Fishing for Ideas

Think of these lead articles not so much as “advice” but more like, “the blind leading the blind.” Or even better just, “the ramblings of a blind man.” That would be pretty accurate, since today I want to strike at one of the most nebulous and obscure aspects of our work here. Something which I doubt any of us truly has a handle on, but in fact forms the very foundation of our jobs and business. Any idea?

To answer my rhetorical question: creativity. As for nebulous and obscure: I have yet to find a definition of creativity that captures all of its aspects. The popular definition is something like, “Taking existing information to produce a new idea.” It works, don’t get me wrong, but that is just so bland- and good luck figuring out how or why that happens. I mean, when it comes to coaxing creativity- I am as likely to be inspired in the shower, as I am on my morning commute, as I am sitting at my desk, as I am working in my yard.

On its face, creativity seems to be a natural human ability- it is almost as if we see the situation at hand and instinctively conceive of something better. This probably had its roots in one of our ancestors realizing he could make his own sharp stones or sticks for a consistent benefit. It continues right up to any brainstorming session, where seeing all the ideas up on the board, someone comes up with the missing link to generate a really great concept.

So how can I even begin to address this mysterious bedrock of our livelihoods? A friend of mine once compared creativity to carefully reeling in a fish: You don’t want it to swim back into the sea, but if you pull too hard you’ll snap the line. In others words, you need to be engaged and actively pursue creative ideas, but approaching creativity with a “do or die” or “under the gun” mentality may ultimately create more pressure than ideas.

I think I’ll stick with the fishing analogy because I can take it one step further: As creative people who dip into that well on a daily basis, we trust our ability to generate new concepts and ideas, much like a fisherman trusts that his water bears fish. Even the best fisherman, however, will be hard pressed to tell you exactly what the next fish he catches will look like, what time it will bite, or what direction it’ll swim once its hooked- but such is the same with our creative output: We do not know what our ideas are until we have them, we do not know when we will have them until they are actually upon us, and we do not know what direction these new ideas will take us in. Gathering to a brainstorming session, or withdrawing to the Corner Pocket with pencil and paper are like stepping into the stream with our waders on. From there it is a matter of patience, faith, and skill.

I suggest patience because we need to let our ideas develop, and be glad to hang on for a few more minutes to let that next great concept “bite.” Faith factors right into patience: In order to justify taking that time out for creativity, we must have a basic faith in our ability. If someone enters a creative scenario with the expectation that they will have nothing to offer, they would quickly lose patience in their “bad” ideas and throw in the towel. Faith in our own creative potential silences other ideas that would convince us our efforts are in vain- patience keeps us in the game to find that idea. To keep up with the fishing analogy: Faith assures us that there are fish in the water; patience keeps us there to catch them.

But skill? Skill? I suggested before that our creativity is innate and common to all of us: You had it before you started pre-school, and creativity is not “learned.” There is, however, some skill in judgment associated with creativity. Brainstorming yields myriad ideas. Which are good? Which solve the problem at hand? Matching the solution with the problem is the skill of creativity. The fisherman knows not only how to catch fish, but which to throw back and which to keep. Where faith would open the possibilities, our skill comes back in to define the boundaries and the best match. True creativity is not just having a full sheet of ideas, its knowing which will get you where you’re trying to go.

Our creativity is a very special thing; nebulous and obscure, but special indeed. For all the tools and techniques we have available to us, we’re dead in the water without this ability to put great ideas together. I based this article on the experience of my own creativity, and I am writing in the hopes of stimulating everyone’s creative impulse. Final disclaimer: Please do not interpret this as authoritative, nor let anything I say invalidate any creative method you may already find useful.

Sposto Welcomes Andy States
By Mandy Zerr

Sposto Interactive has the distinct privilege of being Andy States’ first “real” employer ever.

That’s a pretty influential role. We need to take it seriously and help our summer intern grow into the productive and well-rounded individual he probably already is.

So far, we have successfully motivated Andy to start exercising.

“I went running for the first time this weekend,” he says.

He’s motivated not because he’s intimidated by our burly physiques, but because now that he works here, he’s stationary in front of a computer all day. Before, Andy used to work out by stocking shelves with frozen foods at Amelia’s Grocery Outlet.

But he actually prefers not working out on the job.

“[My old job] was really horrible,” he says. “This is quite the upgrade for me. Doing something I like is great.”

And Andy likes design. He even does it for fun in his spare time, designing stuff for his band called Alice’s Adventures Through the Windshield (a name inspired by a driver’s ed film on The Simpsons, no doubt hosted by Troy McClure).

Andy is a singer and guitar player in his band of five, and recently took on playing the synthesizer as well. But he can’t really describe the kind of music they play. In an effort to be helpful, he says they have a similar sound to a bunch of obscure bands, like Minus the Bear and Mars Volta.

“It’s really hard to define,” he says. “It’s almost indie, but not quite.”

Until the band takes off, Andy is studying communication design at Kutztown University and getting ready to graduate this December.

“I like art; I like computers; I like art on computers,” he said. “So it works.”

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