The Things I Remember

As a designer, art director, project manager, social media guru, and coordinator of the website I find my processes constantly changing. The other day, I started thinking about all of the ways I initially learned how to design and all of the ways I used to keep my mind creative, and I realized how much I've really changed. 

Sometimes change is good.

Once upon a time I used  to print out pages and pages of imagery that I researched. I would use those images as inspiration, and sometimes tracing guidelines. Today I do the same thing, but I also use these images for industry competitive analysis. 

The more ideas, the closer the solution. 

Once upon a time I used to spend days upon days with pencil to paper on a large amount of ideas. Nowadays I do a 20/20 (20 concepts in 20 minutes) along with other creatives and we end up with 40–60+ ideas to consider. One of the biggest problems is that about a third of those ideas end up being unusable, but still, it's pencil to paper.

I still like to stick to tradition.

Once upon a time I was glued to a light table like it was my only friend in the world. Sketch after sketch, trace after trace. Sometimes it didn't get me anywhere, but then I would remember to turn the paper.  What do I do now? I copy and paste, copy and paste, but what I never do is, turn the 'paper.'  If you have a good idea, but it's not quite working the way you'd like it to, try again. Turn the paper. Rip the paper. Disassemble your sketch and put it all back together again. Sometimes a little rearranging will turn your good idea into a great one, and sometimes it will tell you once and for all that it just won't work.

I try not to get myself discouraged.  

Once upon a time I would complete my entire design on paper using pencil, ink, gouache even (imagine that!), before even getting on the computer. Sounds like a big waste of time doesn't it? I worked this way because I would often get on the computer and not really have an understanding of how I should build my design. Getting everything on paper helped me to map out the build. Today, I've taken a step backward. I don't get everything down on paper first, I haven't in a long time. There doesn't ever seem to be enough time to completely map out an idea, not even in just pencil. The world is in a rush, so computer it is. 

You will never be finished. You just have to know when to stop. 

Once upon a time I would try to refine and nit-pick at every. single. little. detail. I always wanted everything to be perfect. Then someone told me that there is no such thing as being finished, it's just knowing when to stop. Nowadays I still live by that same rule. 

So what does this all mean for me today? It means things are changing and they will always change. There are only two things I can do about change. I can either agree and embrace it, or I can disagree and fight like hell to be myself.

This post is also on Stokefire

Creative Findings

I’ve always talked about staying creative and finding inspiration every where you go. One way is to utilize books. Two great books I’ve mentioned in the past are: “Caffeine for the Creative Team” and “Caffeine for the Creative Mind,” by Stefan Mumaw and Wendy Lee Oldfield. Another way to get yourself into the creative zone is to review what other people have done. Perhaps it will spark an idea for new packaging, business card, or even a strategic marketing plan. There many wonderful websites out there that share all sorts of creativity and as much as I want you to stay on our site I’m going to share a few of my favorite go-to places with you today.

Bench.li – Wonderful clean simple design inspiration. This site seems to have a heavy interest in print – one of my favorites.

DesignInspiration – Another great place for design.

The Dieline – Design examples for all sorts of products.

The Inspiration Room – Creativity from around the world, there always seems to be a lot of videos here.

The Story of Telling – Even reading a Creative’s blog helps to loosen up those creative oils.

Finding inspiration every where we go helps us learn and grow, and I personally try to look for it every single day. Inspiration can come in big and small packages, you just have to know where to find it. Go – be creative, and share with us what you come across.

*All images above were found on the blogs mentioned above. Thank you to you all for the great inspiration!

This post also on Stokefire

25 Inspiring Quotes

1. “Innovation is anything, but business as usual.” (Anonymous).

2. “In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative original thinker unless you can also sell what you create. Management cannot be expected to recognize a good idea unless it is presented to them by a good salesman”. (David Ogilvy).

3. “If at first the idea is not absurd, then there will be no hope for it.” (A. Einstein).

4. “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” (A. Warhol).

5. “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” (George Bernard Shaw).

6. “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” (Alan Kay).

7. “There are no old roads to new directions.” (Advertisement of the Boston Consulting Group).

8. “Nothing is stronger than habit.” (Ovid).

9. “If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.” (A. Einstein).

