The Creative Squeeze

Thanks to AC-er Tracy Mazuer for pointing me to this video. It must… be… watched…

Working Out Your Brain

CNN.com reports an explosion in the market for “brain fitness” software and tools. This is not surprising as many people see their aging parents increasingly struggling with Alzheimer’s and related symptoms.

Memory retention is important to the ability to make connections and discover new ideas. I’m intrigued by the games and tools mentioned in the article and I’m curious whether anyone here has tried them?

Music, Desktops and More

Ahh… the miscellany. Here are a few items of AC interest that I thought might be helpful:

THE MUSIC:
So…what is that music featured at the beginning and end of AC podcasts? Well… I’m glad you asked. And…it depends on which episode you happen to listening to.

The most “iconic” AC music (that we’ve been using since episode 20) is called “My City in Healing” and it’s by a friend (and fellow Cincinnatian) Joshua Seurkamp. Josh is one of the more brilliant and prolific artists I know and his music has been used and featured in more places than you can shake a stick at. (Even a really big stick.) Check out both of his recent albums on iTunes. They’re great environmental music for relaxing and creating.

Recently we’ve begun using some custom-crafted music by another friend (and also a fellow Cincinnatian) Neil Smith. Neil is also an amazing and prolific artist working primarily in the field of motion graphics and post production, but rooted in graphic design. His work can be heard (and seen) on the intros to AC Whiteboard Sessions and the intros to the Improv series. Check out Neil at his personal website.

THE ART:
Want a little AC on your desktop? Here are a few desktops based on our recent series:

Jerry’s Chain

Ever wonder how Jerry Seinfeld gets it all done? LifeHacker has the answer.

Jerry Seinfeld’s Productivity Secret [LifeHacker]

Sanders Says

Some of you may know Tim Sanders from his books Love Is The Killer App or The Likeability Factor . I first came to know of him when he was the CSO (Chief Solutions Officer) at Yahoo. (Or is that Yahoo! ?)

Tim has a blog that I follow called Sanders Says . In his latest post, he is encouraging organizations to stop "grinding" on people and allow a healthier pace of work to emerge. This hearkens to my repeated theme of "rhythmic" productivity that is so important to effective creativity and long-term viability. While you’re over at Tim’s blog, make sure to browse some of his other posts - there’s gold in them there hills! (That’s old-time speak for "it’s good stuff!")

Don’t Wear Out Your People [Sanders Says]

Micro-Art and the Muse

Thanks to Dave for sending us this ABC story about a man in England whose attention to detail is…well…unprecedented.

He creates art the size of a dust particle with amazing detail. He describes his creative process as "miserable" and "painstaking".

You must see this. It is both amazing and bewildering.

Small World: Man Sculpts Microart (warning: you must endure the ads to get to the real video…)

Produce! Produce! {rest} Produce!

OK…so we all know the game. You are what you make, right?

Well…not exactly. But those of us with our eye on the ball are always looking for ways to cultivate our creative rhythm and personal productivity. LifeHack.org has posted its 50 Ways To Increase Your Productivity. (I think they forgot one - STOP READING LONG LISTS ON THE WEB. Oh well.)

50 Ways To Increase Your Productivity [via LifeHack.org ]

The Tree Swing

Brilliant! Yes…a little sarcastic…yes…a little pessimistic…but…still….brilliant!

How a project develops (really.)

Death By Meeting?

LifeHacker reveals an study performed by MSNBC on whether meetings hinder creativity.

Well duh!?!?

Via LifeHacker

Now vs. When?

In browsing this month’s Fast Company magazine, I came across an article about amateur diamond miners in Sierra Leone. It seems that the promise of instant wealth has become so tempting to Sierra Leonians that they are flocking to the river banks in record numbers to strip the earth in search of even a tiny gem.

The article explains that this upswell of (largely futile) activity in the diamond trade has resulted in ruined farmland, polluted rivers and a decimated fishing trade.

I think it’s easy to draw parallels to the way many artists approach the creative process.

Many of us, over time, gradually start to see the creative process as a means to a practical end. We see it as a way to fulfill our ambitions and to accomplish our dreams. We may even compare ourselves to those who have achievd some degree of success and fame in our field. We use our creativity for our own purposes and, over time, we strip away the very foundation we need to sustain ourselves over the long-term.

To use an old cliche, we’re killing to goose to grab a few eggs.

We must maintain a proper perspective and be careful not to strip away our creative foundation in order to mine a few creative gems.
The goal is long-term viability, not momentary impact. The goal is to make something great, not make a few people happy.

Take care of yourself.