Archive for the ‘creativity’ Category

Can You Stay Stupid?

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Posted 27 Feb 2013 — by Kevin Spear
Category creativity
6467dfcd36e4b99d64fe76f169a9c308 Can You Stay Stupid?

Spear 3914 Can You Stay Stupid?

Over at Michael Hyatt’s blog, he gave a quote from a book entitled Do the Work. Within the quote, this statement stuck out to me:

Ignorance and arrogance are the artist and entrepreneur’s indispensable allies. She must be clueless enough to have no idea how difficult her enterprise is going to be—and cocky enough to believe she can pull it off anyway.

I have to admit, I’m not ignorant, or arrogant enough. And I’m willing to bet you aren’t either. If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time gathering information, reading blogs, and pondering what is the best way to tackle a challenge. If you’re like me, you can get bogged down in the minutia of information.

That’s one reason I love working with children. They can help me find my giddy, stupid self. When you’re around kids, do these things to get your daring, stupid self back:

  • Before you tell a child it can’t be done, ask yourself, “Why not?” Is it really that big of a deal? Sure, there are safety concerns you have to watch. Never allow a child to put themselves in danger, but there are so many ideas kids have that aren’t going to harm them or others. Take a chance! Get messy! Have some fun!
  • Allow yourself to be silly. Wear that flamboyant hat. Sing a silly song. Laugh even if you heard that joke when you were seven. It’s still funny!
  • Encourage a child no matter how outlandish their goals me be. Maybe they will be president some day. Perhaps you’re looking at the next astronaut to Mars. Encourage dreams. And dream a little yourself.

Working with kids is a great way to keep your innocent, creative self from thinking small. Encourage their dreams and you may find you can get “stupid” and work on your own.

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Accounting for Creativity

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Posted 12 Oct 2012 — by Kevin Spear
Category creativity
6467dfcd36e4b99d64fe76f169a9c308 Accounting for Creativity

Do you want to enhance your creativity? Take an accounting class! No, I never thought I’d say that either. In fact, I never thought I would be in one until this year.
I’m not saying we should get creative and cook the business books either. What I am saying is I learned there was this whole world I knew little about. Sure, I run a a business and balance my books, but there is so much more to it.
I’ve learned how to read an annual report. I now know how a balance sheet balances, and I learned different terms mean the same thing. But even more important, I have some more knowledge that helps creativity.
Whenever you learn something new, you have have new possibilities for writing, and new metaphors for design and illustration.
What is something new you want to try today?

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Push-back

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Posted 13 Jun 2012 — by Kevin Spear
Category creativity
6467dfcd36e4b99d64fe76f169a9c308 Push back

Spear 3869 Push back

Cartoon of  a guy holding back a bulging door. He says, “My idea is getting push-back.”

No matter what kind of business you’re in, no matter what kind of creative endeavor you have, no matter what kind of cause you are for, you are going to get push back. This is especially true if you have an idea or cause worth fighting for. Someone is going to want to fight back. That’s how you know it’s worth fighting for anyway.

I used to think if I was getting resistance to an idea, it wasn’t meant to be. Now I realize quite the opposite. Push-back is part of the process. Besides, if nobody cares about your idea, if no one get’s fired up for or against it, it must not be a very powerful idea.

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Morning Pages Reboot

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Posted 16 Feb 2012 — by Kevin Spear
Category creativity
6467dfcd36e4b99d64fe76f169a9c308 Morning Pages Reboot

The last several mornings, I’ve taken up an old habit. It’s been good to get back into it, and a joy to have a habit come back that is a good one.

Several years ago, I read a book entitled, “The Artists Way Morning Pages Reboot” It is a book on creativity by Julia Cameron. One of the prescriptions in the book is to start every day with morning pages. It is three pages of longhand writing you do as soon as you wake up. I came back to it after several months and I’m really glad I did. There are several reasons why I find this habit helpful.

It Clears my Head

I can get a lot of nagging thoughts swirling around in my mind. Did I pay that bill? Do I need to get that flea medicine for the dog? Is four cups of coffee too much for this average Joe? I can clear some of those thoughts out of my cranium if I just write them down and let things settle.

It Helps me Focus

It seems every where I go, people are complaining they have Attention Deficit Disorder. I’m sure some people have a legitimate case of ADD, but I’m beginning to wonder if it’s our society that can’t stay focused for more than a few minutes. Writing things down in the morning helps me focus on some of the important things of the day. It also helps me see some patterns when I go back and read what’s been on my mind the last few weeks.

It Gets the Creative Juices Flowing

Most of what I’ve done has been in the visual arts. Yet this writing habit has made me realize I can paint pictures in words too. It feels good for me to get things out in writing and see if there are any pictures that need illustrated among the text. I am constantly mulling over whether the pictures inspire the words or the words inspire the pictures. Getting some words down gives me a starting point. It’s a lot like doodling on paper to see what shows up. For me, morning pages are a form of doodling.

I encourage you to start the habit. I would also encourage you to find

“The Artist’s Way.” It’s a good book to read when you’re looking for a creative spark, no matter what type of creative work you are in to.

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Basis of all Creativity

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Posted 22 Aug 2011 — by Kevin Spear
Category cartoon, creativity, webcomic
6467dfcd36e4b99d64fe76f169a9c308 Basis of all Creativity
Spear Cartoon 3808 Basis of all Creativity

Cartoon of a man in a fetal position. He says to another, "I'm okay. This is just how I get creative."

In high school, I had a graphic design teacher that loved to spout adages. One of his favorites was, “limitation is the basis for all creativity.”

I’d love to know whether he made that up or if he got that quote from someone. I googled the phrase and nothing came up. There were a few lines that began with “limitation is the basis of…” but then it went into something altogether different.

At the time, I thought he was talking about the limits of design technology. Back then, a personal computer was a novelty. Anything you created had to be for the limits of the printing presses or silkscreen printing. High tech was anything that could be done in a dark room with film or Photostat paper.

Thirty years later, the phrase still rings true to me. When you are limited with your resources, you learn to use your creativity. If all you have is a paper bag, you can learn to make the most use of it.

Sometimes, I get stuck on what tools I have at my disposal. I think I can’t be creative unless I have the latest hardware or software upgrades. I must remind myself that if I face a limit, it’s a golden opportunity to use my creativity.

Have you ever faced a limitation that ended up giving you a creative boost? Feel free to post it in the comments.

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