Following on the success of Recipe Thursday (which encouraged me to cook more often and make notes on what I was doing), and Video Saturdays (which helped me get back to my video projects), mediatinker will feature a column with ideas for sparking creativity and focussing your creative genius.
Most of the entries will be about changing the way you see or do things. Give your brain a different perspective on your world, and you’ll make creative leaps more easily.
The Other Side
Changing my point of view and paying attention to what I see from the other side refreshes my mind, sweeps away the old thoughts, and sometimes sparks new ideas.
To change your perspective, take a walk on the other side of the street. You’ll see the familiar neighborhood buildings and sidewalks from a different point of view. Don’t forget to look around as you travel on the other side. What does your house look like from across the street?
I did this last week, and was pleased to note that the stark concrete wall I normally walk next to actually fits into the landscape nicely when seen from 10 meters away. And the tree at the corner that was heavily trimmed this spring has a very different shape than I thought.
Not a walker? Try parking in a difference place at the mall or parking down the street from your office. Exit your office through the service entrance. Catch a different bus. Walk to the opposite end of the train platform. Just put yourself slightly outside your usual place, no matter what that place is.
Posted by kuri at September 26, 2003 09:54 AM
I find that sleeping with my head at the other end of the bed is another really good variation.
Posted by: UltraBob on September 27, 2003 05:33 PMTaking your advice, I rode home on the riverside trail on the opposite bank of the river this evening, and it was a totally different experience! There is no major road on that side, so I could smell the trees and flowers much better, and there was a whole different group of dog walkers/socializers, and a great view up the valley toward Ohara that I never noticed. definitely a good move.
Posted by: nils on October 3, 2003 12:08 AM