A walk in nature increases one's memory

Have you read about the new study that shows a walk in nature can increase your short-term memory by 20%.

Here is the study (I haven't read it fully yet... but I saw it linked from a couple web sites and psych blogs). http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121570660/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Here is a psych blog introduction to the findings.

Personally, I find most any exposure to natural settings of trees, mountains, fields, heck... even a marsh area, can be invigorating for my mind, memory and general creative energy. So if your latest design/creative project is stagnant and your mind is slow....get outside!

Pic is from one of my family camping adventures into remote Northern MN. It was 19° F in the AM and rose to 70° F by noon... yes, our short-term memory was very sharp.

Create your own stock images

One of the great benefits of today's digital cameras is their affordability. For only $110 one can purchase a very capable Nikon or Canon camera that has 8+megapixels, huge playback screens, custom white-balance, exposure controls, macro-lens options and other manual over-rides. This is the price and feature range of the old Pentax K-1000 in the late 80's... plus the ability to process one's own images right in their home/computer at no cost. With this accessibility most anyone can create great pics, especially the thrifty graphic designer. With a little trial and error one can learn to create great abstract images from common objects that work great in brochures and flyers.



The photos show the results of my macro lens (extreme close-up focal length) option of my 2 year old Canon A600. Above photo captures coffee in my cup. At left, a 1.5" tall figurine.

Apple's iMovie is amazing!

I've been a user of iMovie for years but now my kids are cranking things out too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx_8zZY41o0

The fact my kids can record video (via the iMac's built-in camera), add audio clips, make transitions, crop, edit and build a full video story shows the easy-access and power of this brilliant software. There are many neat PC apps out there... but Apple seems to consistently and creatively lead the way.... and with FREE software (when you buy an Apple).

One word of caution, use the old iMovie HD version (you can still download it from Apple), the 08 version that shipped this last year with the Apple OS has less features and is geared towards quick and less sophisticated productions (Google this topic for the details). iMovie 09's reviews are more promising. Interesting, the NY Time's Tech personal tech writer, David Pogue uses iMovie and produces his own video segments.

Pink, flowers and Men

To the men out there.... don't be afraid to use florals and traditionally feminine colors/themes in your graphic designs and paintings. I know it can be a bit uncomfortable having ones' creative output referred to as... shall we say, masculine-challenged. Good design and beauty should win over our subjective perspectives, besides my hunch is more females appreciate good design then men, so why not play to your audience.

To the females out there... vice-versa.

Photo: This is a close-up of a water color painting I completed back in the 90's

Take advantage of changes

Photo: My Mom holding my Dad's hand as he recovers from surgery.

This photo summarizes a principle in creativity that I adhere to, it is this, I create because I enjoy it... but also, so as to interject or confirm a good (hint: "good" as in Aquinas, Plato and Aristotle) in life. My Dad's recent bout with cancer was difficult... but it is in how we handle these challenges that defines life. We can be lazy and get beaten down... OR rather choose to transcend the negative aspects by drawing attention to the good.

It may seem trivial but converting confusion and negative experiences into positive elements is life-giving and often documenting these negative occasions in art or photography can help us all reflect on the good in them. This touching photo captures the love and devotion my parents have shared for over 50 years; central in the image is the wedding ring and its sign of commitment.

Incomplete messages may grab your...

Have you ever jumped into the middle of a TV program or movie and found yourself trying to figure out what is happening in the show.... and enjoying this puzzle? Now apply this common experience to a consumer looking at magazine ads, ad copy or a graphic design. If the message or lead-in is incomplete or purposefully offbeat does the audience (the prospective consumer) engage in an effort to solve the riddle in order to make sense of the unique juxtaposition? Perhaps a precious moment of intrigue sets a hard-stop in their memory bank... and a concept is sold.

Photo is a close-up view of coffee on a lazy Saturday AM.

Ingenious flexible folding-boat

Check out this folding 12-foot rowboat we take all over Minnesota. It's perfect for running rivers since the flexible sides absorb blows from partially submerged boulders in rivers. Because it is virtually unsinkable (it has built-in flotation modules), has a flat stable bottom, and is easy to row... it is very safe for kids. http://www.porta-bote.com/

Spending time with friends and loved ones in the outdoors is one of the highlights for my family. We are avid campers and hikers... and we like to fish and explore remote wilderness areas. Vast, wide-open pristine wilderness seems to refresh my mind and recharge my creative battery.

Photo is of our campsite near Two Harbors, MN.

A Rosey Outlook: Web 2.0

Blogs, flicker, youtube, twitter, social-media, pod-casts.... innovation in technology enables creativity across social and marketing mediums. In the for-profit entities, the challenge is to remain involved enough to understand the new tools and yet removed enough to not run-in-place over the latest craze and get bogged down. Keeping the low-hanging fruit the main focus, while being open to new opportunities and marketing avenues requires priorities and much discussion. Ditto on Web 3.0, web 4.0 and so on.

Photo is of a freshly picked rose from my wife's garden.

A Digital Camera: Failure is Fleeting

My kids and I, with our omnipresent digital cameras, snapped this quick close-up of a wasp.

The indispensable digital camera continues to amaze people throughout the globe... its a medical instrument, research tool, diary, entertainment maker... it truly captures life. Thanks to staggering reductions in cost and ever increasing capabilities it is the perfect tool for the average person to create something meaningful.

I encourage my kids to photograph daily and become familiar with its features. Capture a ton of snapshots and delete that bad ones. Failure is so fleeting, since a beautiful image is only a snap away.

Hands-on Creativity

I have a folder that is filled with product and toy ideas that date back to my childhood, in fact many of the best ideas (to be honest, I have not had much financial success from the ideas) come from my childhood. There is something to be said for tinkering with things and not being afraid to fail. As adults, it seems we are too timid to interject new ideas and try goofy things. Brainstorming sessions at work are commonly atrophied by fear of looking dumb and memories of past harsh comments. Success in the creative process is predicated on lots of failures, getting one's hands dirty and simply playing with ideas.

It is recorded that Aristotle said, " It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it"

Alexander Calder, the famous sculptor, was notorious for tinkering into ingenious results. And here is a link to the Artsy website that supports an excellent overview of Calder, https://www.artsy.net/artist/alexander-calder

Colored rendering is a study I made of Keith Bond's painting.

A mispronounced word becomes a beloved nick-name

Cross-Pollinating Design ideas:

Borrowing design elements from one environment and adding to a second often happens whether we plan on it or not. But many observant creative-types take advantage of these unexpected situations... and later apply the lesson to a different composition. For example, I saw (I miss many pollinating opportunities but this one I caught) the negative space between two different shoes of my daughter as they sat in the sun, the shape of this space triggered an insight into a painting I was working on. Consequently, I added a bolder shadow as negative space between two trees I was painting in a landscape and significantly improved the 16 x 20 painting.

Bigger leaps are even more thrilling... an intricate brass buckle on a fancy belt becomes inspiration for a garden fence latch. A mispronounced word becomes a beloved nick-name (Louisa became "weezee") . Inspiration can be built on or borrowed from present realities if we slow done, observe... and step out of worn paths.

Photo is of wild bluebells (ephemerals) from our southeastern MN spring camping trip.