they can work through so much and stay healthy and stay present.

I know for myself, my body got sick when I stopped dancing. I look back now and I’m like, “I know it in my bones. Had I kept dancing, I would have sailed through those problems.” I had moved to a new place and there wasn’t a dance community. I didn’t expend the effort to find one and I should have because it was the place I could go, no words were spoken, and I could work that thing out, so staying healthy. Number one, you must be creative. There’s an old saying and I don’t know if it’s aboriginal or Native American, but it addresses illness. The shaman asked, “When did you stop singing? When did you stop dancing? When did you stop running out in the fields? When did you stop being creative?” That will pinpoint your onset of illness.

For you, you have this one energy multiple times. This gives it extra emphasis in your life. You have one in Neptune line five. It’s being a leader, facilitator or manager of the creative process. When it’s in Neptune, it’s going to be emotional. It’s going to be about the watery depths of ourselves. This isn’t a superficial approach to creativity. It’s a real digging deep and figuring out, who are you? What do you feel? What does matter to you? The further planets like Neptune, Uranus and Pluto are all a little weird. They deal in some heavy stuff. The goal is to excavate Neptune, Uranus and Pluto and bring it up.

For you, it’s in Neptune, and Neptune of course was the God of the sea, also known as Poseidon. When we’re dealing in Neptune, we’re dealing in water. This shadow of this would be you’d be a good candidate to be a drunk because that’s the shadow of Neptune, especially when it ties in with creativity. If the creative person feels thwarted, they want to drown their sorrows. I’m always aware of the creative and the alcohol because they often match up. Initially, the alcohol gives the person that liquid courage. Of course, over time, the benefits wear off. On the other side, you have Neptune in gate one. You’ll have it twice. The reason your chart has so much openness is you have a lot of duplication of gates. When this happens, Vivian, it’s going to make you intense. It is set up to be an intense personality. It can’t be otherwise because the energy is so concentrated, so your Neptune is concentrated on creativity.

It’s interesting because that’s what it felt like. I felt an intense need before I figured out how to have it. I love it because of this class I created called Evolutionary Improv, and what you described, I’m going to have to go back and read it because that’s what happens, that story excavation, movement, voice, and people going into themselves.

Here’s what Ra has to say about Neptune, “Illusion, spirituality and art. A great teacher who demands total acceptance. Neptune in any gate veils its potential. This veiling can deeply disturb the not-self as it is not possible to see through the veil. We lose the ability to see any limitations which can lead to abuse. Surrender to Neptune. Leave it alone and you allow the potential magic to emerge from behind the veil. You also learn a great deal about the nature of surrender. Your creative process is about surrendering to the unknown and seeing what pops out from behind the veil when it feels like it.”

It would be different if your creativity was on Mars. Mars is a passive force, and then it gets rolling and it can be aggressive. It’s different energy depending on what planet the gate or celestial position the gate is in. Having your creative energy in Neptune is this mystery, and it’s deeply spiritual and magical. I’m looking at The Definitive Book of Human Design. In the back, it has every single gate with all six lines. You have Neptune in gate 1, line 5 on the personality side. There’s the energy for the other, and then you have it for yourself on the design side in gate 1, line 6.

Here are the keynote words. Line 5 is the energy to attract society, the power and drive to stay with the creative process. Line 6 is objectivity, a clear assessment of creative value, clarity and creative expression. The shadow of this if we go back to the personality side is eccentricity can handicap your endurance. An eccentricity that though attractive will limit the drive. It’s being weird, but not so weird that you see people are turning away from you. It’s finding that balance of you can keep them engaged and you can keep them in it. That comes through experience.

You can’t be inspired if you’re saying no all the time.

I’m not that weird.

I wouldn’t describe you as eccentric, but I do experience you as fluid in your creativity. There’s a wildness to you. There’s unexpectedness to you that is compelling. Line 6, the objectivity. You have to be objective because if you get subjective in your self-expression, if you get too self-involved or crying in your cups about it, it will lead to creating frustration. There’s a way that your creative process is about bringing yourself along with others to the masses and creating things where other people are involved. It isn’t self-intelligent, which doesn’t mean it’s never personal. Even when it is personal, you have a larger mission, if you will. You have a larger impetus to share whatever the story or the play or whatever it is you’re creating. You’re wanting to make a larger impact with it.

There’s creativity off your G center. There’s this huge drive in you for self-expression, but you’re looking for the 8, which is the talent manager. Gate 8 is the individual that helps you bring your contribution to society. You need someone with gate 8 because 8 is the contribution. That’s when the art gets out to the masses. That’s when it contributes to the larger group. Your 1 is looking for people that have that gate 8 because they can distribute the information for you. Gate 2, you provide direction to other people, even though you may have no idea where you’re going because you’re waiting for people to invite you as a projector and you have an undefined G center, “I don’t know where I’m going to go.” The invitations will come.

When you’re dealing with other people though, that 2 knows where to go and it happens to be in Venus. This touches on what’s important to your heart. The Venus location is about love, intimacy, and what we’re devoted to. Line 2, the receptive, the direction of the self. First, gate 1 right above it is the creative, the expression of the self, and then gate 2 is the receptive, the direction of the self. Receptivity is the primal base through which any response is determined. The root of action is to be receptive, yes, and. Your 2, line 4, secretiveness. More than modesty, the ability to preserve harmony through discretion. You’ve got the up arrow, so you have the attribution when it’s in Venus.

