The Big Idea Blog - Creativity

I need more ideas/ I'm blocked/ I can't think of anything / work is hard

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:53:56 -0500

Where do you get all your ideas, Dave? You write perform, coach, create film and even teach creativity -- How do you do it?
Don't you even find yourself with nothing to write about? ( Joke about, create, film, build, teach, etc.)

No.

Hasn't everything already been done/ told/ created?

No.

I have writer's block.

No. You have a case of lazy.

Writer's block is a completely made up thingie. It is an excuse to not write. You can't think of ANYTHING to write about - really?

Here's an idea; Make a list of nouns. Write about those. (Seriously ask me about the 5x5 exercise)

You might not be writing because you are letting your editor interfere with your writer -- Hint -- when you are writing, just write - no editing, no judging no cross outs. Just write.

Want short story ideas? Mash stuff together. A place, a device and two women. A feeling, your childhood, food preparation.

Part of being a writer ( or any sort of creative) is working. And part of that work - possibly the most of it -- is coming up with things to do. You will spend time thinking, experimenting and running up dead ends. A lot of time. Its part of the job, its part of your process.

Tonight's big idea: Creative work requires work. Often lots of it. The raw material of most creative projects is ideas; acquiring them, remembering them and trying them out. Get used to it.

Rules for rulebreakers - Success as a creative professional or creative person

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 13:38:03 -0500

rule 1 Get over it. You are smart/ funny/ beautiful/ intelligent. Stop trying to hide it/ move yourself to the boring middle/ not using your superpowers. Shut the up about how hard it is to be an artist/ MC/ potter/ alt/rocker/ smureffette impressionist.

I meet lots of people who are new creatives. They ask me fairly frequently how this and that is done, and almost every question is, at its center-- "How do you do it?"

It being success.

I really liked Pulp Fiction; way too violent but genius in the way it makes YOU put it together and figure out the rules as you go - work it out and keep up bub, or miss the party.

So this essay is some helpful rules and lots of tough love.

rule 2. study the masters. Whatever fields interest you have a past - use it. Study whatever is available.

rule 3. Is it totally unnecessary to figure out what field you are in.

Rule 4. start. This is actually number one. Stop reading books about writing books. Stop collecting bound journals and pens -- There is NO coloration between the quality of your notebook and the quality of your writing.

Rule 5 there are lots of ways to work; but for the purpose of rule 7 lets talk about returning the favor when a mentor helps.**

Rule 6 Creativity is the same across all media, fields and disciplines. A dancer uses the same toolbox as a writer, as a comic, as a bronze sculptor as a teacher as....

Rule 7 when you start your stuff ( whatever it is you do / are making= your stuff) will look like the masters stuff. Ok actually your stuff will be bad***

***rule 8 be bad. Make lots of mistakes. Seriously, stink up the room. Prob. The most important rule ( see also failure} but I had to bury it here at 8 so you wouldn't stop reading at number one.

Rule 9 Creative? You will need to get over the need for finished ideas, closed projects and sequntial numbering.

Rule 10 Make space for art. In your house, in your day. In your life. “art” is whatever you want it to be.

For my friends it might be writing, movie making or jokes.

Rule 11 Its hard!

Rule 12 The people in your life who don't like your projects (stuff)? Get them out of your life – release them gently and calmly, but you need support.

Rule 13 Stop with the time wasters. TV is one, smoking another. You need time to learn, sit, fail, create.

Rule 14 get a notebook.

Rule 15 Get a notebook

Rule 16 get a notebook, cary it everywhere, show only those you trust,

its for ideas. Write them down. draw them...

Rule one.You don't need to make a living with your creativity to be happy.

Rule 17. College might help. It might not.

Rule 18

** how do you pay someone back who makes a major major difference in your development?

Money. Say ' thank you”. Be great. Pay it forward. Fix their Buick. Etc.

That wasn't really nineteen. I've saving nineteen for when I see you

Rule 20 Don't steal. You will not grow and it hurts the one person who thought was so good that your had to use their 'stuff.” Ask permission. Create your own. Pay them. Yes, you may quote this and repost with attribution. Stealers have excuses; creators create. Pick your ethics early

Rule 21 There are very few rockstars.

Rule 22 Nearly every success creative professional I've every met had most of the following attributes; worked hard, disciplined, lucky, smart, had health care paid for by their partner's job, worked 10 years minimum before they were successful, had a good sense of business and marketing, is driven by a need to do their 'stuff,' lives fairly cheaply, works weekends, has talent, keeps learning, reads, is friendly,

Rule 23. This spot is for your rule.

rule 24. it starts when you start.

3D movies are so cool - and they absolutely don't work.

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 08:48:09 -0600

Walter Murch discusses here why 3d doesn't work - (mostly due to technical issues and the physics of looking.)

I disagree.

Just saw the Green Hornet movie in 3D. A great character, a nice big theater, even got into the preview for free. Still bad.

Its used the latest and greatest 3d technology.

But

A muddy movie, vague and unsure of itself.

Four uses of the depth faking technology that stood out:

- the end credits.

- shell casings falling

- an eight pack of scenes ( eight different scenes on screen at the same time)

- a pen on a desk

the first was very cool and much too late. the second was cool and minor. the 3rd was gimmicky and really served to say "look! We have 3d! get it?" And the fourth was distracting.

Three dimensional movies don't work for one reason - and its not technical. Story matters. Characters are important.
Anything that ignores these is merely a booth demo at CES. And is a bad movie.

