"Creative block is the inability to access the flow of inspiration and creativity. It can last for days, months, and in some cases years. See how you can overcome it, with this cool infographic: 10 Fun Ways...."
Some of the advice could be over-budget for the Lemming, like "take a vacation."
It's like the 'how to manage your money' books that start out by suggesting that you sell one of your yachts. Oh, well: the "vacation" thing says "roam around your town," after "visit another country:" maybe the Lemming is being too harsh.
"Doodle and collect" sounds like what we called "goofing off" in the Lemming's younger years. Come to think of it, anything creative was often called "goofing off." Maybe the author/artist is on to something.
"Diversify interests?!" More often, the Lemming's problem was sticking with one interest long enough to write a coherent paragraph: which might or might not have anything to do with coherent light, or "lasers;" or tasers - - - you see what the Lemming means?
Then there's "follow the stars," which may or may not refer to movie stars whose talents are - - - no, the Lemming really doesn't want to be too harsh. Aha! "In your industry," so "star" means someone who actually is competent: not an astronomical body characterized by thermonuclear fusion and lots of really hot gas; which reminds the Lemming of Congress.
Where was the Lemming?
Point number nine is "be a kid again." "Again?" Chronological progression notwithstanding, the Lemming never stopped being a kid. Then there's the distinction between being childlike and childish, and that's yet another topic. Topics.
One more thing: the actual infographic is a bit over twice the linear dimensions of the copy in this post.
That makes it over four times the size in terms of area, but quite a few folks would say 'about twice as big' anyway, without specifying what "big" meant in that particular context.
Then there was the textbook that said "diameter," when the dimension was obviously circumference: and that's - what else? More topics.
A tip of the hat to Steve Farnsworth, on Twitter, for the heads-up on that infographic.
The Lemming turned 60 last Friday. ("Lemming Tracks: The Lemming Hits the Big Six-Oh" (October 1, 2011) That's a big deal for the Lemming: and marks the start of a new schedule for posts in this blog.
There's an explanation for why the Lemming's messing with routine coming later in this post. First, though, here's what to expect in Apathetic Lemming of the North: each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
The Lemming's rapidly running out of Monday, so here's a (fairly) brief explanation for the change in schedule. It's from another blog, where the Lemming doesn't use the 'editorial we.'
Never mind. Here's the story:
Scheduled Creativity?!
Over the years I've had quite a few jobs, from beet chopper and delivery guy to advertising copywriter and graphic designer. Then there were those stints as a radio disk jockey. And a high school teacher. Not at the same time, of course.
I've learned quite a few things, including the value of time management. Which is why there are changes coming in this and some other blogs.
I'd like to divide my time like this:
100%
Creative projects
Some of which have been on the back burner for
years
Decades
100%
Researching and writing posts for
This blog
My other blogs,
[Get ready for shameless self-promotion]
including
Apathetic Lemming of the North
Micro-reviews, plus the occasional rant, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: Technical difficulties, the nature of the universe, and whim permitting
Narcissus-X
A blog entirely devoted to the Narcissus-X blog and Narcissis-X, the blogger who blogs on Narcissus-X, about Narcissus-X
100%
Tales of
Loonfoot Falls
Small town life, the way it never was
Galaxy Cadet
Heroics and hairspray in the 27th century
Castle Dampthorn
I don't even have a tagline for this one
Obviously, that won't work, since about two thirds of the way into "100% Creative projects," I'd start eating into the time I need for sleep.
If I discipline myself to spend no more time on each post in the new schedule than I do now, I should have about three days a week available for 'catching up. That's a big if, though: I've tried this sort of thing before.
"This week was a little different here at the blog as I abandoned my normal posts for something new: I gave you a quote on writing, a question, and you guys did the work. Here are some of the questions I asked, as well as some of my favorite responses:
"Are artists generally melancholy, dissatisfied people, or is that just a stereotype?
" 'While there are a variety of reasons that spur individuals toward the creative process, I think that history shows the best and/or most creative have survived through a degree of adversity....'..."
"What do you think about imitation? A helpful tool for aspiring artists? A poor excuse for plagiarism? Which writers or artists or musicians do you like to learn from?
