Five Things For Creativity
January 20, 2006 | 
30 Comments
A while back a friend and I were talking about “things” that got our creative juices flowing. Those items or ideas that can spark off a serious idea storm? It was really fun to group a string of things together and think of them all at once. That seemed to really help get some interesting ideas going.
Shortly after and just before a “concepting” session (which is usually how I kick off the heart my design process) I wrote down, off the top of my head, five things that inspired me. I had my client firmly in mind, but I didn’t limit myself to things related to the job. The answers I came up with didn’t have everything to do with the actual work, but thinking about those things and going through the exercise, got me into a creative frame of mind.
What followed was once of the best concepting sessions I’ve ever had. That session resulted in probably the best work I’ve done to date. I’ve been using the method, to great effect, ever since. It works great for writer’s block.
So, I thought I’d throw it out to y’all. Can you tell us five things that inspire you creatively? Here are five from me:
- Locks and Keys.
- Maps.
- Family trees.
- Secrets.
- Vampires.
See, that’s an interesting bunch, taken off the top of my head. With those five things alone you could formulate a plot for a novel that rivals Stephen King’s best! And for the fine artist or designer the visual possibilities are endless.
Filed under: Inspiration
Keyword Tags: creativity design art writing
Comments
1. Corby Simpson said:
Going outside inspires me.
A few years ago I was looking at a mistletoe for Christmas in some store. A kid ran by me and said “I don’t wan’t my belt that tight mommy!”. My brain kicked in and I thought? Why not make a mistletoe belt buckle with a little slogan of “Kiss below the Mistle Toe”? Be the $20 gift you can get anyone! lol
I thought it was great till I researched it and found it elsewhere. BUT, I still came up with the idea, just not first.
www.realmoneywebdesign.com
Posted on January 20, 2006 09:04 AM | #
2. Alex Giron said:
Few things that get me going:
- Furniture
- Abstract Art
- Corporate/Clean Look
- Domain Names
- Japan
Posted on January 20, 2006 09:11 AM | #
3. Kelly said:
I’ve had some of my best brainstorming sessions on creative ideas on long morning drives. I love it when you get a great set of music going, traffic is light and a little caffeine running through you. The scenery going by often helps to stimulate those ideas even more!
Posted on January 20, 2006 09:33 AM | #
4. will said:
All I really have to do is turn on some music that fits my mood. This is usually some sort of groovy electronic music (Groove Salad on iTunes radio works well). If I am going after a certain feel for a web site I will put on a certain type of music and ideas start flowing. I was working on a site for a skateboard company, for instance, and putting on some old Minor Threat and Dead Kennedys did the trick.
Posted on January 20, 2006 11:53 AM | #
6. vanderwal said:
Flickr
Art Galleries
Banksey and other non-authorized public street art
Stickering
children playing
Posted on January 20, 2006 05:07 PM | #
7. Richard said:
I hate to be pedantic, but that woud be “Stephen”!
As for creative inspiration - music usually does the trick. TV ads and local architecture can usually be a good source.
Posted on January 20, 2006 06:13 PM | #
8. Keith said:
Richard – Not to be pedantic, but if you hate to be pedantic then why be pedantic? ;0)
Posted on January 20, 2006 06:30 PM | #
9. Randy said:
1. watches
2. music
3. words
4. pens
5. trees
Posted on January 20, 2006 07:26 PM | #
10. mahalie said:
tony jaa
yodeling
shoes! shoes! shoes!
smiling strangers
the seattle central library (or, goddam good design)
Posted on January 20, 2006 10:21 PM | #
11. Jim M said:
Think creatively?
It is simple, here is how:
always write haiku!
Posted on January 21, 2006 09:35 PM | #
12. Eric TF Bat said:
This is just one thing, but it’s weird so I thought I’d share. I write songs – mostly silly ones, almost always filk (ie rewrites of popular tunes with the words mostly changed – see Weird Al Yankovic for examples). When I see a situation where I need to whip up a song in a hurry, there’s one sure-fire way to get my brain into the right mode: I listen to _Troy_ by Sinead O’Connor. I have no idea at all why it works, but that one particular song, which I like but not significantly more or less than any other, is the perfect trigger for songwriting creativity. There’s something very odd going on in my brain, evidently.
