It used to be that having a lot of varied interests meant that you are flighty.
Not anymore, according to the founders of Dabble, a Chicago-based startup that offers one-time courses allowing participants to try something new. “In the past, those who dabbled were thought of as scatterbrained, [they] can’t focus,” says Erin Hopmann, co-founder and CEO of Dabble. “Today, it’s seen as beneficial to be knowledgeable in a number of areas.” The idea came after Hopmann and fellow co-founder Jessica Lybeck, both lifelong learners, wanted to tap into their interests without a huge time or monetary commitment. “People get caught in the rut of the 9 to 5,” Hopmann says. “They don’t want to wait until retirement to enjoy life.”
Dabble currently offers classes in Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco, as well as a handful of other cities, with classes ranging from $20 for a beginner fencing lesson to $75 for a glassblowing class. Here are some ways dabbling, even for a few hours, can benefit your work:
Trying something new can get your creative juices flowing. “People who want to generate ideas need a diet of new information from which to draw new insights and innovations,” says Leigh Steere, co-founder ofManaging People Better LLC, a Boulder, Colo., management research firm. “Dabbling is a way to get new information or experiment with new ways of doing something,” Steere says.
— http://newsle.com/article/0/116518310/ Anyone can take a Dabble.co class, and anyone can teach a Dabble.co class anywhere.