" 'My default assumption when a "writer" tells me they don't really like to read much is that they are kidding themselves about being writers...'..."
There's more to that reader's response, by the way: about emulation, plagiarism, and all that.
Mr. Smucker's post is Brilliant! Insightful! Profound! A Must-Read! The Lemming may be a bit biased - since the Lemming pretty much agrees with what's there. There's also a missing apostrophe - but not the sort of scrambled syntax that makes reading difficult. And that's another topic.
You won't learn how to write in five easy steps from this post, earn millions in the privacy of your own home, or get a brighter smile. You may learn a little about writing, creativity, and what folks who actually practice both have to say.
Removing Content, and Other Ways To Avoid Visitors
The Lemming planned to link to five other posts in this blog on (vaguely) related topics. That's pretty common practice here at Apathetic Lemming of the North: Hey, if you don't like the post (and who could blame you?), maybe something else here will be worth a glance. Or, not.
Anyway, the Lemming discovered that - of five promising micro-reviews - One (1) still linked to an existing off-site page.
Frustrating.
Also, fairly common.
Providing fresh content is, in the Lemming's considered opinion, somewhere between important and necessary where websites are concerned: necessary and vital for blogs. Just what constitutes "fresh" can vary, of course. Yet another topic.
Removing pages because they're not now and wow - not so smart, unless it's something like a current weather report.
The Lemming recognizes that there are managers and executives out there who apparently live in constant fear that somehow, somewhere, someone's going to visit their website. And come back.
Or, even worse, find some useful or entertaining content that's more than a year old: but still useful or entertaining.
A sincere desire to avoid new traffic and discourage return visits is, in the Lemming's view, a valid reason for taking down 'old' pages. Whether it makes sense to shun visitors like that - is yet again another topic.
Then there are university websites - and a few corporate ones - which seem to be reorganized every semester or so by caffeinated interns, or brilliant sophomores with all the answers and no field experience. Still one more topic.
Anyway, the Lemming did find one (1) related post, where the page that was micro-reviewed was still there. And four where that wasn't the case.
Well, a sort-of related post. The pictures are cool, anyway.
There are probably more, but who has time to go through several years of posts?*
Posts about creativity or writing, or something:
"Never mind: What was reviewed is gone"
(November 17, 2009)
"This one, too"
(July 8, 2009)
"The Lemming micro-reviewed a *good* resource - that's gone"
(May 22, 2009)
"My Dog Ate My Blog is the creation of editors, writers, and marketers in the education industry looking for an outlet for their general creativity and immaturity.
"Our writers and contributors will be focusing on the categories of politics, technology, and pop culture, with an (almost) educational spin. If those topics don't sound appealing to you, well, we're at a loss. You are officially on the wrong blog...."
Okay: that's not all of what they say on that page: I'm trying to encourage you to go look for yourself.
One of their author's bios reads, "I'm red-green color blind and I abhor cheese. Jealous?"
If you consider a day indubitably ill-spent if you don't read a sentence without words like 'ameliorate' or 'contradistinction:' Like they said, "You are officially on the wrong blog." Unequivocally.
The most recent post, when the Lemming checked, was:
"Lawyers lurk everywhere. They are the authors of every phrase beginning with 'No purchase necessary,' and of every other long, inscrutable passage that you sign without reading. They are why you can't rent a car, skydive, check your coat, or be on reality television without making a promise not to sue. They are the reason that everything from gym equipment to beaches feature warnings that lifting weights or swimming can result in 'serious injury or death.' Philip K. Howard, the author of the best-selling Life Without Lawyers bemoans all the ways in which lawyers have ruined everything fun. In his view, lawyers have ripped the see-saws out of playgrounds (too dangerous), banned tag from recess, stopped tree-climbing–and soon, he implies, will bring an end to laughing, singing, dancing, and joy...."
Long paragraphs aside, it's a well-written piece. With the occasional factual error: like "...Each Halloween, parents across the country unwrap and inspect their children's candy out of a fear that some sick and sadistic neighbor has poisoned it. Many parents won't let their kids trick-or-treat alone for fear that someone will kidnap them right off the front stoop. These events would be horrifying international news stories if they ever actually happened–they never have...."
