Creative Method Workshop Edition

work shop ed ition the Creative Method and systems v1.7b WORKSHOP EDITION 2009 BY jason theodor

Jason Theodor creative director Hi. My name is Jason Theodor. jasontheodor.com photo: Charles Finley

About Me { writer consultant creative director speaker teacher I am a creative. You’re allowed to use an adjective as a noun when you work in advertising. jasontheodor.com

About Me I have worked with over 40 major brands, helping them come up with marketing ideas. jasontheodor.com

About Me If you want to understand digital culture, you have to love it. These are some of the sites and communities I participate in. Look for jted. jasontheodor.com

About Me P P P And these are some of the ideas I have about creativity and ideation. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ personal brand Creative Method Exercise the Creative Method and systems This exercise gets you thinking about who you are, what you do, and how you want to represent yourself to others. · Write down 3 words to represent you: What you are now, what you want to be, how you feel, or anything that captures your essence. · Don’t think too hard about it. · Now imagine that these three words are your tagline, or represent your personal brand. · How do you feel about them? Revise if necessary. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Before You Leap… flickr photo:No por Mucho Madrugar It’s good to know what you are doing before you break the rules. jasontheodor.com

Pushing the Envelope Before you can push the envelope, you have to become a good pilot. jasontheodor.com

What is Creativity? This is one of the top images for ‘creativity’ on Google image search. What does this have to do with creativity? jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ what is creativity to you? Creative Method Exercise the Creative Method and systems As simple as this looks on the surface, the more complex it can become as you attempt to unravel the answer. · Finish this sentence: Creativity is _______________________. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Not Your Father’s Light Bulb The idea of ideas continues to evolve, just like the lightbulb. The next generation may not know what to call that thing above the typing dog’s head. jasontheodor.com

Jacques Maximin french chef Creativity means not copying. One person’s idea about creativity… jasontheodor.com

Ferran Adrià spanish chef, elBulli With creativity, it is not what you look for that matters, but what you find. photo: Sergi Pons …can inspire another person’s creative genius. jasontheodor.com

Jason Theodor creative director Creativity is part of a well-balanced breakfast. flickr pho to: Tsja! People have a lot of different definitions for creativity. But who’s right? jasontheodor.com

Wikipedia There is no single, authoritative perspective or definition of Creativity and there is no standardized measurement technique. jasontheodor.com

Breaking Default Thoughts tend to follow grooves and set patterns. jasontheodor.com

Breaking Default You need to start breaking your default if you want new ideas. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ asynchronous Q&A D Deviation Group Exercise · Write a question (anything) on a piece of paper. · Fold paper and hand it to person on your left. · Take new folded paper from person on your right. · DON’T PEEK AT THE QUESTION! · Write the answer to your original question on the outside of the new folded paper. · Okay, now you can unfold it. Take turns reading the unrelated Q&As together. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ shiny new thing D Deviation Group Exercise · Get 3 pieces of paper or stickies. · On one write an object (what is it? eg. trap). · On one write a function (what does it do? eg. catches mice). · On one write a description (what does it look like? eg. wooden). · Create 3 piles: one for all functions, one for all descriptions, and another for all objects. · Break into teams of 2-4. · Draw one paper from each pile so that each team has a random function, description, and object (yes there will be papers left over). · Spend 10 minutes using all 3 chosen attributes to describe a new invention. · Present your invention to the larger group. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

the Creative Method & Systems... …is not about becoming more creative, it’s about BEING more creative. …pushes your ideas past the edges. …helps you to identify your creative strengths and weaknesses. …enhances your creative output by combining systems that fit abilities and strengthen creative gaps. jasontheodor.com

Three Creative Elements A C D Action Connection Deviation Creativity is made up of three simple elements: Action, Connection, and Deviation. jasontheodor.com

Three Creative Elements A C D Action Connection Deviation Action is about doing things— the act of creation. The original meaning of creation was to make something from nothing. jasontheodor.com

Three Creative Elements A C D Action Connection Deviation Connection is the deeper, emotional link that is made with memory, culture, and the human condition. jasontheodor.com

Three Creative Elements A C D Action Connection Deviation Deviation is the word scientists use to describe something outside of the norm. In creative terms, this is called originality. jasontheodor.com

Three Creative Elements “do” “glue” “skew” A C D Action Connection Deviation I like to refer to these three core elements as do, glue, and skew. jasontheodor.com

