This Week: Leverage Pinterest for Idea Boards

I admit it. For being an early adopter in most tech arenas, I was a late-comer to Pinterest. It seemed too much of a mass-market, Farmville-ish kind of product. All the sudden, everybody was on it and loving it. It was too much of a fad, a blip on the radar of social media products, a trend I was sure would pass by the next quarter.

Pinterest

Clearly, I was wrong. Pinterest is awesome for creating idea boards. It’s the visual version of Evernote. If you’re used to making collages or making screenshots of your ideas, then you will love Pinterest. You can quickly capture something that inspires you and create a visual board that allows you to see all of your ideas together. Trends are easy to spot, as well as inconsistencies or ill-fits.

I use Pinterest regularly now, but primarily for home projects that are visually driven. It would be fantastic for other concepts, too, though — like business ideas, mood-boards, vision casting, and trend-spotting.

If you’re a visual brainstormer, or you are inspired by imagery, definitely check out Pinterest. It’s a simple, accessible way to pull all of your ideas together into a visual idea board.

One note of caution, and a tip — Pinterest can easily become a vortex of repeatedly pinned ideas. Pin your own ideas. Allow others to share them. Contribute to the creative community by being original, authentic, and sincere. Post your ideas, and let them inspire others as well.

(Want to see what I have pinned? I’m @dee_wilcox on Pinterest, too! http://pinterest.com/dee_wilcox/)

This Week: Unwind

Happy Monday! I hope you had a lovely weekend! I was blessed to spend a rare 24 hours at the lake with my family and co-workers, and although a bit physically exhausted from time on the water, I feel mentally refreshed and ready for a new week.

What struck me most about my experience at the lake this weekend was that having a retreat like that — easily accessible, always available — must be an incredible way to unwind. We were two hours from the city, free of laptops and the devices that typically keep us tied into the demands of work and everyday life. I did bring my cell phone, but I didn’t take it down to the water for fear I would damage it. I was literally tech-free and was able to focus on my daughter and my family and friends. It wasn’t a brainstorming weekend or anything remotely similar. In fact, I hardly thought about work at all.

For me, there is a clear connection between having an empty mind and creative breakthrough. Jonah Lehrer, author of Imagine: How Creativity Works, seems to agree. In this interview with US News, he says,

What happens to a lot of people is they get interested in solving a problem, then they hit a wall. They get stumped and give up because the problem feels impossible. But that’s your brain telling you that you need a moment of insight.

The science on this gets surprising. We live in a gung-ho society where you chug a triple espresso and roll up your sleeves when it’s time to really get something done. But that’s exactly backwards. People are more likely to have a big breakthrough when they’re relaxed. When they’re taking a shower or going for a walk. When they’re daydreaming. That’s when you turn your attention inward and maybe hear the voice that’s been there, but you just haven’t taken a moment to notice it.

When you’re mind is relaxed and empty of any attempt to solve the problem, the solution often appears. It’s not magic, and it’s not limited to a select group of creative geniuses. We can all learn to give our minds a break, let creativity do its work, and allow creative solutions to come to us. The trick is making time and space for that to happen.

I’m one of those shower people — most of my breakthroughs come to me early in the morning, before other tasks and needs begin pressing on my mind. Where do relax? What is the best way that you have found to really unwind and let creativity work?

Imagine how excited I was to discover these lovelies.

Yes, please.

(Cases can be purchased here. He also has iPhone and iPad skins, prints, cards, and many other novelties available.)

Tonight I am working on getting my very first wholesaler application together. If it all works out, I’ll post details here soon!

I let this project go for such a long time, but I know in my heart that it’s time to bring it back to life. I have a fresh vision for it, and I’m excited to share all of that with you as the new site unfolds. As you can see, this website has undergone some major changes — thematically, structurally, and foundationally. The heart is still the same — to inspire creativity and encourage innovation — but with more of an emphasis on the individual rather than the organization, less on theory and more on application. I have really enjoyed the work of creativity lately, and I can’t wait to share those stories with you.

What does that mean exactly? And what can you expect from this reinvented website? Well, glad you asked…

You can expect to see more and better images that will inspire you. You can expect consistent tips every Monday to give you a creative boost. You can expect DIY tutorials, and you can expect free resources.

I am re-committing to this project — my personal creativity project — , and I hope you will commit to one of your own, as well. Let’s grow in this journey together. Who knows where it will take us.

