My first time at your blog. Your post on tips for creative thinking reminded me of the artist Richard Diebenkorn’s “Notes to myself on beginning a painting”.

I lost my copy of them (I used to use them when teaching) so had to go another blog to find them… so this copy comes from the blog of an artist called Nola Meme in Canada. Her blog is http://nolameme.blogspot.com

Diebenkorn says…

1. Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion.

2. The pretty, initial position which falls short of completeness is not to be valued – except as a stimulus for further moves.

3. Do search. But in order to find other than what is searched for.

4. Use and respond to the initial fresh qualities but consider them absolutely expendable.

5. Don’t “discover” a subject – of any kind.

6. Somehow don’t be bored – but if you must, use it in action. Use its destructive potential.

7. Mistakes can’t be erased but they move you from your present position.

8. Keep thinking about Polyanna.

9. Tolerate chaos.

10. Be careful only in a perverse way.

Good list… you think?

Being a “nine to fiver” in an industry that isn’t even slightly creative can sometimes suck the creativity right out of me. My side job is my real passion. Design. So after a long week of drab, “vanilla”, cubicle slavery, …

I’d like to chime in with, “Expand your consciousness daily in hopes that you might catch an early peek at what you yet don’t know that you yet don’t know”.

And for all that don’t know, the color, “sclreoun”, is by far the most beautiful color not yet discovered. One droplet would transform anyone’s worst design, into a modern masterpiece. Don’t bother scouring your RGB/CMYK/HSB palette’s, you won’t find it there…

muahahahaha

“Know how much you don’t know”