Combining the Elements Action Connection CREATIVITY Deviation The convergence of Action, Connection, and Deviation makes Creativity possible. jasontheodor.com

Combining the Elements replication Action Connection CREATIVITY Where Action and Deviation Connection intersect you have replication: the ability to copy things well. jasontheodor.com

Combining the Elements replication Action Connection CREATIVITY contemplation Where Connection and Deviation Deviation intersect you have contemplation: the ability to think original thoughts about things. jasontheodor.com

Combining the Elements replication Action Connection CREATIVITY randomization contemplation Where Deviation and Deviation Action intersect you have randomization: the ability to make unique but disconnected things. jasontheodor.com

Combining the Elements replication Action Connection CREATIVITY randomization contemplation Deviation Creativity ideally needs all three elements to make original, relatable ideas come to fruition. jasontheodor.com

The Passive Elements observation education PASSIVITY The weaker, more passive side to these elements can be expressed as needs: weak Action needs more observation. exposure Weak Connection needs education. And weak Deviation needs more exposure to new things. jasontheodor.com

Makers & Takers MAKER TAKER CREATIVITY PASSIVITY There are two main types of people in this world: Makers and Takers. Makers are active creators. Takers are passive consumers. We all exhibit combinations of both at different times, but we all favour one direction over another. jasontheodor.com

Danzae Pace writer [There are] those who see shapes in cloud formations, and those who just see clouds. n gergordo flickr photo: ro jasontheodor.com

8 Creative Types A Action/observation C Connection/education D Deviation/exposure creator dreamer wildcard mimic producer complicator crazy consumer Creators and Consumers are the main types, with variants in between. jasontheodor.com

the Creator Action: strong Action Connection Connection: strong Deviation: strong All elements in balance and harmony. Often hits the magical sweet spot Deviation of pure creativity. jasontheodor.com

the Dreamer Action: weak observation Connection Connection: strong contemplation Deviation: strong Thinks original, creative thoughts but has difficulty Deviation following through with them. This is me, most of the time. I find Action very difficult. jasontheodor.com

the Wildcard Action: strong Action education Connection: weak randomization Deviation: strong Has trouble being understood creatively, Deviation often anti-social. jasontheodor.com

the Mimic Action: strong Action Connection Connection: strong replication Deviation: weak Excellent at copying things. Struggles to be exposure original. jasontheodor.com

the ‘Producer’ Action: strong Action education Connection: weak Deviation: weak Great at following directions, but adds exposure little creative value. jasontheodor.com

the Complicator Action: weak observation Connection Connection: strong Deviation: weak Thinks of every obvious outcome, exposure but can’t deliver. jasontheodor.com

the Crazy Action: weak observation education Connection: weak Deviation: strong Look out. There’s no telling what he or she Deviation might do. jasontheodor.com

the Consumer Action: weak observation education Connection: weak Deviation: weak Consumer alert! Watches TV, eats exposure packaged food, buys mass-produced stuff. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ what creative type are you? Creative Method Exercise Action/observation Connection/education Deviation/exposure the Creative Method and systems A C D · Identify a Creative Type that fits your style. · Remember that sometimes you’ll be more than one of these types. · Explain your choice. creator dreamer wildcard mimic producer complicator crazy consumer the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Brian Aldiss novelist Whatever creativity is, it is in part a solution to a problem. …even if we don’t know what that problem is yet. jasontheodor.com

Focus Also known as a Creative Brief Key Message What is the single most important thing to convey? Who What Why Who is this for? What is the goal? Why is this being done? This is called the This is called the This is called the target audience. problem statement or purpose statement. challenge statement. If you know what you want to do, define it further by answering a few simple focus related questions. This will help you to stay on task. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ writing a brief Creative Method Exercise the Creative Method and systems · Imagine your next creative project clearly. · What is the key message? · Who is your target audience? · What is the goal you are challenged with? · Why are you doing this? What is the purpose? the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

A.ction A “do” Quantity · Simple · Smart · Well-crafted Physical Dimension · descriptive Action is the foundational element of Creativity. jasontheodor.com

Thomas Alva Edison inventer Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. jasontheodor.com