I’m sad to say I lost a few months of content from November 2009 through January 2010, but I am working on restoring that bit by bit. Thanks for your patience while portions of the site are still under construction.

This Week: Be Intentional

Making time to nurture creativity can seem like a wonderful thing that is worthy of aspiring to, but in the face of real world demands, a creative practice often gets pushed to the back burner. Many times, creative ideas are bookmarked, clipped, and stored away but never revisited. We tell ourselves, “There simply isn’t time.”

Or space. Or resources. Believe me, I can relate.

My move last weekend went really well (by the way, thank you all for your well wishes – they meant so much!). However, there are some aspects of the transition that have been difficult – namely, the lack of a dedicated creative space. In our old house, I had an entire office to myself that I could decorate or rearrange however I wanted, whenever I wanted. In our beautiful but tiny apartment, I have a corner of the kitchen table. Much of my creative resource stockpile is in storage, and I’m down to my laptop and a basket with my files.

Lucky for me, creativity requires constraint. I already have a few ideas in the works.

While it may be completely unrealistic to make time for free association exercises before beginning every creative project, it is possible to make time room for creativity to flourish in everyday life. You just have to be intentional. Here are a few of the steps that I am taking:

1. Make it a mental priority. By keeping even just the notion of creativity as a priority at the forefront of your mind, you leave the door open for inspiration to enter. I have found that keeping my eyes out for my Art Is Everywhere posts helps me be more aware of the art around me in the world.

2. Find a way to get involved with other people. Accountability – especially light, social accountability is a great way to be encouraged your creative pursuit and be motivated to stick with it. Consider joining Melanie’s twelve-month Everyday Creative challenge, or one specifically geared to your specialty. For example, Flickr groups host a number of challenges for photographers of varying specialties throughout the year. I’m taking a short story class right now, and I’m actually working on a short story that I’m excited about. It’s thrilling to get feedback from my peers, and the pressure of weekly deadlines keeps me going.

3. Just begin. Start a project. Have one that’s half-finished? Take it out tonight and make some headway. Or start over. Get out a canvas and start painting, or go to the fabric store and pick up a few new swatches or a new pattern. The most difficult challenge to overcome is usually one of stagnation – that feeling of being half-way through and just being stuck, or of being inactive for so long that you don’t know how to get going again. Determine to get out of a rut and just start something. It doesn’t have to be an important or “worthy” project. It can be anything. The important thing is to just get moving. You can always re-work it later.

How do you stay intention with your creativity? Please share your own tips in the comments!

1. J.D. Salinger

I’ve been reading Nine Stories, a collection of short stories by J.D. Salinger. His stories are so rich and compelling, but from the standpoint of technique, they are full of genius, as well. Sadly, Salinger passed away last week. Read the write-up in the New York Times here.

2. Honest Responses to Apple’s Latest, Greatest Achievement

When it comes to my choice in laptop, cell phone, or MP3 player, I’m Mac all the way. In times past, my husband and I have been Mac advocates and always early adopters. We are still fans of the innovation giant, but as the Apple brand has grown in mass popularity, it’s been nice to see a more honest response to their product releases. While Apple’s announcement of a tablet has been anticipated with a lot of excitement, the iPad fell short of expectations in consumer reviews. The kind of honest feedback that consumers are offering is necessary for true innovation. I’m excited to see how Apple responds, and even more excited to hear their next announcement.

3. Tina Fey and 30 Rock

My latest guilty pleasure is 30 Rock. For the last few weeks, Chris and I have kept it going in the background as we’ve been packing, unpacking, and cleaning. Very few things make me laugh out loud, but 30 Rock tops the list. Tina Fey is a brilliant writer, but I also love how comfortable she is with herself and how easily she can laugh at herself. When I grow up, I want to be like her. (You can catch up on the latest episodes here.)

I hope you have a lovely, inspired, creative week!

Like most years, I decided to start 2010 by dedicating the year to becoming more creative. Usually, my dedication ends up occurring in not so everyday inspirational spurts. I hope this year will be different. I hope my creativity remains constant and in the forefront of everything I do.

So how am I going to manage to pull off this feat? By learning to be everyday creative by following Eric Maisel’s The Creativity Book: A Year’s Worth of Inspiration and Guidance. Yes, that’s a year’s worth of dedication!

