Sta.sh
How do you breed ideas?
As illustrator who has to pull out ideas out of the hat like rabbits on a daily basis it looks like a routine, but what method works best for you?
In this article I try to explain how to keep ideas fresh and always growing to successfully prevent a creative block or worse.
[http://fantasiox.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-breed-ideas.html]
As illustrator who has to pull out ideas out of the hat like rabbits on a daily basis it looks like a routine, but what method works best for you?
In this article I try to explain how to keep ideas fresh and always growing to successfully prevent a creative block or worse.
[http://fantasiox.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-breed-ideas.html]
well, at least for me
thanks^^
Have not seen it much from the graphic-design point of view, or how art-schools treat that topic, therefore interesting to read.
Is the mind-map approach coming from you or is it taught to all students? (Just curious)
OK, I understand that you are afraid of having your mind stuck on an idea if you not put it down on paper.
There is no easy solution to that, except you learn: how to let go.
This would possibly be a very own topic for another article, thanks!
You're right learning to let go is a solution, they I'm not sure if it's easy, once you have an idea you're keen on it tends to stick. If you do learn to let go, where does the idea go? What if it disappears? Having it on paper allows you to refer back to it later on I believe. Deep stuff, I love these sort of discussions.
About the basics of letting go: Imagine you write a letter, and the recipient you are writing to is too important to show a flaw, what is the result?
A: you will not write a good letter
B: You are under pressure
C: You will not send the letter, because everything is too important to let go.
The same with ideas.
The only solution would be to find a different perspective, for example, thinking about the recipient or the matter of the letter as something not too important.
This is something I practice everyday, once you see things not as important as they really are (but still with genuine interest connected to them) you are more able to let go and achieve a reply. This is similar to the mechanics of our universe and microcosm, matter reacts with antimatter, attractors and repulsors, etc.
The fear of losing something once youŽd let it go is inherent, but its the most important thing to learn. Take relationships for example: you lose someone if you force a partner to always stay with you. If you "know" that your partner will never leave you and give the freedom they want, they will always stay. These are the mechanics of our mind.
The same with ideas.
If you are able to let them go, they will come back, and better, they will develop and mix with new patterns of inspiration, to create things you never imagined. But you need the faith that this is true.
This can be learned too, but requires a different mindset. The problems with artschools/university is that they do teach not holistic and are obviously not too enthusiastic about teaching, than students are about learning. Learning art is always a holistic experience, where the painting, drawing part is just the handiwork, it requires the right mindset, the right attitude towards others, towards critique and even absolute objectivity when it comes to reviewing ones own work. These are habits that cannot be taught in the tight time plan of a university.
I will definitely do a blog post about this matter soon, but need to find some more informations and do some research beforehand.
So stay tuned, or reply if you still have questions about that matter, IŽm glad if I can help!
You're right about how schools, we just receive a brief and are left to work on it, there isn't much emphasis on how to achieve creative ideas. But I guess finding that 'eureka' moment depends on the individual, what may work for one may not for another.
I'll be looking forward to your new blog regarding this topic. Thanks for taking the time to write your lengthy reply.