Action Story flickr photo: Patrick Q There once was a potter who split his class in 2 halves. To get perfect grades, he said, each person in Group One had to work at making one perfect pot. Each person in Group Two just had to use up 100 lbs of clay. The first group struggled throughout the course, working on the same pot for days on end. Most failed to get it right. The second group went through a lot of clay and failed often. But they also learned, iterated and improved. By the end, most of them had several perfect pots. jasontheodor.com

Action Story flickr photo: Patrick Q Desired Result of Action: simple, smart, well-crafted work jasontheodor.com

John Steinbeck american writer Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen. jasontheodor.com

Capture. Catalogue. Review. flickr photo: practical owl Make sure you have something to capture your ideas at all times. Digitize and catalogue your ideas every day or you may lose them. At the end of every week, review your work to purge and adjust. jasontheodor.com

Tough Guys You never know when you’ll need to capture an idea or moment. I captured these tough guys smoking cigars and trying to ignore the little dog in the blue sweater. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ capture catalogue review A Action Exercise · What capture methods best suit you? What do you usually carry around that you can use or adapt? · How can you catalogue, or keep track of your ideas? Identify some digital and analogue methods. · Consider your own personal review procedure. How often should you look over what you’ve captured and catalogued? the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

suggested Brain Storming Rules flickr photo: ‘Playing withbrushes’ ring sketchi ng supplies. •B ring snacks + candy. •B est ratio) (2:1 work/r y. ort bursts e of urgenc • Work in sh false sens t o create a to keep the Facilitator input. fy a neutrald draw out • Identi n task an group o f-sensor. & don’t sel • Reserv e judgement idated or in timidating. • Do n’t be intim quantity. •G o for mass an nothing. e! Say anyth ing rather th • Participat • Capture everything. jasontheodor.com

rough 10 Ideation Guidelines Let’s try that again, shall we? While basic brainstorming rules are useful, sometimes you need rougher guidelines for fast and messy ideation. I wrote these new guidelines in 10 minutes while trying to bathe an infant. jasontheodor.com

1. Distraction is Okay In fact, it’s preferred. You are never going to have a perfect environment. jasontheodor.com

2. Use Available Materials Don’t wait for the perfect set-up, it won’t happen. Don’t pine for your ’special pen.’ Use lipstick on a napkin or fog a window with your stinkin’ breath and draw with your finger. Just get it out! You are never going to have perfect equipment jasontheodor.com

3. Draw Pictures You don’t always have to write words. Use colours, faces, shapes, dots, musical notation, semaphore, morse code, fruit, animals, IKEA furniture. Words come from the left, analytical side of your brain. Drawing and scribbling come from the right, creative side. jasontheodor.com

4. Connections Don’t Matter Don’t try to be smart. Don’t care if you’re daft. The solution does not have to relate to the problem. Your brain works in strange ways so you might as well get used to it. Let it go. jasontheodor.com

5. Panic! Relax. illustration: Peter Cross Panic! See what comes out. It might be crazy or shaky or too garbled to read. Then close your eyes, take a deep breath and hold it. Shut out the world. What do you see in your mind’s eye? Write it down fast because you’ve got less than a minute. Panic! Repeat as necessary. Use your mental state to your advantage. jasontheodor.com

6. Work Through the Gap If you have a block or a moment of synaptic silence, just barrel through it. Write down anything so long as it’s something. The first word in your head is a start. If there is nothing in your head then look around you. Make associations or just plain obvious observations (”That man has grey socks”). You made it across! jasontheodor.com

7. Make Noise Talk, yell, laugh, screech, whistle. Pretend you are on a game show. Or not. Just vocalize. Making noise changes your mental state immediately. jasontheodor.com

8. Shed Your Demographic Pretend you’re a dog, or an autistic child, or a circus clown, or an astronaut, or a teenage Britney Spears fan, or a tree. What would they come up with? Children pretend they are different things all the time. Remember when that was effortless? jasontheodor.com

9. Steal from the Environment Read over that guy’s shoulder. What’s on the bottom of your shoe? Look up. Look down. Look over there. What is that woman wearing? Who’s driving that car? What type of clouds are those? Is it really this late? Keep looking around until something clicks (or your minute runs out). See, your attention deficit disorder suddenly becomes an advantage! jasontheodor.com

10. Let Go of Your Ego… …OR SOMEBODY’S GOING TO GET HURT. You can be a genius later, right now you don’t have the time. Try to come up with a terrible idea. Try as hard as you can to come up with the worst idea you’ve ever had. If that doesn’t work, then just be obvious. jasontheodor.com