(emphasis mine)
That's technically accurate.
Joseph Wetterling, for example, wasn't on his front stoop: he was snatched from the driveway of his home in 1989. And it wasn't Halloween. (ABC News: more at Jacob Wetterling Resource Center, Jacob Wetterling Foundation)
I don't recall reading or hearing about poisoned Halloween candy. Not recently, anyway. Several decades back, though, the occasional pin or razor blade turned up in a treat. Sometimes that made the news - but like I said, it was several decades back, and some of them were hoaxes. Snopes.com recalls the 2000 case in Minneapolis, when someone with the unlikely name of James Joseph Smith put needles in Snickers Bars. The source Snopes cites is "Man Charged with Putting Needles in Halloween Candy," The Associated Press, Minneapolis Star Tribune (November 2, 2000).
Back when the Lemming was doing time in academia, I learned to research - carefully - before I used terms like "never" or "always." I haven't tracked the Smith case back through Minnesota's criminal records - but it does look like that 'never have' is a little optimistic.
Still - it's a pretty good read.
And the central point, that a calm approach to emotional cases is a good idea, is valid: in the Lemming's opinion. The supporting evidence? Well, can't have everything.
One more thing: My Dog Ate My Blog (love that name - it's memorable and funny) has a good, mnemonic / easy-to-remember URL: mydogatemyblog.com - that redirects you to http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/blog. The guidetoonlineschools.com website, also has a memorable URL, since it's the - what else? Guide to Online Schools website.
The Lemming is running out of 'today,' when it comes to getting today's posts written, so - moving on.
"Clay Shirky and Daniel Pink have led eerily parallel lives. Both grew up in Midwest university towns in the 1970s, where they spent their formative years watching television after school and at night. Both later went to Yale (a BA in painting for Shirky, a law degree for Pink). And both eventually abandoned their chosen fields to write about technology, business, and society.
"Now their paths are intersecting. In December, Pink, a Wired contributing editor, came out with Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. The book digs through more than five decades of behavioral science to challenge the orthodoxy that carrots and sticks are the most effective ways to motivate workers in the 21st century. Instead, he argues, the most enduring motivations aren't external but internal—things we do for our own satisfaction.
"And in June, Shirky is publishing Cognitive Surplus: Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age, which mines adjacent territory. He argues that the time Americans once spent watching television has been redirected toward activities that are less about consuming and more about engaging—from Flickr and Facebook to powerful forms of online political action. (For an alternate perspective on the influence of the Internet, see Nicholas Carr's essay) And these efforts aren't fueled by external rewards but by intrinsic motivation—the joy of doing something for its own sake...."
I'd be much more impressed and confident about some of what these two said, if I didn't remember when the miracles of modern technology and all that would result in four-day (or was it three-day?) work weeks - and introduce lack of 'something to do' as a major social problem.
That was before we were all going to die in the food riots and disease and nuclear war and stuff like that.
We didn't get the Jetsons or Mad Max, at least so far. Although it looks like some earnestly sophisticated folks are still holding out hopes for some sort of global catastrophe.
That's another topic. Sort of.
I think Shirky and Pink (what a name for a partnership that'd be!) make sense, though, for the most part. Particularly the contrast of passive television viewing with (potentially) non-passive Internet use. This is another case where 'it's not the sixties anymore.' Can't say that I'm sorry about that.
Whether the Wikipedia model and other DIY communities, where participants take a vote to see what they want to be true, are going to be the 'wave of the future' or not - we'll see. I've noticed that Wikipedia has been offering citations in its articles. And noting when the 'I think Elvis is living in Camelot' articles don't say where they're getting their assertions. Yet another topic.
Another excerpt from that Wired interview:
"...Shirky: We're still in the very early days. So far, it's largely young people who are exploring the alternatives, but already they are having a huge impact. We can do a back-of-the-envelope calculation, for example, using Wikipedia, to see how far we still have to go. All the articles, edits, and arguments about articles and edits represent around 100 million hours of human labor. That's a lot of time. But remember: Americans watch about 200 billion hours of TV every year...."