I first encountered creativity coach extraordinaire, Eric Maisel’s work when I signed up for his Intro to Creativity Coaching online course five years ago. At the time, I was working as a museum educator, where I was focusing on everyone else’s creativity but my own. The course not only taught me how to empower other creatives but how to focus on my own creativity.

After I finished the course, I worked for almost a year with a creativity coach, moved to another part of the country, and switched careers. But before I changed careers completely, I had some time to explore my inner creative urges. I signed up for art classes, exhibited my work in shows, launched my blog, taught creativity and art workshops and realized that I was creative.

But like most things, life got in the way. I began to create less frequently, post only weekly to my blog, and abandoned my membership to the National Collage Society. So when Dee approached me about writing for Creative Perch, the first thing I did was dust off the Creativity Book. Then I told her I wanted to explore being an everyday creative person- something I’ve never really been able to accomplish. Like a lot of creatives, my inspiration erratically ebbs and flows, but what if I focused on it and nurtured it everyday instead of just some of the days?

You are probably wondering why I am starting the program now after the year has already begun. Well, there are two reasons. The first is that the book is only divided into 11 monthly sections. The 12th section is dedicated to creating a work, whatever you want it to be. My work will be to continue to be an everyday creative, which I realize could change during the course of the year. Secondly, I want you to have the opportunity to join me. Dee has set up a forum that will allow you to do this.

The challenge starts on February 1. Stay tuned….

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 need more specific data. You need to know where your strengths are, where your opportunities are, and where your weaknesses and threats are.

The Value of a Needs Assessment

We’ve talked before about the difference between wants and needs in a business setting, but just to reiterate, a need is a gap in results. A problem is a gap in results that you’ve decided to fix.

Many times, we confuse wants and needs with generalized statements like, “We need a goal benchmarking system,” or, “We need another designer to help us handle the work load.” In reality, these are wants until they are matched up with specific gaps in results. So, for example, if you’ve determined that you’re behind on X number of projects and won’t be able to take on any new work until X date, you are one step closer to identifying a real need for another person on your staff.

Needs assessments can help you identify these kinds of areas where you have a gap in results between what is and what should be. There are many models for needs assessments, some you can buy online and some you can just follow yourself. The model I am most familiar with is the SOCER model:

1. Scope and Plan. Identify the person spearheading the needs assessment, who is participating, and what seemingly apparent problems you are addressing. Also identify if there is any data currently available to help guide you in Step 3 – Collecting Data.
2. Obtain Participation. It is very important to involve the team in the needs assessment process. If you are addressing customer service or client satisfaction issues, you may even want to involve your external clients.
3. Collect Data. This is the most time-consuming part of the process because the goal of this step is to understand the problem area as fully as you can. If you want to improve your benchmarking, you need to collect data on past projects. If you are trying to improve financial performance, you need to understand your current accounting methods and gather all the financial data that you can. If you want to improve processes, you need to learn everything you can about your current processes.
4. Evaluate Data. To me, this is the most crucial step because what you learn from the data will drive the rest of your strategic planning. If you feel overwhelmed by the data you have collected, you might consider bringing in an outside perspective to help you see things more clearly or to highlight areas you overlooked.
5. Report Findings. This is the step where you identify possible solutions and develop ways to implement them. If you’re a small business owner, you may just be reporting to yourself and your team. Use the opportunity to solicit feedback, identify top priorities, and establish your core objectives.

Needs assessments are time consuming, and many times we put them off simply because we feel we don’t have the time, energy, or resources to devote to them. However, we can’t afford to overlook their importance because they give us the facts we need to develop stronger business plans. Today is the first day of October and the beginning of the fall quarter. Make time to look at your business objectively, do a needs assessment, and begin developing your objectives for the new year.

Issue 3 of Uppercase Magazine

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.

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 some incredible illustrations that I wasn’t sure suited the digital version, but what do you think? Would graphics improve the readability?

What did you think about the flow of the content?

Were you able to apply the content? If so, what tips helped you the most?

Thanks so much for taking the time to read the book and participate in the series. And if you haven’t downloaded the eBook yet, scurry on over to the Products page. It’s will be available for free just through the end of the day. On October first, it will go up to full price.

One last thing – I’ve noticed a lot of hits to the products and transactions pages, more than the book has actually been downloaded. If you want to download the book but are having any trouble with the process, please email me!

Thanks again! You guys rock!