I want to write a bit about creativity. Listening to old Marc Bolan / T-Rex songs, how perfect and new they still sound over 30 years late.
The other day in an interview I was challenged to list some things that inspire my work as a UI designer. At the time I only had one answer, 37 Signals, I regret being so caught off guard by the question so I have put more thought into it.
I think tangentially there are a lot of people or things that inspire me, those connections may be lost in the context of describing them to a stranger though. So here is my current list of people who inspire me creatively, along with some insight.
1. Charley Harper Charley Harper had an incredible way of taking nature and design and making something new and endearing. His dead simple philosophy on illustration is captured in the following quote:
“When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don’t see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings. I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures. I regard the picture as an ecosystem in which all the elements are interrelated, interdependent, perfectly balanced, without trimming or unutilized parts; and herein lies the lure of painting; in a world of chaos, the picture is one small rectangle in which the artist can create an ordered universe.”
We own a few of his prints and they are a joy to look at.
2. Hillman Curtis One of the fathers of the new media, Hillman Curtis wrote a great book about how to tackle design, MTIV or, Making the Invisible Visible goes into detail on process and insipiration, it’s loaded with great quotes and insights. His work speaks for itself. See the new version of Yahoo.com for an example of how to take a huge volume of information and make a coherant single(!) page out of it.
3. Chris Ware I constantly refer back to my feelings on reading Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth as a litmus for how to create something with emotional impact. The semi-biographical work spans generations of time and is perfectly deliniated by colors, and tempo. Years ago I found a volume of Acme Novelty Library in a Chicago books store. When I got home I looked him up and called him at home. Probably scared the crap out of him but I was so overwhelmed with what I read it was only weeks later I realized how out of turn he might have took that.
4. Merlin Mann I have mentioned Merlin earlier but like I said, he has been on my mind lately. I love the matter of fact way he has invested himself in getting things done. Merlin see’s the challenge of creatively tricking ourselves into productivity. His other personas are also refereshing departures from standard web gimicry.
5. Brian Eno There has not been a major art project in the last 4 years that I have not had to dip into Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) to help me out of a rut. The early Eno albums are very Bolan esque in that they are stunningly original and still current. Brain Eno’s ability to innovate has given him some claim to being the father of ambient music, a forerunner to early hip-hop, and giving credability to procedurally generated music.
[audio:http://cubiclescience.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/01-the-children-of-rarn.mp3]
