[thelist] Where does creative inspiration come from? (was .gif text + a TIP)

[Peggy Daniels]

Responding to George and vidman, I have a whole lot of thoughts on this 
topic.  Pardon me in advance for the wildly mixed metaphors to follow...

George asked about other techniques for tricking yourself into inspiration 
and heading off censorial thought processes before they start.  I use a 
couple of methods for this.  None of these are originally my ideas, I got 
them from talking to other artists and from books like The Artist's Way and 
Writing Down the Bones.

One technique can be likened to mental weeding.  It's difficult for new 
ideas to sprout in a mind full of weeds -- all those mundane concerns like 
trying to remember to mail the rent check, or whether you turned the stove 
off before leaving the house, or that you should really take the car in for 
an oil change.  Having these thoughts running in the background consumes the 
brain's available resources and slows or prevents creative processes from 
running.  Certain writing exercises can help weed these thoughts out.  So 
just write.  Even if you aren't a writer, sit down and get it all down on 
paper.

I sometimes write until I'm done, or I do a timed writing, for ten or twenty 
minutes.  The goal is to just keep the hands moving (you can type it or 
write with a pen) and just keep writing.  Don't think about it, don't censor 
or correct any mistakes, don't worry about it being "good writing," just 
write.  This isn't for publication or even for future review, it's nothing 
more than mental weeding.  If you're new at this, it can help to have a 
sentence that you will revert to if you get stuck for something to write and 
your time isn't up yet.  For example, start with a sentence ("I am worried 
about..." or "I want to..." or "I wish I could...") and then complete that 
sentence.  Start over with the same sentence when you get stuck.  This type 
of writing tends to purge all the mental flotsam and jetsam, allowing you to 
get it out onto the paper so you can then focus on the real task at hand -- 
designing a great web site.

Another technique is sometimes known as filling the well.  Creating art, and 
great web sites, draws from a pool of inner resources: experiences, images, 
sensory input, etc.  This pool needs constant care and feeding, to prevent 
it from running dry.  You can replenish yourself, fill that well, by 
breaking out of your usual routines.  Even small changes will do it.  Like 
vidman pressing his nose against the monitor to get a different perspective 
on site design.  Try taking a different route to a familiar destination... 
just driving or walking down a different street, you will see different 
things and this will trigger something in your mind.  If you take public 
transportation, don't hide behind a book or a newspaper, pay attention to 
that experience instead.  If you are short like me, stand up on a chair and 
see how your familiar kitchen looks from the new vantage point.  Look at 
things through a camera lens.  Look at things through an empty cardboard 
tube.  Borrow some music from the person working next to you, something 
you've never heard of.  Turn off the TV and go see some live entertainment.  
One of my favorites (but then I don't have a lot of food allergies) is to go 
to a restaurant and tell the waiter to just bring something.  You will get 
some strange looks with this one, just assure them that there are so many 
good things on the menu, you simply can't decide what to order.

In short, take the snow globe of your life and shake it up every now and 
then.  Even just a little.

--- quoting vidman ----
So yes- accidents are a great thing. Never look a coffee stain on a
piece of paper as a mess again. Try scanning it!
------

A former supervisor of mine used to draw incessantly in meetings or while on 
the phone.  He could turn the most mundane coffee ring into a real work of 
abstract art, by embellishing it with pencil tracings and stuff... no joke!

--- vidman again ----
One thing with accidental insperation is that you "tend" to get grungy
results. Its just as a result of "playing" around with it.
-------

This is key:  it's all about volume.  Sometimes you have to produce a lot of 
crappy stuff in order to burn through to the really great stuff underneath.  
Just like a photographer shoots 56 rolls of film to get the one GREAT 
shot... try not to judge yourself, just play until you 
accidentally-on-purpose arrive at the goal.

I could go on, but I think that's more than enough for now :)

Best,
--peg

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