Shirky may be right about "it's largely young people who are exploring the alternatives," although I've run into a number of old coots mature fellows about my age who blog actively. (I was born during the Truman administration.)
And I emphatically agree that information technology has gotten to the point where people can interact with each other, wherever they are on Earth. Providing they understand the same language and have adequate writing skills and an Internet connection, of course.
Shirky and Pink's upbeat view of the Information Age isn't universal, of course. ("Data-Driven Art: For an 'Overwhelmed' 'Hive Mind???' " (January 27, 2010)) But I think we're in for exciting times - which is a sort of good news / bad news thing.
"Motivation" came up in that Wired interview - no surprise, since Daniel Pink has had a few words to say on the subject, in a YouTube video:
"This lively RSA Animate, adapted from Dan Pink's talk at the RSA, illustrates the hidden truths behind what really motivates us at home and in the workplace. "www.theRSA.org"
There's a transcript of a similar talk by Pink at dotSUB. Since it covers pretty much the same ideas, here are some excerpts from that (other) presentation by Pink.
"...This shows the power of incentives. Here's what he did. He gathered his participants. And he said, "I'm going to time you. How quickly you can solve this problem?" To one group he said, I'm going to time you to establish norms, averages for how long it typically takes someone to solve this sort of problem.
"To the second group he offered rewards. He said, 'If you're in the top 25 percent of the fastest times you get five dollars. If you're the fastest of everyone we're testing here today you get 20 dollars.' Now this is several years ago. Adjusted for inflation. It's a decent sum of money for a few minutes of work. It's a nice motivator.
"Question: How much faster did this group solve the problem? Answer: It took them, on average, three and a half minutes longer. Three and a half minutes longer...."
"...And what's interesting about this experiment is that it's not an aberration. This has been replicated over and over and over again, for nearly 40 years. These contingent motivators, if you do this, then you get that, work in some circumstances. But for a lot of tasks, they actually either don't work or, often, they do harm. This is one of the most robust findings in social science. And also one of the most ignored...."
"...If-then rewards work really well for those sorts of tasks, where there is a simple set of rules and a clear destination to go to. Rewards, by their very nature, narrow our focus, concentrate the mind. That's why they work in so many cases...."
"... Dan Ariely, one of the great economists of our time, he and three colleagues, did a study of some MIT students. They gave these MIT students a bunch of games. Games that involved creativity, and motor skills, and concentration. And the offered them, for performance, three levels of rewards. Small reward, medium reward, large reward. Okay? If you do really well you get the large reward, on down. What happened? As long as the task involved only mechanical skill bonuses worked as they would be expected: the higher the pay, the better the performance. Okay? But one the task called for even rudimentary cognitive skill, a larger reward led to poorer performance.
"Then they said, 'Okay let's see if there's any cultural bias here. Lets go to Madurai, India and test this.' Standard of living is lower. In Madurai, a reward that is modest in North American standards, is more meaningful there. Same deal. A bunch of games, three levels of rewards. What happens? People offered the medium level of rewards did no better than people offered the small rewards. But this time, people offered the highest rewards, they did the worst of all. In eight of the nine tasks we examined across three experiments, higher incentives led to worse performance...."
"...Atlassian is an Australian software company. And they do something incredibly cool. A few times a year they tell their engineers, 'Go for the next 24 hours and work on anything you want, as long as it's not part of your regular job. Work on anything you want.' So that engineers use this time to come up with a cool patch for code, come up with an elegant hack. Then they present all of the stuff that they've developed to their teammates, to the rest of the company, in this wild and wooly all hands meeting at the end of the day. And then, being Australians, everybody has a beer...."
It sounds crazy, at first: but makes sense. To me, anyway.
For some sorts of jobs, paying the worker more results in higher performance. That's for jobs where the task is something like 'pick up a load of bricks here, take them there, and then come up for another load: continue until the whistle blows.'
Apparently, as soon as you get into jobs that require 'rudimentary cognitive skills,' higher financial rewards result in lower performance. It's not that money isn't important - the bottom line seems to be that once the pay is enough to end the worker's financial worries, more pay degrades performance.
