designdebris

THOUGHTS
I think a lot, I can't help it. You'll find out soon enough.
(normally when doing something mundane)

Inspirational thinking?

I have some very enlightening thoughts in the kitchen at work whilst making sandwiches.

My latest thought process was about inspiration... and came from trying to think up how to explain to my boss why I get up outta my chair, away from my desk for long periods of time and how I can justify it.

Where does an idea come from?

I certainly don't get them from looking at a computer screen like my boss thinks. For me, ideas, or as I like to call it 'moments of clarity' come from having a shave in the morning, driving to and from work, washing up, going to the toilet, walking around the duckpond.... in fact anywhere when I'm not trying to think.

Asking someone how long it takes to come up with a great idea or layout or graphic is like asking how long is a piece of string?. People who hire and fire need to know this .... and just as importantly, designers themselves need to know this. We need to know when we are at our most creative.. and if necessary write down the times and locations that we 'think best'.

Mondays are a fresh day in the general eyes of society, the troubles from friday are gone and we've 'recharged' over the weekend... schools and colleges and work places will 'tap' into this and adjust lessons and timescales and meetings to reflect this weekly 'freshness'. Ahhh, isn't life wonderful?

no.

well.... for me it isn't and probably not you either.

For me, Mondays are a dead day, I can't think at all... it consists of weekend thoughts, planning the week ahead and catching up with mails and who did what & when. Including forum posts and site updates. I don't fit into that morning 'freshness'... I don't even agree with a massive 'whiteboard' attached to the wall in front of me listing all the things that have to be done.

What am I getting at?

Understanding how you work, is something that will take years to figure out. Trying to convince your boss that adding 'kerrang' to your monthly expenses, will be a difficult one... but if it helps you think creatively, then it's worth fighting for. (fighting = composing a document highlighting the benefits you recieve and the financial savings you make the company by having inspiration immediately to hand).

We as designers are a funny bunch, we don't sit in boxes very well, we stretch our legs when everyone is crossing theirs and we think randomly when everyone else is thinking linerly. It's not our fault that flicking through a carpet sample book will find us a cool colour scheme. The best we can do is make everyone aware that our bizarre working methods of cellotaping a Solero wrapper into a scrap book is a valuable use of our time, and not to be mocked by those who see nothing wrong with black Times New Roman text on a white bg.

c'mon people, give us a break... if a picture paints a 1000 words, then why can't i be me?