Replicating Inspiration for Continued Success
As you already know this blog, both from a content and design perspective, is an active work in progress. Certainly the latter part will become more solidified than the former (and it’s not like a blog is ever done with content, right?).
But my designs for great blogs always start in the same exact place: My Moleskine.
Where does your design-creativity start? Is it consistently the same place?
The only reason I ask is because I’ve found that people operate via patterns and methods, even those that may not be explicit. Design appears to fit in that category at times, especially the places where we find inspiration as well as where we make note of it.
Pay attention the next time you find your inspiration for your blog design, content, and anything else because your opportunity is to replicate it over, and over, and over again.
And that’s one of my so-called “secrets to success” as they say – I simply have identified the environments, methods, and contexts in which inspiration happens a lot and taken a systematic approach to duplicate it as often as I can.
Some would say this eliminates the obviously-powerful instantaneous and random appearances of inspiration and “dumbs” down the intrinsic quality thereof; I seriously beg to differ. If you’re aware of an optimal setting to get struck by lighting (if that was your goal) then you’d stand there all the time, right?
Same thing.
Thoughts? Love to hear your perspective on this and where (and how) you get your inspiration specifically as it relates to your blog!
Interesting post, John.
I’m just working on a site redesign and although I didn’t put it on paper, I had a plan in mind which I stuck to quite closely….. except for one thing that I could work out how to do technically and a couple of important elements I realized I’d forgotten.
My problem is that I’m not creative in a design sense – I have very little feel for aesthetics.
Maybe I’ll have to start sketching and see if that helps!
sketching is a great part of my process.
Ideas for me just about always start with a pen and paper, From there they go into a digital form. Have been playing around with some ipad for doodling design ideas, but it is hard to beat the old pen and paper!
which ipad app?
I use both ibrainstorm and adobe ideas.
My problem is the other way around. I am constantly creating wherever and whatever situation I am in. It is both a blessing and a curse. Great for creation, but terrible in a school or structured setting.
I will spend more time trying to redesign my other blogs, that I loose focus on the most important thing, the content.
I have found that it is a good idea to immediately write down your ideas, since it is easy to forget them the next day. I have gotten out of my bed in the middle of the night just to write down the idea that popped into my head. (What kind of pen is that, John?)
Varsity! I love these pens!
Are you saying we should try and figure out what “method” creates the best environment for our creativity to take shape? Creative ideas seems so random sometimes.
I guess that’s why we should actively pay attention to the environment we are in when a creative idea comes our way.
Has me thinking.
John wrote a post along those kind of lines: http://tentblogger.com/3-steps-to-create-a-blogging-workflow-that-works-for-you/
It’s not quite the same but it’s probably relevant for this situation.
yes. sometimes this works for people.
My real problem with this is that I have two left feet… one at the end of each arm.
I can see perfectly in my mind what I want to draw on the paper but somewhere between my brain and my ‘hands’ it becomes a completely random scrawl.
I also can’t write well enough to be able to read my own handwriting.
Maybe I should have been a doctor….
ahhhhhhhh. you would have made a lot more money (i assume).
It would have been hard to make less….
Huh. I’ve never tried to replicate the environment or process surrounding inspiration before. Not sure what that would look like for me at the moment, but will definitely pay more attention the next time “it” hits me. Or I have to go hunting for it.
pay attention……..!
Haha! Thank you
Nice photo!
Interesting observation on the circumstances when inspiration comes most readily. I have countless notebooks from over the years, where I have scribbled down ideas, or designs. I find the notebook itself is a point of inspiration, but needs to be something that inspires like the Moleskine.
When living in London, I always found my most creative moments were when getting out into the creative areas of the city, like Soho, or when leafing through high quality design led magazines.
In my work environment, I need a clear space, minimalist, no piles of paperwork, to get my most creative thoughts.
love that. i actually work well in a really messy environment too… not so much clean!
This might sound odd, but I have the best inspiration when I simply look in the Bible for examples of money references. (My blog is called…Faith and Finance…)
As for design, I haven’t put a lot of time searching for inspiration..but probably should.
that makes total sense (cents?) actually…
I couldn’t agree more. I tend to use tools to create low fidelity wirframes of new ideas and properties. I enjoy Balsamic to create these ideas. It also makes it easier to collaborate since we all can’t virtually share the same piece of paper.
I think that creating this sketch and getting feedback is a great way to do some low-tech A/B testing. Like you said, it’s a WIP and always evolving.
Great post.
which tools?
Well, Balsamic is my tool of choice for mockups, but I have also been evaluating FlairBuilder which is also an Air app. Both run on any platform that supports Flash.
i dig balsamic.
Thanks for pulling this out of the archives and posting on twitter, john. I did my undergrad in music composition and my teacher did a great job of working on our creative process. Our tendency was to begin with software (sibelius or finale) to compose. He taught us to begin with a #2 pencil sitting in front of an acoustic piano with good ‘ol paper. It really did open up the process and create a “free” environment. I’ve tried to apply those ideas to any creative process, whether blogging or even sermon prep, and it has been very helpful. That process usually begins with a Moleskine for me too!
love this! i try to find that “Free” environment as often as i can.