11. There is No Box™ F*** it. Break the rules. Do what you want. See if I care. I really do care. I’m just saying that for effect. I get annoyed when people tout their rules as being the final word. It’s important to use what works for you. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ ideation guidelines A Action Exercise · Make a list of the most important brainstorming rules or ideation guidelines you can think of. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

10 Ideas in 10 Minutes™ The ‘f’ in the circle is called the focus. Your focus is the problem you want to solve, or the idea you want to expand. The rules are simple: you have 10 minutes to come up with 10 ideas. Go! jasontheodor.com

10 Ideas in 10 Minutes™ · Use the 10 Ideation Guidelines to get you started. · Make sure you have a focus. · Write down as many ideas as you can in 10 minutes, aiming for a minimum of 10. · If you are running behind, write down anything. This can be hard at first, but gets easier with practice. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ 10 in 10™ A Action Exercise · Prepare a focus— the creative problem or idea you would like to brainstorm about. · Get out your stopwatch. · Write down an idea a minute for ten minutes. · Repeat as needed. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Celebrity Baby Name Sources 1. Baking 2. Periodic Table 3. Martha Stewart Colours 4. Oranges 5. Architectural Terms 6. Unix 7. Printer’s Marks 8. IKEA Sofas 9. Obsolete Names of North American Birds 10. Calculus Where do celebrities find inspirational baby names? I came up with these sources by looking around my living room. jasontheodor.com

Celebrity Baby Names 1. Pumpernickel, Rye, Kaiser 2. Californium, Tungsten, Boron 3. Shoji, Beryl, Cameo 4. Satsuma, Mandarin, Clementine 5. Transom, Ashlar, Mortise 6. Echo, Chmod, Whoami 7. Star, Registration, Crop 8. Ektorp, Karlanda, Nikkala 9. Nene, Petral, Alala 10. Cos, Jacobian, Vector Feel free to use any of these names. Just give me credit. jasontheodor.com

I quickly wrote down these rules when I became a manager for the first time. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ if pigs could fly… A Action Exercise · In ten minutes or less, write at least ten realistic scenarios where a pig could fly. flickr photo: churl the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

The Law of 1% Write down one hundred ideas or more and you are guaranteed to love one of them. jasontheodor.com

The Law of 1% · If you force yourself to come up with 100 ideas, one of them will be great. · When a photographer like Annie Leibovitz goes on a photo shoot, she doesn’t take 3 perfect pictures. She takes hundreds of pictures and chooses the great ones. jasontheodor.com

Linus Pauling scientist The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas. Pauling paved the way for the discovery of the DNA molecule and discovered sickle-cell anemia, the first protein-based illness. jasontheodor.com

John Hodgman author, humourist I play a PC only on television. I’ve used Macs since 1984. Hodgman listed over 700 Hobo names in his first book. jasontheodor.com