The higher goal transcends personal acclaim. The team player is acknowledged as a leader but never the captain, where higher knowing does not have to be expressed to be recognized. People recognize you as a leader. This is for you to know. You don’t have to prove yourself and you shouldn’t even try. You are naturally seen as a leader in any situation you step into and people will look to you for direction. It’s important that you own that because if you come in with the non-self G center looking for love, approval, and people to give you an identity essentially, or reflect you who you are, you lose your power versus going into situations being aware, “I don’t know who I am. It doesn’t matter because who I am is to provide direction for you. Glad to be of service.”

When you come from that place of confidence, it’s a whole different ballgame because now you’re walking into situations and you know, “I have nothing to prove. I’m simply here to be this resource, this fountain of creativity and energy for direction, but it must be through receptivity. It must be through what comes towards me. Thus, I do not have to do anything except being receptive and then respond accordingly to what’s coming,” which frees you up a lot.

That feels like, “Aah.”

You don’t have to put all of this pressure on yourself. It’s not helpful for you because you can only do things in the now correctly. You’re not a past person. You’re not a future person. Some people are designed where they’re much focused backward, and some people are focused forward. You have a bit of that in your design, some focus on the past and some on the future, of course, it’s necessary. Your essential nature is, “I am invited. My spleen tells me yes or no. If I say yes to an invitation, I show up and the rest will reveal itself.”

What’s interesting about your human design is that your motivation isn’t a motivation. It’s called innocence. Innocence isn’t a motivation. Innocence is the ability to see the system. It’s line 6. It’s the roof, essentially. It’s the role model. The way you motivate people is to be up on the roof seeing the big picture. It’s the director in a way, knowing where things go and what will make something work or not work. You don’t have to have an agenda for this. You’re simply able to see the big picture. When appropriate, the big picture is revealed by you, but your life isn’t about driving hard towards goals.

Your 2/5 profile is up there. The 2/5 is the hermit heretic. You have to be called out by others. So much about your design requires other people to say, “Vivian.” They call you out, and then the 5 can kick in with the humor, leadership and heresy, but it comes through all those invitations. Meantime, the 2 is a natural artist. The 2 energy is called the natural. You’re naturally creative. You can’t explain how you do it, you just do it. The theme in your design over and over again is while you’re waiting, be creative and eventually, somebody will invite you somewhere even if it’s just to lunch. If you blurt out the right response, you’re going to get going where you need to go.

I can’t wait to read this again. It’s so interesting because it feels affirmative and yet, that conditioning piece, so much of the values I was raised with or their approach to life would conflict with those things. I see the root of internal struggle about how ways I made life difficult for myself, which is sad a little bit.

The good news is today being the first day of the rest of your life, you can do it the way you want to do it now.

I love what you said, who I am is to be a direction for your resource for energy direction. I’ve finally come to some of these places and have landed in them.

It’s great. I’m happy for you.

I need to be invited.

I have an invitation for you. What do you have going on if people want to find out more? What’s happening?

I started offering a weekly improv gathering, and I’m not calling it a class. It’s devoted to fun, improv and collaboration, and a way to unplug. I started it at the end of 2020 when we were all in the election drama and all of that. It was so intense, and of course, the pandemic. I’m like, “We’ve got to have some fun.” I didn’t get to facilitate too much in 2020. Out of my innocence, I said, “I want to do this and it was going to be a one-off.” Now, it’s been an ongoing thing. It’s called LaughBoost. It’s on Eventbrite. That’s a complimentary weekly gathering, Thursdays at 4:30 PM Pacific time. I’m also wanting to get my Evolutionary Improv class going, the deeper one. The one that you described going into the story and the more in-depth to anything, so I’m collecting names of people who want to do that journey.

Vivian, any final words of wisdom for us?

Before automatically saying no, take a breath and be curious for a moment.

This is for me but I’ll share it with the readers. It’s all going to be all right.

Thank you for that. Thank you, everyone, for reading.

Thank you, Baeth.

You’re welcome. This has been another episode of Align to Your Design. Thank you for being here.

It’s densely packed.

Enjoy, share with your friends, leave a review. We’ll see you all soon. Bye for now.

Bye.

Important links

• Vivian Geffen
• The Definitive Book of Human Design
• http://Bit.ly/LaughBoost
• http://Bit.ly/zoomenergizers

About Vivian Geffen

Vivian Geffen is a nationally known creativity consultant and improvisation teacher. Using her LIFE model of creativity, she helps people navigate transition due to break-ups, empty-nests and career dissatisfaction by turning their jumbled and excessive thoughts about where they are going and what they are going to do next into synthesized and cohesive plans. She guides you to clarity to create the bridge that will take you from where you are now into what is next. Her degrees in Business and Creativity have supported Vivian’s endeavors as a workshop creator and facilitator, speaker and teacher. Her true magic lies in her ability to listen deeply so she can translate and feedback the depth and meaning in what you are saying so that you feel validated, heard and able to think confidently about what is possible for the next steps of your journey.