Posted on January 22, 2006 02:22 AM | #
13. Patrick said:
1. Early Sunday mornings and a cup of coffee
2. Scenic country hikes
3. Scenic country drives
4. Antiques
5. Other peoples photography
Posted on January 22, 2006 08:51 AM | #
14. Henrik said:
- music
- nice photography
- school
- paint
- other websites
Posted on January 22, 2006 03:22 PM | #
15. Zenab said:
I FIND CREATIVITY IN JOINING SOME ODD INTO EVEN GOING ON ROAD I FIND MANY HOARDINGS OF DIFFERENT COMPANIES, ONE DAY I TAUGTH WHY NOT TO MIX TWO OF THEM
ONE WITH,
AN UNDERGARMENT AD
AND ANOTHER WITH A WEDDING SUIT AD.
FUSION WOULD BE
YOUR BEST MOST COMFORTABLE WEAR TONIGHT.
Posted on January 23, 2006 04:27 AM | #
16. Chris K said:
-music
-nature
-fire (and no I’m not a pyromaniac, at least that’s what my therapist says)
-bookstores/coffee shops (mainly for the environment)
-the dog
Posted on January 23, 2006 06:07 AM | #
17. Greg Bell said:
Five things that inspire me:
1. Beautiful Standards Based Webdesign
2. Driving
3. Creative Music
4. Books
5. Blank Paper
Posted on January 23, 2006 09:43 AM | #
18. John said:
- Ralph Steadman’s art
- Photography (nature, and city/urban)
- Skateboarding
- Blog design
- Walking
Posted on January 23, 2006 04:09 PM | #
19. Endless Sky said:
.hayao miyazaki
.writing
.clean lines on tatoos
.kids’ toys
.glossing over “California Crazy and Beyond” (a book about roadside architecture)
Posted on January 23, 2006 06:24 PM | #
20. John Labriola said:
* Photography
* Architecture
* Nature
* Furniture
* The sea
Posted on January 24, 2006 06:34 AM | #
21. Jeff said:
Kieth,
Can you expound? How do you typically use your magic five? Running an imaginary story line in your mind? Looking at images of these things? Handling locks and keys and maps? What method do you use? Do you consider these things your ‘muse’ ?
In the late 80s at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, we were challenged to discover and write about our muse. For me, she was a nude, wrapped in white linen, in a studio-type room (sandblasted brick walls, hardwood floors, lots of natural light, etc.) Some of the accoutrements include black coffee, a freshly lit cigarette and the smell of oil paints and zippo fluid.
Posted on January 24, 2006 07:48 AM | #
22. Nina said:
- watching science fiction movies
- checking some best-of-webdesign galleries
- day dreaming (sleeping for a few minutes)
- playing WOW
- reading technical literature/blogs
Posted on January 24, 2006 01:47 PM | #
23. Di said:
- old journals
- good books
- red wine
- music
- staying up late, alone in a quiet house
Posted on January 24, 2006 03:44 PM | #
24. Simon said:
- doing sports
- playing music
- seeing friends
- long walks
- no sleep
Posted on January 26, 2006 02:08 PM | #
25. Mark said:
- CSS Beauty
- Listening to C.H. Spurgeon
- Cameron Moll’s Screen Grab Confab
- Corporate Design
- Music
Posted on January 27, 2006 11:09 AM | #
26. Raheel said:
Thank you so much for sharing the wisdom :)
Posted on January 27, 2006 12:39 PM | #
27. Troy said:
Ummm… I don’t know if it’s just me but I find I can think best after spending ‘quality’ time with my wife :)
Posted on January 30, 2006 06:12 PM | #
28. Marg said:
This is an inspiring activity! I am putting together an online course for teachers on how to develop online teaching strategies and this would be a lovely icebreaker!
Thanks to everyone for sharing their five creativity-starters!
Marg :o)
ps. Oh well, my 5 are:
1. walking in the bush
2. beachcombing
3. cooking dinner with friends
4. jeff buckley
5. kaya (she knows why!)
Posted on February 12, 2006 05:56 PM | #
New Comments Disabled
About The Author
is a writer, designer, etc. in Seattle, Washington.
Hire me
Links
Home | Search | Archives | Subscribe
Random Old Stuff
Show Specific Elements Favelet
Hosting provided by:
The highly recommended Dreamhost!