#1: Stewbuilder Dennis #2: Cholly the Yegg #3: Holden the Expert Dreamtwister #4: The Rza #5: Jack Skunk #6: Jack Skunk Fils #7: Lord Dan X. Still-Standing #8: Marlon Fitz-fancy #9: Bazino Bazino, The Kid Whose Hair Is On Fire #10: Whispering-Lies McGruder #11: Nit Louse #12: Dan'l Dinsmore Tackadoo #13: Hobo Zero #14: The Silver Jacket Man #15: No-Shoulders Smalltooth Jones #16: Sistery Brothery Nabob #17: Name Withheld #18: Staniel the Spaniel #19: Frederick Bannister, the Tree Surgeon #20: Tarnose Cohen #21: Mr. Wilson Fancypants #22: Floyd Dangle #23: Shane Stoopback #24: Wicked Paul Fourteen-Toes #25: Normal-Face Olaf #26: Tearbaby Hannity Stoop #27: The Damned Swede #28: Pierre Tin-Hat #29: Ol' Barb Stab-You-Quick #30: Mr. Whist #31: James Fenimore Cooper #32: Twistback John, the Scoliosis Sufferer #33: Sweet Daddy Champagne #34: Senator Cletus Scoffpossum #35: Horus, the Bird-Headed Fool #36: 50-Tooth Slim #37: Monk, the Monkey Man (which is to say: "the Man") #38: Thad the Bunter #39: Balloonpopper Chillingsworth #40: All-but-Dissertation Tucker Dummychuck #41: Finnish Jim #42: Flemish Jim #43: Foreign Tomas, the Strangetalker #44: Roadhouse Ogilvy and Sons #45: Jokestealer John Selden #46: Giancarlo, Master of the Metal Trapeze #47: Dr. Bill Stain-Chin, the Boxcar Medic #48: Boxcar Ted #49: 700 Hobo Names Boxcar Mick #50: Boxcars [sic] Timothy Twin #51: Boxcar Jones, the Boxcar Benjamin Disraeli #52: Boxcar Aldous Huxley #53: JR Lintstockings #54: Gila Monster Jr. #55: Irontrousers the Strong #56: "X," the Anonymous Man or Woman #57: Orphaned Reynaldo, the Child with Haunting Eyes (while there were children hoboes, Reynaldo took this when he was 45; prior to this, he was known as...[See #58]) #58: Reynaldo Reynaldoson, Who Will One Day Kill His Father #59: Thoughtless Harry Hsu #60: Clinical Psychiatrist Huga Rivera #61: Peter Ox-Hands #62: Ponytail Douglas Winthrop #63: Lil' Jonny Songbird, the Songbird-Eater #64: King Snake: The Eternal Mystery #65: Ghostly Nose Silvie #66: Fonzie #67: DiCapa the Hound #68: Beef-or-Chicken Bob Nubbins #69: Honest Amelia Dirt #70: Slow Motion Jones #71: Canadian Football Pete #72: Meep Meep, the Italian Tailor #73: Jonathan William Coulton, the Colchester Kid #74: Maria the Pumpkin-Patch Crooner #75: Bix Shmix #76: Vice President Garrett Hobart #77: Stun Gun Jones #78: Prostate Davey #79: Flea Stick #80: Niles Butterbal, the Frozen Turkey #81: Todd Four-Flush #82: Stick-Legs McOhio #83: The Unanswered Question of Timothy #84: Mickey the Assistant Manager #85: Guesstimate Jones #86: Goofus #87: Gallant #88: Sir Roundbelly DeDelight #89: Newton Fig #90: Chicken Nugget Will #91: Parlor Peter, the Sneak Thief #92: Ovid #93: Bathsheba Ditz #94: Alan Pockmark, Esq. #95: Lolly Hoot Holler #96: Von Skump #97: Lonnie Choke #98: Chisolm Chesthair #99: Freak Le Freak, the Freakster #100: Rex Spangler, the Bedazzler #101: Randall Mouth-Harp #102: Chrysler LeBaron #103: The Fishin' Physician #104: Persuasive Frederick #105: Celestial Stubbs #106: Teary-Eyed Fingal #107: Mairah Nix #108: Cthulhu Carl #109: Del Folksy-Beard #110: No-Banjo Burnes #111: Chainmail Giles Godfrey #112: Lois "Charles" Ladyfinger #113: Plausible Zane Scarrey #114: Huckle Smothered #115: Mmmmm Dandy Dundee #116: Mountain-Humper Edgar Ames #117: Spasmodic Hilary #118: Doc Aquatic #119: Molly Bewigged #120: Cincinnati O'Gurk #121: Metuchen O'Sullivan #122: Cherry Hill O'Manley #123: Cheesequake O'Lennox #124: Booper O'Montauk #125: Zaxxon Galaxian #126: Drinky Drunky Thom, the Drunk #127: Terry Gross #128: Spooky-Night Spooky Day #129: Zipgun Gloucester