In Twyla Tharp’s book “The Creative Habit” she outlines how she captures ideas for a project: a box. Using a banker’s box, physical box not a metaphor, she drops snippets of anything that inspires her for a project. Photo, fabric sample, songs, lyrics, movies, books… you get the idea. I used to use a ‘tickle file” where samples, postcards, brochures, photos, product packages, gift wrap, etc that I could peruse for inspiration.
Maybe you use an old shoe or cigar box, screen shots taking up space in your Photos folder, computer desktop filled with reminders or an application like Evernote where you’re storing links. Using a physical box is tactile, which I believe provides gives us that little flicker of inspiration we need at that moment.
Idea boxes, like mood boards where we’re tacking color swatches, pictures of furniture and fixtures for project.
WRONG! THE ABOVE IS A BOX
Why was I confusing capturing one’s ideas with inspiration? I wrote the above several weeks ago, and reviewing the draft against original notes; I was heading in the wrong direction. An infinity pool for ideas is where you go to generate ideas. Possibly clearing your head from the daily infusion of work, noise, news…
WE NEED A FOUNTAIN
Growing up, just about every family on the block went “up north” for weekends and summer vacations. Parents and kids would come back recharged and happier (if the weather was good and traffic clear). Traveling is certainly a method to jolt your brain and escape the weekly mundane routine. Visiting the old school house cottage along the shores of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with my parents such a trip. Rural farmland, orchards, small towns, country roads, woods, and lakeshore.
EXPLORATION
Today, my travel less; mostly a tourist in my own city, Chicago. Here, my idea infinity pool(s) are walks downtown amongst the great architecture, exploring the neighborhoods and boutiques, long walks in the lakefront parks, and numerous other activities.
Alternatively, you idea infinity pool might be some form of meditation. A traditional 5-10 minute quiet zone, clear your brain meditation. Journaling and drawing are also a form of meditation. Anything that help you still the continuous flow of thoughts, white noise, smartphone addiction that traps up in a state that lacks focus and concentration.
Let’s change the language from idea infinity ‘pool’ to ‘fountain’. When I envision an infinity pool, I see the mystical line between water and sky; an uncertainty. Yet, the vision of a fountain is a replenishment, the flow from one basin to another. The droplets of water in the air, splashing. A cycle that can only be stopped by turning off the flow (or a leak).
Where do you find your IDEA FOUNTAIN?