I'm not entirely convinced - but I think Pink is onto something.
Particularly the 'autonomy' thing. Also 'mastery' and 'purpose.' Which means that, once you've got a competent worker - and a job that requires some thinking - it's a good idea to let the worker know what's supposed to be done, when it's supposed to be finished, and then get out of the way.
This is not what control-freak managers want to hear. And part of the explanation for why I like being my own boss: and don't regret not taking a 'success track' in some corporation. That's really another topic.
Go ahead: watch the video. Or, not. But it's a pretty good introduction to an - interesting - idea.
The video's a sort of animated whiteboard presentation: impressive. Not just 'bells and whistles,' either: the drawings and writing add, I think, to the spoken words.
"Crazy Quotes" Damien at the Speed of Life (undated - and, for the most part, timeless)
" 'There's always another way to do things and that's your own way.'
" 'Throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.' Mark Twain
" 'Ever wonder if illiterate people get the full effect of alphabet soup?' John Mendoza..."
There's more: Benjamin Franklin on doctors and barbers; Rodney Dangerfield on a second opinion; Aeschylus on words.
Some are funny, some are serious, some are both.
And a few are, I think, top-rate advice. Like this:
" 'Sometimes we reach the boiling point before we realize that the stove is on. Become aware of your feelings – keep your eye on the stove.' Karen Dougherty"
Not all of the quotes include who's supposed - or assumed - to have said or written them. Which I'd rather see, than a list where nifty quotes are attributed so someone - whether or not the person making the list is sure.
One more thing: There's something that's not quite a quote - it is, but it's not the aphorism/one-liner that many others are. It's about what happened to a fellow who was fired for lack of creativity. His name was Walt.A tip of the hat to rileycentral, on Twitter, for the heads-up on this post.
"Okay boys, prepare yourselves for the new smash hit series of the fall TV season. This is the kind of high concept creativity that made network programming what it is today.
"It's about this small town that can't afford to fund its police force, so a bunch of monkeys come out of the jungle and take over the cop duties. Is that brilliant, or what?
"We're calling it 'Monkey See, Monkey Blue.'
"Imagine the possibilities! Milk come out of my nose when I think of monkey cops driving patrol cars, shooting at bad guys, eating doughnuts all the time….
"In the teaser a monkey cop handcuffs a robber, see, and then he takes out his Miranda card, we zoom in on his face, and he just grins and says, “Ooh ooh ooh..."
What's a little scary is that I can imagine a studio trying something like that. When you think about it, the premise isn't all that much less reasonable than many that have been made.
Besides: the 'Monkey cop' is real. He's not actually a law enforcement officer, though: more of a mascot.
"All glass, all the time. Housed in a striking building distinguished by its iconic 90-foot-high cone, the Museum of Glass features ongoing glassblowing demonstrations in the Hot Shop Amphitheater, where visitors learn about the creative challenges of working with molten glass. The 13,000 square feet of gallery space is dedicated to changing exhibitions of works executed in glass. A hands-on art studio is available for visitors...." (From the about page.)
They're in Tacoma, Washington.
Looks like a great place. The website has live streaming video of the Museum of Glass hot shop - which obviously isn't available when the shop isn't open. Live streaming video.
The link labeled "virtual museum" on the home page isn't. I mean, the page it leads to is more a description of what the Museum of Glass is, where it is, and why it's so cool. Still, the photos are nice.
Most of what I saw on the website was attractive, well-written, and well-designed. Then, on a page about the history of the museum, I found this:
"Warning: include(/includes/store-rotator.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/museumof/public_html/about-mog/history/index.php on line 98...."
here were five more, pretty much like this. Apparently something was wrong with lines 98, 100, and 102 of either software the web designer was using, or of a data set. (I checked the page's source code: it's an ordinary text document, with HTML tags and all - I'm surprised nobody spotted those 'warning' messages.)
Don't get me wrong: It's a beautiful website, other than that.
I think glass art is one of the more striking examples of technology and creativity interacting. Glass is a very practical substance: here in Minnesota, it allows my household to maintain fairly comfortable temperature levels inside winter and summer, while still having light and a view outside.
