Comments on: How Do You Stimulate Creativity?

By: John Lampard

John Lampard — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:30:44 +0000

I find doing mundane tasks a great to get creative. “Mundane tasks” are usually things I put off doing until they have to be done! But I think stepping away from what you usually do allows you to zone out a bit and get the ideas flowing again. And flowing is the operative word… one idea tends to lead to another and so on… it’s a strange carry on!

By: Rasmussen

Rasmussen — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 18:25:42 +0000

Since attending a presentation by Tom Kelley, general manager of IDEO, I’ve adopted a method he suggested for recording ideas as they happen. He proposed two distinct inputs: an ‘idea wallet’ and a ‘bug list.’
I’ve found the latter to be my favorite. Periodically reviewing the bug list actions reveals lists of opportunities as opposed to the often less frequent sparks of creative ideation.
I continue to experiment with the mobile-web service Jott for captures, but remain devoted to a stack of 3×5′s.
Thanks for the post. I look forward to reading others’ responses to your questions.

By: Dan York

Dan York — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 18:16:10 +0000

David… way too funny… I’ve been carrying a Moleskine notebook around for many years for the same reason! These days it mostly has my notes about things to blog – or my notes/responses to podcasts that I listen to.
As far as stimulating creativity, for me it usually involves stepping away from the computer and going outside. Perhaps for a walk, bike ride, or just even sitting outside in a quieter place. Alternatively, sometimes when I am suffering severe writer’s block, I find that cranking loud rock/metal music usually works well. For whatever reason, albums by The Scorpions, in particular, have helped me through a good number of deadlines.