Recently, some friends in Asheville, NC introduced me to the River Arts District where I discovered an unexpected nugget of wisdom. Here, amid a collection of art studios down by the French Broad River, I had an encounter with a prolific, internationally known painter at his studio / gallery. He was preparing to take the stage to demonstrate his craft.  He chatted with a few members of the audience as he set up. “What are you going to paint today?” asked one. Without batting an eye, the artist confidently replied “I don’t know.” I don’t know. Too often, this thought stops me in my tracks.  Like many of my clients, it is easy for me to convince myself that I’m being paid as an expert; or, if they are bosses, to always have the answer.   Admitting I don’t know is something we’ve learned should be avoided because it brings up feelings of inadequacy and incompetence. Yet for this artist, I don’t know had unusual meaning and power.  It expressed his openness to creativity and to collaborating with his brushes, paints, and canvas. He was constrained neither by self-criticism nor by expectations of pre-ordained results.   He was not made weak by