It's used to make light bulbs, lenses, and bottles.
And with a little tweaking, it can be used to make beautiful sculptures.
I'd like to see the Museum of Glass myself, in person: but meanwhile I'll settle for visiting the website.
"The modern musical landscape of Kenya is one of the most diverse and vibrant of all African countries. But under-investment, ineffective management of intellectual property rights, and rampant piracy have prevented the industry from realizing its economic potential and left its artists struggling to earn a living. Following a recent visit to Nairobi by a team of WIPO's copyright and outreach experts, this article takes a look at what makes Kenya's music great, and at some of the elements which have hitherto stunted its growth.
"With more than forty different regional languages, the country's musical panorama is rich and remarkably complex. Driving through Nairobi's streets in your matatu, you will hear songs in Luhya, Luo, Kamba, and Kikuyu on every street corner. Music has traditionally been a distinctive feature of Kenyan ethnic groups, such as the Kikuyu, Kenya's largest ethnic community, and the Luo people of the Lake Victoria region, who have always been particularly well known for their musical culture.
"In addition to its entertainment value, Kenyan music has always been, and is still today, a major vehicle for sharing information and educating local populations. Opondo Owenga, a traditional Benga musician, was well known during the colonial era for his use of music to convey the history of the Luo people. Such musical riches are under threat, however, since traditional music rooted in oral tradition is disappearing at an alarming rate...."
"...Despite its vibrant creativity and boom in production, the Kenyan music industry is nowhere near realizing its potential. 'Nobody knows about Kenyan music,' says Suzanna Owiyo, 'and that is because we lack proper networking in terms of distribution.'
"Paradoxically, the very diversity of Kenya's musical scene represents a key challenge to developing a sustainable industry. In particular, its linguistic diversity has fragmented the market and made it more difficult for artists to develop unique and recognizable sounds that can serve as currency for access to mainstream global markets...."
If you hadn't heard about Kenyan music before, you have now. That "diversity" is a bit of an understatement. I didn't find anything worth posting here, but it's pretty clear that, besides a still-awesome array of traditional music, there's everything from reggae and hip hop to pop being performed in Kenya.
From other sources, including my second-oldest daughter, I've learned that music being "performed" isn't all there is to music in many parts of the world - including Kenya.
Euro-Americans tend to think of music as something a musician performs, that an audience listens to. Or as something you do in the shower. That's music, but it's not all there is to music.
Music can be functional - a part of the processes of life. Europeans had sea shanties (or chantey, chanty, or sea chantey) that helped sailors coordinate their efforts. Folks at the other end of the Eurasian continent did the same sort of thing, I understand.
Anyway: the article's a pretty good introduction to Kenyan music as it is in the 21st century.
"Much to my surprise it's been a year since my first post here and a ton of pleasant and unexpected things have happened. One of the unexpected and pleasant things was learning that a blog wasn't just a tool for the narcissist, but could be used to provoke creativity...."
The author gives key paragraphs headings in bold, like:
"Learn how to make a good blog post."
"Make predictions, post in-progress reports."
"Don't aggregate."
I'll get back to this.
"Develop an audience."
Here's the start of that "Don't Aggregate" paragraph:
"...Don't aggregate. There are two kinds of blogs, Creators and Aggregators. You already know many Aggregators, they take other people's content and pull it together it into one place. Fark, Gizmodo, BoingBoing, Digg, Reddit...."
I see Mr. Hoefer's point.
On the other hand, Apathetic Lemming of the North does a lot of aggregating. Most posts these days are what I call micro-reviews: an excerpt from something I found on the Web, to give a sample of its content and style; and a short discussion of what I found, sometimes with a bit extra about the subject of what I'm 'micro-reviewing.'
Later, still on the "Don't Aggregate" subject:
"...Your first goal is not to have millions of visitors, it's to be the best creative person that you can be, so keep it focused on what you're creating...."
I don't know: I wouldn't mind having millions of visitors a year. But again, the author has a point: "...if you think it's been too long between posts, don't post your favorite lolcat, get out there and create something to post about!..."
