Game On
Where do you go to find your inner creative being? It can be a very difficult task to “just come up with something innovative,” but that’s more or less what is asked of product designers, engineers, graphic artists, and others in the design business on a daily basis. It can even become an excruciating task if you are attempting to create revolutionary designs from the confines of an endless cubicle catacomb, like those in the movie Office Space.
Maybe that’s where the phrase “thinking outside the box” came from. You’ve probably heard someone say that they do their best thinking in the shower, of all places, but how about the beach, or the mountains, or even a grueling game of ping-pong. I have personally seen some great ideas bounce back and forth across our ping-pong table here at Nectar Inc., just ask yesterdays reigning champ, Rusty Allen.
It is not necessarily what you do to spark new ideas, but more about just getting away from a thinking process that isnÃt producing. I do have a few suggestions for someone who is struggling to find a way to release that creative creature inside. Yoga and meditation are great ways of unclogging persistent idea blocking thoughts. Playing music, as noted by “the Mozart Effect,” has a way of tapping into deeper thought processes, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be classical. Exercise, in addition to being good for you, can help you think more effectively by helping your body and mind function better. Go outside, breath some fresh air, go fishing, because if you haven’t found your great ideas sitting in front of you on the computer screen, then you are going to have to go look for it. Why not enjoy yourself in the process? -DH