Creativity

Wildwood

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I just finished reading this wonderful story, by Colin Meloy, called Wildwood.  Where to even begin to describe the writing within these 500 plus pages…mesmerizing, might due. I proclaim this story will become a major motion picture within the next few years.  Whether it be live action or animation, I’m not quite certain.  Perhaps Book 2 will be out prior to the movie….time will tell.  In the meanwhile, keep tabs on A Dull and Witless Boy and while you’re waiting, get your hands on a copy of WildWood.  You won’t be disappointed.

Listen to how the story begins: Prue McKeel’s life is ordinary. At least until her brother is abducted by a murder of crows and taken to the Impassable Wilderness, a dense, tangled forest on the edge of Portland. No one’s ever gone in – or at least returned to tell of it. Oh, and in addition to the story, Carson Ellis has created the illustrations.  Just try to choose which one you like the best. For me, it’s a tough decision amongst; the cover, the image on Page 231 where Curtis [and others] are held prisoners, and the the color illustration of Prue flying with the eagle.

Watch the trailer. [scroll down]

Twelve Things You Were Not Taught in School About Creative Thinking

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Michael Michalko who writes The Creativity Post and offers these 12 things you were not taught in school.  Here is the list of aspects of creative thinking you might not have been taught in school and here is Michael’s whole list with specifics.

  1. You are creative.
  2. Creative thinking is work.
  3. You must go through the motions of being creative.
  4. Your brain is not a computer.
  5. There is no one right answer.
  6. Never stop with your first good idea.
  7. Expect the experts to be negative.
  8. Trust your instincts.
  9. There is no such thing as failure.
  10. You do not see things as they are; you see them as you are.
  11. Always approach a problem on its own terms.
  12. Learn to think unconventionally.

 

Obama for America Artworks

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Obama for America invited artists from across the country to volunteer their creativity to support President Obama’s jobs plan and the campaign. Now it is time to vote.  Luckily, you get 3 chances to vote. Here’s my favorite, from Julie, Seattle, WA.

I love this one because of the bold use of color, which draws the eye into the design [you’d see this one from across the street]. Julie has cleverly manipulated the typography to ‘work’ and communicate the idea of jobs and she placed the crane image perfectly to allow our eyes to ‘move’ through her design.  Julie also complimented the poster by repeating the iconic star [in blue] and allowed just enough of the blue, behind the red to peek out.  Was she symbolizing the ‘blue skies’ of new jobs coming to America?

ubyu

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Back in grad school, in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, I worked on the concept of a business that would take-in files [pdfs] and then print them and ship the final book off to you.  I called it: Imprint.  The web design is in some dusty storage box on a floppy disk [remember those?]. ubyu has brought my idea alive and they look like they make a beautiful product.

ubyu intro from ubyu on Vimeo.

Jawbone’s UP Release

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I follow Fast Company and this is one of those things that is just so fabulous, I wished I had thought of it.  UP by Jawbone is a really revolutionary invention. You put on the wristband and then check in with your smartphone to check on: eating patterns, sleep cycles and exercise.  It costs $100 and will be available at Apple, Target, AT&T stores, and Best Buy.

Travis Bogard, Jawbone’s VP of product development sums it up perfectly, “Health isn’t about going to the gym three times a week. It’s about the thousands of little decisions that you make during the day. It’s about what you do in between those ‘healthy times.'”