(Today, that lolcat links to a photo of three birds on a branch: The caption makes it worth the visit, I think.)
What didn't get mentioned, but was implied (I think) in that paragraph is another important part of making good use of a blog: regular posting. Ideally, one or more posts a day: but that, I think, depends on your subject. Some of my blogs are updated when I've got something to say - which can be several times a day, or once every week or so. Another gets an update late in the evening each Wednesday and Sunday.
The author has good ideas, expresses them clearly - which makes this a useful resource for seriously creative bloggers.
"interiordezine.com" - "providing free interior design and decorating education to the world"
"Interior Design and Interior Decorating Ideas..."
"The interior design industry revolves around creativity and the use of multiple ideas. At interiordezine.com you will find a web site full of useful information that will inspire you to generate your own interior design ideas for free and at one website. It is so easy because this site covers bathrooms, color, bedrooms, soft furnishings, furniture history, makeovers, lighting, construction, interior design and decoration tips and much more.
"Free downloads help with design processes and color schemes and develop your skills as an interior designer or decorator...."
Okay, the website's got advertisements by the acre, pop-ups, the works: but, as far as I can tell, nothing that'll do more than annoy you a bit.
And the content, in my opinion, is worth the distractions.
The navigation, what I used of it, is fairly intuitive - you can start out by clicking on various rooms of a house cross-section, and get to brief discussions of what to do with lofts or attics, how to handle color (broken out by color), a bit about bedrooms, bathrooms, and other rooms.
The only jarring thing I noticed that clicking on what I thought was a home office got me to a page that starts out with:
"DIY Home Building and Construction Information for Decorating" "As interior designers we would like to not have to learn about construction but unfortunately it is vitally important to interior planning and decoration...."
Well, good for them. The page does get around to saying how wonderful their article for interior designers, about construction, is: But I probably wouldn't have gotten that far, if I didn't have this micro-review to write.
Those 'free downloads' include a nine-page "Color Scheme Form" which breaks out the details involved in planning a color scheme for an interior space - and provides a sort of fill-in framework for a designer. I think it'd be helpful.
Another, "Design Process Scope," starts out with "Define the parameters of the project and map it recording what is existing. "Initially develop a form for the brief taking. It should follow within the parameters listed below. (Down load this form from the site The brief system form)"
Okay - this probably doesn't give you the warm fuzzies, like putting together an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of color and form can: but again it's a tool to help you organize a project. And yes, I think it's possible that whoever wrote the form grew up speaking a language other than English.
Speaking from a decade's experience in a related field - graphic design - I can tell you that, boring as this sort of thing is: Not getting organized from the get-go is a big mistake.
The "scope" form (four pages) probably won't include everything you'll need to define: but it's a really good start.
"Scott Weaver used over a million toothpicks to build a San Francisco model. And he rejected Ripley's $40,000 offer."
Mr. Weaver took 34 years to build a seven-foot-wide by nine-foot-tall toothpick sculpture - with 50 feet of ping-pong ball tracks.
It's folk art, we're told. The ABC-7 reporter told us that we were supposed to see this in a particular way: "In a world going ditto-head, one that bucks the trend..."
I'm more inclined to listen to what Mr. Weaver had to say: "...the lesson in this is 'What do we do with our time.' And I love to create, and I like to show people what can be done in life if you spend to create, to use your imagination."
"So many people want to write books to generate passive income, gain credibility and recognition, to leave a legacy, and just to be heard.
"The biggest challenge they find is not coming up with ideas to write about, the biggest challenge is often figuring out how to begin a book or article...."
"...Here are my 'quick start' opening lines that anyone can use for any book or article to help get started right now at becoming an author...."
I couldn't help notice that the title refers to "78 ways," the text says "101 opening phrases," and the numbered list goes from 1 to 77. But, as the author writes: "Don't get tied up by perfectionism."
There's a fairly long discussion about how to use the phrases, and the list.
This is a pretty good resource for writers of non-fiction. Or, with a little tweaking, fiction - in my opinion. As the author says: "The exercises are designed to help prompt your creativity."
foghatrules, YouTube (February 1, 2007) video 6:35
"Jefferson Airplane performing live BOTH WHITE RABBIT AND SOMEBODY TO LOVE on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour!..."
