Last week in our How to Be an Innovator series, we talked about how strategic planning can help in the innovation process. This week we’ll go a step further and talk about how to get the information you need to choose the right problems and build a solid plan. Part 25: Get Your Facts Straight When it comes to strategically growing an organization or an idea, many times we feel like we have a good, general idea of where things are out – how productive we are, or how profitable, or how successful. But to develop an effective strategic plan, you …

Janine at Uppercasehas posted an online preview of the new issue of Uppercase Magazine here. It’s more than a sneak-peak – you can literally page through the entire issue, and it looks incredible! I can’t wait to see it in person.

Thanks so much to everyone who has downloaded the Get Your Creative Groove on eBook in the last few weeks. It means more to me than I can really express to see people from literally all over the world downloading it. You guys are amazing, and I feel so grateful for you. Can I ask just one favor, though? If you downloaded the eBook, I would love to hear from you! Would you mind sending me your feedback? I’m preparing an “in print” version, and I would love to hear your thoughts on the digital version. The hardcopy will include …

“Art is everywhere. It finds its origin in everything and ultimately reflects the beauty of the Creator.” – Chris Wilcox, Chris Paul Design, LLC rt is everywhere… especially at Daily Drop Cap. I love these beautiful illustrations by designer Jessica Hische and can’t wait to see all she has in store! First, the letter A…

I apologize that this post is coming to you on a Monday rather than a Sunday. I use WordPress as my blog engine, and it has been incredibly slow and finicky for the last few days. So sorry about that! I’m just glad it’s working well enough now that I can share a little bit of inspiration with you! 1. Fingerprint Call for Submissions I was so excited to learn about this follow up project to the best-selling book Fingerprint: The Art of Using Handmade Elements in Graphic Design. HOW Books and Chen Design Associates are partnering on this project …

Every Monday is Tip Day! Grab a cup of coffee and get over the Monday morning bump with tips, tools, and inspiration from Perch. This Week: See with Colour I recently discovered a fantastic community for artists called Colour Lovers. It’s a wonderful site that encourages group participation and is a great resource for color trending and research. However, what I’ve gained or learned most from this community is training myself to see color palettes in common place items.

“Art is everywhere. It finds its origin in everything and ultimately reflects the beauty of the Creator.” – Chris Wilcox, Chris Paul Design, LLC When I picked my husband Chris up from the airport yesterday, he surprised me with a lovely gift – an all-white Fuji Instax Mini instant camera.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I am really enjoying reading Hugh McLeod’s book Ignore Everybody. However, more than just about any other point in his book, I have been stuck on his description of working at his first ad agency, his experiences with what he termed the Watercooler Gang, and how his friend seemed to succumb to the same epidemic of creative burnout. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been burnt out before. I’m all too familiar with the feeling of being squeezed for every last drop of energy, inspiration, and creativity. Usually, it feels like there is an …

Every Monday is Tip Day! Grab a cup of coffee and get over the Monday morning bump with tips, tools, and inspiration from Perch. This Week: See With New Eyes Chris and I have had the opportunity to bring a fresh creative energy to our clients on many occasions simply because we have new eyes in the situation. We’re not deeply entrenched in any one industry, which allows us to see things from a different perspective than those who work with the same people and do the same work day after day.

Many times when I’m working on a post for Creative Perch, I have to mentally go back to the things that are inspiring me and keeping me fresh, and that’s the well I draw on to share with you. Several of my friends do list posts for their blogs each week – things they love, things they’re thinking about. The things that inspire me vary quite a bit, so I thought I’d take some time each weekend to share them with you. Listing out five things this week was a bit challenging, so some weeks it might be three things, …