10. “Organizations, by their very nature are designed to promote order and routine. They are inhospitable environments for innovation.” (T. Levitt).

11. “It’s tough when markets change and your people within the company don’t.” (Harvard Business Review).

12. “Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.” (Goethe).

13. “What we’ve done to encourage innovation is make it ordinary.” (C. Wynett, Procter & Gamble).

14. “To gain customer insights, we must understand that we are prisoners of what we know and what we believe”. (Mohanbir Sawhney).

15. “He who ask a question is a fool for 5 minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool for ever.” (China)

16. “A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.” (A. von Szent-Gyorgyi).

17. “Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises”. (Demosthenes).

18. “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”  (Anonymous).

19. “People who don’t take risks generally make about 2 big mistakes a year, people who do take risks generally make about 2 big mistakes a year” (Peter Drucker).

20. “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” (R. Emerson).

21. “The impossible is often the untried.” (J. Goodwin).

22. “Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner.” (Tao Te Ching).

23. “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.” (D. Adams).

24. “The world is changing very fast. Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow” (Rupert Murdoch).

25. “The key to success is for you to make a habit throughout your life of doing the things you fear.” (Vincent Van Gogh).

Now off you go - be inspired - create!

Original Post via Innovation Excellence

Keeping up with Creativity

I found this blog today while searching around the good ol' google reader. This blog post share some great views from people in creative positions. 

Read the Full Blog

Here's a little taste:

DJ Stout, partner, Pentagram: "Do self-assigned or 'not-for-pay' projects. Anything that doesn't involve a 'real' paying client who will most likely reject or rip the heart out of a truly original or innovative idea. For instance, I've been doing silk-screened posters for a creative speaking event called Pecha Kucha and I've been doing little self-published books on things that interest me."

Loni Peristere, founding partner, Zoic Studios: "Replace yourself. The intern program at Zoic is loaded with young super creatives. Their inexperience with production and process often opens the doors for huge ideas. We also hired a number of industry veterans of 30 years or more across the art and production divisions. These legends also bring amazing solutions. How do you keep sharp? Surround yourself with people who will call you out when you are dull."

Thanks to AdAge for the constant inspiration!

GOOD: 30-day Challenge - Unplug at 8

I am always telling people to step away from the computer and do something else to get creative. Well here's the challenge:

I'm going to do it and you should too. This will give me the chance to actually live up to what I say on here. I'm unplugging at 8pm tonight and I will start the painting series that has been in my head for over a month now.

Good Luck!

This video was originally found at creativity-online.com

Take a Hike

Inspiration doesn't always happen where you'd most expect it. One of the best things you could do to gain inspiration is to get off your butt, away from the computer or canvas and get outside. I recently took a hike in Great Falls Park, MD on the Billy Goat Trail, section A. It was an invigorating experience. I didn't know if I'd be able to do it all, but I did and it felt wonderful.

Yeah, I climbed up that.

Remember that inspiration doesn't always have to relate to creating. Get outside and inspire yourself to move around, exercise and to see new things. Hiking is something I will be doing more often, after all the Billy Goat Trail has two more sections!

Life, Color, Passion

The saying is true: 'a picture is worth a thousand words.' It's amazing how much emotion and story can leak through a photo, a drawing, or in this case a painting. It takes a lot of talent to connect art and emotion and not everyone can do it. A lot of artists tell a story with their art, but not all are able to evoke strong emotions. 

I found these watercolor paintings, by Marion Bolognesi while flipping through the internet today. I was amazed at how much emotion these simple, yet detailed paintings contain. 

What can you see in them?

I see a little boy - crying, hungry, and asking for help. I can even see the words in his eyes. 

I see a woman - struggling to get through a tough time, but she has hope in her eyes. She's a fighter.

I see a fierce woman with a lot of anger, determination, and strength.

I see a young boy who is looking at death, and starvation. This reminds me of someone who has given up, his eyes show no hope.

There is so much you can do with a simple color, the drip of the paint or even a shadow. I'm going to challenge myself this week to paint something with real emotion behind it, I challenge you to do the same. 

Check back next week and I'll show you one of my creations. If you share your work with us, we'll post it up on our blog, retweet it or like it on Facebook, so get going!

Happy Creating! 

*Images originally found on koikoikoi.com

This post also up on Stokefire