The video includes introductions by each of the Smothers brothers.
This video was a treat for me, since the sound and picture quality are about as good as they were back in the sixties - and this video was a nostalgic trip back to my younger days.
The reference to eating / smoking bananas brings up the drug culture of that era. At the time, I enjoyed psychedelic art and music. I still do.
I've described the period to my kids as 'great music, great art, daft ideas.' As Jimi Hendrix discovered, adding chemicals to the mix that's already in your brain isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Those were exciting, crazy, times: and I'm glad I survived.
For the record, I didn't smoke bananas - the way my brain works, all I have to do is let up on the brakes a little.
As to why I still enjoy and appreciate art and music from that period: It was a wonderful experiment, intended to expand human understanding.
A great many talented people fried their brains in the process of bringing us those images and sounds. Many of them died. I think ignoring what they accomplished would impoverish our culture, and add to the loss we all suffered.
I also sincerely hope that the next outpouring of creativity can happen without the loss of so many minds and lives.
"The Design Museum is one of the world’s leading museums devoted to contemporary design in every form from furniture to graphics, and architecture to industrial design. It is working to place design at the centre of contemporary culture. It demonstrates both the richness of the creativity to be found in all forms of design, and its importance. Design is a hugely fertile field of inventive new work, as well as a key component underpinning the modern economy. It provides a means for understanding the contemporary world, and, potentially, for making it a better place. The Design Museum’s mission is to celebrate, entertain, and inform...."
The best way to see it would be to, well, see it: in London, England.
The website is a fairly good resource for photos and ideas - if you keep following links.
"An architect’s home is the ultimate self portrait. Their clients, be they municipal, corporate or private, all bring constraints on creative freedom. When an architect sets out to build a home of their own, artistic freedom is truly an unlimited resource. What, then, is the true measure of an architect? The home that they themselves call home. Continue reading...."
Quite a few photos, and adequate description of several architects' homes.
This is a sort of residential architecture that interests me a great deal: homes designed by very gifted architects, that are not 'creativity' inflicted on someone else. The architects themselves choose to live in these structures.
Alas! One of my favorites, a strange-looking (house?) which avoids straight lines wherever possible, isn't in this selection. I'd find a review of it: but can't remember the name!
"Youngsters need space. The secret is not the size of the room but how well it is furnished. The bedrooms of the GAB collection have been studied to leave room for creativity, mixing style and functionality. Whether it provides a lively personality to the bedroom or finds the best solution for a bedroom for two, GAB is capable of satisfying all the needs...."
Lots of photos, almost no text after the first paragraph. The bedrooms are contemporary, colorful, and not all alike. The first one shown, with a lot of orange and green, wouldn't have been my first choice - but it's hard to forget.
Fun to glance over - and someone planning to work over a bedroom might get useful ideas.
"A few packs of push pins, a pin board, a dash of inspiration (and possibly a little too much time on your hands at work) And Voila! Gloriously geeky wall art!..."
I might have known that college kids were behind this. The pixilated pushpin art was done at the University of the Fraser Valley's Student Computing Center. I'm pretty sure that creating a Mario screenshot lookalake isn't in the curriculum: but it does demonstrate creativity and 'thinking outside the box.'
Someone else may have been the first to use pushpins in a simulated screen display: but this the first one I've seen.
"A few days ago, some friends of mine from Microsoft stopped by with some junk X-Box circuit boards. So, we stuck them under the machine, and cut them to bits...."
Photos and commentary show what how some ingenious sculptures were made.
Whether you call it trafficking in persons, human trafficking, or slavery, buying and selling people isn't nice. And, in quite a few cou...
Today's News! Some of it, anyway
Actually, some of yesterday's news may be here. Or maybe last week's. The software and science stuff might still be interesting, though. Or not. The Lemming thinks it's interesting: Your experience may vary.
("Following" list moved here, after Blogger changed formats)
"Creative block is the inability to access the flow of inspiration and creativity. It can last for days, months, and in some cases years. See how you can overcome it, with this cool infographic: 10 Fun Ways...."