For my thoughts on another minor 3d movie see here .

Let me save you some time: Work is hard.

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 11:27:47 -0600

cretivity, seth

A nice essay on creativity

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 13:03:33 -0600

Sally Hogshead on creativity

Take a break...

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:33:21 -0600

Good advice ( in video form) from the founder of go daddy

Take a break

Today's big idea... Chill

Bonus ideas...

Creativity....

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 14:00:24 -0500

Two interesting articles on one of my favorite subjects - creativity

A video on connectedness

A Newsweek article on what really works

This weekends Big Idea? Study what works...even in creativity.

Favorite Quotes

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 13:47:00 -0500

Listen to anyone with an original idea, no matter how absurd it may sound at first. If you put fences around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they need

William McKnight, 3M President

“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.” — Edward de Bono

You can’t wait for inspiration, you have to go after it with a club

Jack London

So you see, imagination needs moodling - long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering. Brenda Ueland

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. Scott Adams

Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work. Rita Mae Brown

Writing is both mask and unveiling. // E.B. White

Begin at the beginning... and go on till you come to the end: then stop.
- Lewis Carroll, Adventures in Wonderland,

How creative people work...

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 08:20:00 -0500

Carr's Blog using numbers to measure/ promote creative work...

A useful pdf on finding time to be creative -- time management for creative people...

six traits of creative people I like this quote "By working at the edge of their competence, where the possibility of failure lurks, mental risk-takers are more likely to produce creative results."

A big ol' idea for today: learn what works for you by learning what works for others

Avatar is merely an average movie

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:38:05 -0600

Avatar didn't win best picture. Because it wasn't.

It was really cool. But so is peanut butter captain crunch. And mood rings. (Still sold in truck stops across Iowa, by the way.)

I saw avatar. In 3D. So did you. Now go watch it in 2D. What did you think? Kinda long-ish.

Here are the key problems with Avatar; the movie.

1) It has one really cool special effect. One.*
2) The story is poor.
3) "Unobtanium?" Really? Ten years and thats the best you can do?

Disagree with #2 above? OK. Name one 'twist' in the movie. Any un-expected plot turns?
Any character growth? {Really? Wasn't he pretty-much anti-army from the opening scene?}

Todays oscar special big idea: Before you spend a million - billion dollars on a project, get the core right. Frosting is good (effects) but there has to be cake. (story)

Avatar is merely an average movie. Neil Patrick Harris however

(*Three-d. Actor capture is only so-so.) ( Why do the characters in "UP" look like puppets, not people? But I digress.)

Spoiler alert.

Fresh links on creativity...

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:33:58 -0600

Love can make you more creative?

RITA MAE BROWN:
Creativity comes from trust. Trust your instincts. And never hope more than you work.

100 on-line creativity tools

And 25 more tools...

You could never write a book like that..could you?

Winter gardening as creativity metaphor

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 12:01:00 -0600

Its deep Winter here. Twelve degree days. Six degree days. Snow. The perfect time to think about planting a garden.

Yes, the seed catalogs are about to start arriving - months ahead of planting time - so that we, the gardeners can start planning. You can't do any actual dirt work in Winter here, as the ground is both snow covered and actually frozen solid. But its a good time to plan, gather tools, and imagine next Summer's harvest.

Creativity is like that. You need to dream a little, prepare and wait for the right time to start.

Big Idea: Some days are for planting and others are for dreaming. Make both part of your process.

2010. Advice for writers (and other creative persons)

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:17:57 -0600

I was recently quoted in an article for writers:

My Gift
—Dave Walbridge

My gift to writers is to begin.
Start your project, book, poem, play. . .
Do not read another instructional book, buy a new pen or wait for inspiration.
Simply begin.

Write.
every.
day.

Full article here
Bottom of the page.

Today's Big Idea: Get a notebook. And a pen. Start.

Be funny - Right now

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:17:47 -0600

I make my living being funny. Its a great job, I get to travel, go to fun events and meet lot of interesting people. Humor is closely related to creativity in that both connect things in new ways for surprising effect. This is not a pipe

But, once in a great while, a social bore or similar person will say something exactly like" Oh, you're a comedian? Do something funny!"

In these cases, I politely refuse.

Being (successfully) funny, I have found requires not only the right preparation & mindset, but the correct audience. When I prepare to entertain, I prepare material, travel to a venue, warm-up. My audience is quiet, sitting, facing forward and expecting to be entertained. We (the audience and I) are both prepared to make the humor successful.

Creativity is much the same. Being asked to be creative "on the spot" is hard and rarely successful. But with the right situation (supportive environment, tools, expectations, time, etc.) creative ideas and people can flourish.

Today's Big idea: Be creative, right now. But only after you prepare.

How to develop lots of great, new, creative ideas right away!

nospam@example.com (David Walbridge) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 22:05:27 -0500

Today's Big Idea: One way to generate lots of great ideas is to generate lots of (bad, regular, moderately successful) ideas.*

* I write jokes. But I can only sell great jokes. To get to 10 great jokes, I usually have to write forty OK ones, a few stinkers and a few I don't even understand. That's the success ratio that works for me. If you want to be a successful creative person, expect to create alot -- including creating/ writing/ discovering quite a bit of bland material. Get it out of the way so you can get to the great stuff.

Goblins in thongs

Rules for writing

sacred rules of creativity

Seven rules for creative output