The mechanics of creativity

From notoriously creative people, here are some insights into how they (do not) conjure up the muses:

Which of your two homes [n.b. rural Burgundy vs. urban Paris] do you find most inspirational?

Neither. No place has any inspirational importance. Ideas come in the train, during a boring dinner, watching some ridiculous television program. The mechanism of inspiration is abhorrent. One thing's for sure - I cannot find inspiration in my workshop at 9 o'clock in the morning. It will come when it comes, which is what Picasso meant when he said "je ne cherche pas, je trouve," [n.b. I don't seek, I find]. Bertrand Lavier



Whenever a design solution emerges from given peculiarities, there's a sense of inevitability about the solution. If the observation is so obvious, we feel the artist is taking a "cheap shot." In cases where the relationship between question and answer is more penetrating, the results can be very satisfying. Milton Glaser: Graphic Design

1 comment:

San said...

About inspiration... so true! There is no such thing as 'inspiration on demand'. Nevertheless, there is some previous 'perspiration', being it the previous work (?) or better said 'journey' that will take us to the great moment where the idea is clear and bright.

There is a catch though: this journey of the mind and the spirit so badly needed is not a journey that we can start when we "need" an idea. Its something that we should start way before then, if possible when kids (but is never too late to start!).

A journey that encompasses being curious, open minded & sometimes shameless.