My website update is going slow. I worked diligently on it for two nights, only to have some whacko glitch occur that caused my files to all be corrupted and blah, blah, blah….as a result of technology hampering me in the extreme these past few months (I have lost count of how many technology related difficulties I’ve run into), there comes a time when a body, or at least a brain, just doesn’t seem to have an iota of creativity left to it. I’m there.
Unfortunately, I have a little project that I need to finish by Friday. And I’ve got no good idea how to go about doin’ what needs doin’. And I don’t have any energy for exhaustive or extensive website searches at the moment nor do I have the luxury of time to have inspiration strike.
The quick and easy shot to the arm is to do a little Image Search. I put random words (well, not entirely random, they usually have something to do with my upcoming project) into the search bar of my browser. Then I choose an image search. I pore over the many images that invariably come up to see if any of them sparks an idea.
Let me be clear here. I’m not doing a hit and run where I steal someone’s artwork. That is copyright infringement. Instead, what I’m looking for when I do an image search is something that Freud's psychotherapy tool of free-association did for the baby boomer generation--it helps me find myself again.
I might see some color that I like, or maybe there is an image of a baby, or a flower, for example. My project might not be right for a baby image, but I might find something about the baby that makes me think of something else…let’s say bottles. And when I think of baby bottles, I think of milk. And when I think of milk, I either think of a cow or cookies. Depending on whether it’s before or after lunch. Now I have something I might be able to work with. A cow.
And what can I do with that cow in my work? Well, I’m not sure. Since this is all hypothetical. But, as you can see, it’s only a few hops and skips before the brain tangents into an entirely different way of thinking and the creativity inevitably begins to flow. Barring that, I stop for a snack.
(c)SZing, 2012. All rights reserved.
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| My brain. Fried from technology glitches and being put on eternal hold with the help desk. |
Unfortunately, I have a little project that I need to finish by Friday. And I’ve got no good idea how to go about doin’ what needs doin’. And I don’t have any energy for exhaustive or extensive website searches at the moment nor do I have the luxury of time to have inspiration strike.
The quick and easy shot to the arm is to do a little Image Search. I put random words (well, not entirely random, they usually have something to do with my upcoming project) into the search bar of my browser. Then I choose an image search. I pore over the many images that invariably come up to see if any of them sparks an idea.
Let me be clear here. I’m not doing a hit and run where I steal someone’s artwork. That is copyright infringement. Instead, what I’m looking for when I do an image search is something that Freud's psychotherapy tool of free-association did for the baby boomer generation--it helps me find myself again.
I might see some color that I like, or maybe there is an image of a baby, or a flower, for example. My project might not be right for a baby image, but I might find something about the baby that makes me think of something else…let’s say bottles. And when I think of baby bottles, I think of milk. And when I think of milk, I either think of a cow or cookies. Depending on whether it’s before or after lunch. Now I have something I might be able to work with. A cow.
And what can I do with that cow in my work? Well, I’m not sure. Since this is all hypothetical. But, as you can see, it’s only a few hops and skips before the brain tangents into an entirely different way of thinking and the creativity inevitably begins to flow. Barring that, I stop for a snack.
(c)SZing, 2012. All rights reserved.
