February 2012
10 posts
Here's something to try: recreate whatever...
When you see something that inspires you – a new movie, a phrase in a book, or a beautifully designed poster, for example – how do you react?
A typical first response to great inspiration is to state how wonderful it is, bookmark it, post it on your website, or pin it to Pinterest. All of these responses are good, especially if you are saving the best inspirational pieces somewhere that you...
What do you get with HP, stop motion, and upbeat...
This is a few years old now, but I’m bringing it back to inspire your creativity a little today.
HP put on a contest that presented students with the challenge of creating “an idea which promotes HP Workstations ability to bring to life anything the creative mind can conceive.”
The video (if you can’t see it above, visit the page here) is a remarkably creative response to the...
How most problems are not like math problems.
When it comes to math equations, there are defined solutions to a problem which are always right.
If you add two and two together you will, most certainly, get the solution four. You don’t have to worry too much about attempting to find any different solution, because the existing one has been determined for you by mathematical experts. In math, there are simple, straight‒forward...
Thinkerbot, a quick way to get inspired.
What can you do when you’re stuck for ideas and lost for a place to seek out inspiration? It turns out that a great, tried‒and‒true way to discover new, creative ideas is to free associate.
Basically viewing a random image, watching a video, reading a phrase, or doing something otherwise unrelated to your problem or situation and then dedicating yourself to finding some way to connect...
What brainstorming is, and isn't.
Brainstorming can be a powerful toolset for anyone.
Dedicating a small amount of time from your day or production cycle to simply sit and contemplate possible solutions or outcomes can be tremendously rewarding. Though that’s not always the case.
How often do you view brainstorming as a set maze, especially when you create your own constraints? How many times do you sit down to...
Do you fully understand the question?
When we feel creatively stuck – as though we can’t come up with a solution or spark a new idea – more often than not it’s our own doing.
That is to say: many times we are the reason we’re creatively stuck. We give ourselves false constraints or limit ourselves only to what we know and, as it turns out, what we know isn’t fully defined.
One of the best ways to break...
To be creative is to be curious.
When you were a child you were curious about the world.
You experimented with things, you questioned nearly everything around you, you made an effort to see how and why things worked they way they did.
It’s in our very nature, as human beings, to have this innate sense of curiosity about the world around us. This tendency to be in a nearly constant state of wonder allows us to grow...
What ever happened to imagination?
When did creativity become such serious business?
It seems like just yesterday we were drawing outside of the lines of our favorite coloring books, or smashing the square peg into the triangle hole, or using our imaginations to be warriors or princesses.
Then we grow up and our imaginations are put away. Our entire mentality around creativity goes from “having fun” to “do the work” almost...
How to cook up creativity.
What does it take to be creative? Here’s a quick and easy recipe you can use and share, no matter what level of skill you have in the kitchen of creative thinking.
The fallacy of creative success.
What does success look like for a creative individual?
For many of us, we believe that creative success is the act of creating something and seeing it do well. From spreading content online, to publishing a book, selling a painting, getting that big raise after solving the company’s problem, all of these can be measures of success for someone who is creative.
But that’s not...