posted November 18, 2005 08:14 PM
I just got back from a business trip to Minnesota. I was travelling by myself and as such had plenty of time waiting, making connections and on the plane rides themselves.
I never fancy the travelling alone but it goes with the territory from time to time. I bring along some books, buy some magazines, take the time to look carefully at everything along the way - especially in the airports and shops there. Each region has new (to me) and different ideas. There is always a ton of things to tweak my imagination.
I also ALWAYS take along a sketchbook with lots of blank pages as well as a couple of pens which won't explode (or quit) with elevation changes we experience in the plane.
This trip I had some projects in mind as well to sketch along the way... specifically more letter samples to do up on our MultiCam. Donna's comment last week about my past samples being an alphabet made me want to do up a complete set of (all different) letters for display on our walls.
The challenge at hand was to do this design task on my trip - without the benefit of a computer. My time in the departure airport was spent cruising, more thoroughly than ever before, and taking the time to record it all with the camera. My sketch book never got opened until I was seated on the plane.
I didn't start jotting down my ideas until I was seated on the plane. By the time the plane wheels left the runway I was into my third sketch and warming up good. One idea spawned 5 new ones and I was on a roll. Before the stewardesses got to the snacks I had filled up a bunch of pages of my sketch book, not with one idea per letter, but two or three alternates as well.
After going through the alphabet a number of times it was time to scribble down some ideas which had come to mind for other projects as well.
Over the next few days between my meeting I saw lots of inspiration, walked a lot of miles, took tons of pictures, read three books and filled many, many pages of my sketchbook.
It seems once I got rolling, the faster I drew, the more ideas popped into my head. It feels great to be on a creative roll once again... to be totally in the groove!
Since my return I have been busy filling in the gaps with new ideas and starting to vectorize my myriad of sketches for the router.
Time will tell if the trip to Minnesota results in a job down the road, but even if it doesn't the time spent was very worthwhile.
-grampa dan
[ November 18, 2005, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted November 21, 2005 08:47 AM
Those rolls don't just happen, you feed them. That's the joy and excitement. Sad part is, we don't have the ability to make them happen, you know, like a technique or exercise to do when feeling dry that always jump starts to juices. That'll be the book that makes one of us rich someday.
-------------------- The SignShop Mendocino, California
Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity. — Charles Mingus Posts: 6712 | From: Mendocino, CA. USA | Registered: Nov 1998
| IP: Logged |
posted November 21, 2005 12:38 PM
Dan I love traveling for the very same reasons. Getting out of your 'same-ol' atmosphere and taking in the architecture, smells and cultural diversity of other places is very exhilerating and sparks so much creative energy to the imagination. Of all my (very limited travels) I was most jazzed by Arizona and New Mexico. From the food to the art, to the landscape . . .I fell in love with all of it . . .
Dunno what place I will fall in love with next . . .I'm very fickle. I love every place I go . . .!
-------------------- Signs Sweet Home Alabama
oneshot on chat
"Look like a girl, act like a lady, think like a man, work like a dog" Posts: 5758 | From: "Sweet Home" Alabama | Registered: Mar 2003
| IP: Logged |
Wish I had known you were in town I would've come over and bought you lunch......not sure when you were there but I left for LA on Wednesday of last week and had my own little adventure.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to tell you more about it soon?
Next time you're in Minneapolis let me know and I'll drive up there and meet with you...I'm about an hour away from there and go up there all the time anyway!
Take care, sounds like you had a good time. Love the different look of the letters you are working on MultiCam style!
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic