Creativity and Brainstorming

LOCATION:
Los Hermanos, Lindon

IN ATTENDANCE:
Micah Anderson, Michael Kingsley, Jacob Hoehne, Cammon Randle, Thomas Chock, Cole Nielsen, Jason Fredericks, Brandon Davidson, Matt Hoffman

TOPIC:
Creativity and Brainstorming

HOST:
Today - Cammon Randle
Next - Michael Kingsley

CELEBRATE:
Thomas Chock's birthday is later this month.


RECAP:
We're all in creative industries in one way or another. As an Apple Consultant, Mike Kingsley services creative professionals, so we'll count him in the mix. Really, running a small business requires a high level of creativity (business people call it innovation, but it's all the same). How can one tap into creativity and make a living from it? Thomas brought up the question of how to build a system around creativity. Normally, creatives grate at the notion of rigid structure. But at some level, you have to have a routine or a pattern of how you generate the ideas that drive your business.

Matt mentioned the need to step away from the task and letting your mind do the work (a.k.a. render in the background). This is especially important after a rush deadline (are there any that aren't rush?) - to take a breather and recharge your creative juices.

I decided to try it out. We've been pushing hard for a couple deadlines. I stopped at a RedBox and rented Ratatouille and took the afternoon watching it. Honestly, I don't think of taking a break. I don't think of myself as a workaholic (any more than the next small business owner), but I don't take time to slow down enough to be inspired. It was a nice little breather.

Cole Nielsen brought up the difficulty of collecting other people's work for inspiration. Yes, you need to stay abreast of what's being done. But at some point, you have to put the samples down and draw from your own genius. It's been said that artists by nature have to be distanced from society to have the right perspective to see it.

Brian Parrish of ThinkBox graphic design wasn't able to attend the gathering, but he forwarded an article, "Sly as a Fox" that discusses creativity. I'll forward to anyone who's interested.

What do you do to find your best ideas? How do you save your ideas?

Thanks,

::: Jacob :::