Gluck #130: Human Hair Frum #131: Sherlock-Holmes-Hat Carl III #132: Patrick Intergalatic #133: Abmidextrous Stang #134: Yum-Yum Sinclair Snowballeater #135: Ponzi-Scheme Jeremiah Ponzi #136: Toodles Strunk #137: Monkeybars Matthew Manx #138: Pineneedle-Jacket Jericho Fop #139: Robert the Tot #140: Robert the Child-Size #141: Robert the Minuscule #142: Robert the Wee #143: Robert Fits-in-a-Case #144: Robert Eats-for-Free #145: Robert Is-He-an-Elf? (The seven Silk brothers, all named Robert, were also known for the small stature and predictable bitterness.) #146: Dennis Big-Ear Fox #147: Jethro the Pagan #148: Asterix the Gaul #149: Black Bolt, King of the Inhumans #150: Strictly Local Henry Bobtail #151: Manny the High-Ranking Mason #152: Fry-Pan Jim Fry #153: Slo-Mo Deuteronomy #154: Half-Bearded Mark #155: Knee-Brace Kenny #156: Morris the Personal Trainer #157: Thundertwine #158: Cleats Onionpocket #159: Deformed Abe #160: Trainwhistle Abejundio #161: David No-Ears #162: Achilles Snail-Hair the Buddha #163: Frog-Eatin' Lou #164: Admiral's Club Wilbur #165: Max Meatboots, the First-Class Lounger #166: Dora the Explorer #167: Ms. Mary Manx, the Tailless Cat #168: Free-Peanuts Doug #169: Steve the Human Tunneler #170: Redball Charlie Dickens #171: Twink the Reading-Room Snoozer #172: Microfiche Roy, the Side-Scroller #173: McGurk, Who May Be Found by the Card Catalogue #174: Booster D'Souza #175: Commodore Sixty-Four #176: Moped Enid, the Mopedist #177: Lamant the Junkman #178: Fast-Neck Nell #179: Bill Never-Uses-a-Cookbook #180: Bee-Beard #181: Lil' Max Meatboots #182: The Personal Secretary to Jed #183: Dee Snider #184: Sausage Patty #185: Desert Locust #186: Gummy Miles #187: Gyppo Moot, the Enigma Machine #188: Ol' Stiffpants #189: Skywise the Sexual Elf #190: Craine T. Eyebrow-Smeller #191: Lonely Heiney Alan Meister #192: Shakey Aitch the Boneyard Concierge #193: Woody Damn #194: Alatar #195: Pallando #196: Saltfish Bunyan #197: Poor, Poor, Poor Charlie Short #198: Venomous Byron #199: Five-Chambered-Stomach Mort St. John #200: Gravybelly Dunstan #201: Extra-Skin Dave #202: Beanbag-Chair Bill #203: Grant Sharpnails, the Scratcher #204: Tommy Lice-Comb #205: "Medicated Shampoo" Jonah Jump #206: General Woundwort, the Giant Rabbit #207: Genius L. Cravat, the Gentleman #208: Giant Bat Wings Roland #209: Nick Nolte #210: Salty Salty Friday #211: Fatman and the Creature (note: there was no creature) #212: Cecelia Graveside #213: Hoosegow Earl French #214: Stymie Stonewrist #215: Roadrunner "Meep Meep" Fabong #216: Bruised-Rib Johansson, the Beefer #217: Joachim Bat-in-Hair #218: Food-Eating Micah #219: Rubbery Dmitry, the Mad Monk #220: Honey Bunches of Donald #221: Crispy Morton #222: Feminine Forearms Rosengarten #223: Two-Headed Mike Hoover #224: Manny Stillwaggon, the Man with the Handlebar Eyebrows #225: Bean-Hoarder Newt #226: Texas Emil #227: The Moor of Venice #228: Averroes Nix #229: Human Hair Blanket Morris Burnes #230: Canadian Paul Tough #231: Crooner Sy #232: Manuel Pants-Too-High #233: Sylvia Patience Hidden-Forks #234: Sung, the Land Pirate #235: Opie, the Boston Bum #236: Hard-Flossing Hope Peak #237: Stingo the Bandana Origami Prodigy #238: Franklin Ape and His Inner Ear Infection #239: Questionable-Judgement Theodore Stomachbrace #240: Thermos H. Christ #241: Sir Mix-a-Lot #242: The Nine Doctor Whos #243: Lord Winston Two-Monocles #244: The Freewheelin' Barry Sin #245: Diego the Spark-Spitter #246: American Citizen Zane Pain #247: Abraham, the Secret Collector of Decorative China #248: Linty Sullivan, the Lint-Collector #249: Socks Monster #251: Pappy Churchill #252: The Young Churchill #253: The Young Churchill's Hated Bride #254: Churchill-Lover Phineas Redfish #255: Crispus T. Muzzlewitt #256: Stain-Sucker Duncan #257: Dick the Candy Dandy #258: Albuteral Inhaler Preson McWeak #259: Longtime Listener, First-Time Caller #260: Mastiff Mama #261: Tennessee Ernie Dietz #262: Sharkey, the Secret Cop #263: Gooseberry Johnson, Head Brain of the Hobosphere #264: Weekend-Cicular Deborah #265: Marcus Chickenstock #266: Stunted Newton #267: Magnus Shortwave #268: U.S. Fool #269: Manatee the Railyard Toreador #270: Utah Manfred Succor-Munt #271: Laura Delite #272: Edwin Winnipeg #273: Eyepatch Resse Andiron #274: Tom False-Lips Real-Teeth #275: Fabulon Darkness #276: Cricket-Eating Charles Digges #277: Pally McAffable, Everybody's Friend #278: Sully Straightjacket #279: Half-Dollar Funk Nelson #280: Whitman Sampler #281: Chili-Mix Wilma Bensen #282: Sting, the Glowing Blade #283: Professor Challenger #284: Lil' Shorty Longhorn #285: Rumpshaker Phil #286: Swing State Myron #287: Alistair Crowley, the Devil #288: Gutthrower Sy Salt #289: Sweetback Barney, the Dilettante #290: The Car-Knocker Killer #291: The Chamberlain #292: The Emperor #293: The Ritual-Master #294: The Garthim-Master #295: The Scientist #296: The Gourmand #297: The Slave-Master #298: The Treasurer #299: The Scroll Keeper #300: The Ornamentalist #301: Captain Slick-Talk #302: Sackfist, the Tapdancing Trombo #303: Souvenir-Selling Mlodinow #304: Blind Buck and "Woozy," the Invisible Seeing-Eye Dog #305: Roundhouse Farter #306: Red Ball Pnutz #307: Fake Cockney Accent Alan Strippe #308: Air and Whiskey Dale McGlue #309: Johnny RC Airplane #310: Narcotic Morgan Suds #311: Sir Francis Drank #312: Mahayana Mike #313: Miniyana Geoffrey #314: Three-Bean Otz #315: Maury the Monsoon #316: Czech Czarlie Czill #317: Sssssssssssssssss, the Hisser #318: Thanatos Koch #319: Henry Eatsmelts #320: Modem-Sniffer Gunderson #321: Half-Albino Alejandro #322: Gluttonous-Slim #323: Ragweed-Allergic Matt #324: Amorous Luminous Dirk #325: Moray Eel Ken Elmer #326: The Railbender #327: Antonio the Ombudsman #328: Karl Solenoid IV #329: Czar King Rex the Glorious Leader #330: Andy Bunkum #331: Plastic-Moustache Mortimer Tall #332: Samuel Gel Insole #333: Lemuel Gel Insole #334: Amanda Until #335: Crispy Whiskery #336: Robert Louis Stevenson, the Pirate #337: Hobo Overload #338: Leopard Print Steven Kane #339: Astonishing Shaun Eyelash #340: Billy Creak Knees #341: Owlie #342: Anwar, the Bionic #343: Reasonably Priced Motel Resse Unger #344: Ribery Dana #345: Cranberry Sauce Oppenheimer #346: Nancified Frederick #347: The Loon #348: Itinerant Jane #349: Holy Hannah Hottentot-Smythe #350: Fleabottle Boone #351: Amazin' Jack Caroo #352: Stupefying P, the Riddle-Maker #353: Todd Flaky-Palms #354: Waspwaist Fritz #355: Judge Roughneck #356: Slam Dance Dooze #357: Mariah Duckface, the Beaked Woman #358: Count Mesmerize #359: Sonny-Boy Oedipus Acre #360: Pick Mama Susan Xavier #361: Chelsea Bacon #362: Archie Axe #363: Sally Hoot-Hoot #364: Mr. Pendleton #365: Saves-Receipts Dave #366: Sir Walter British #367: Elmer, the Crankscout #368: Golden Neck #369: Marinated Alex Pons #370: El Boot #371: Shapeshifting Demon #372: Jeremiah Tip Top #373: Amanda CeeCee Stobelight #374: Irving Alva Edison, Inventor of the Hobophone #375: Leather Apron #376: Lead Apron #377: Foil Apron #378: Burnt Goathead #379: Saint Sorryass #380: Overly Familiar Fung #381: Chalmers, the Bridge Champ #382: Elephantine McMoot #383: Neekerbeeker Perry Toenz #384: Teattime BB Stiles #385: Coalie T #386: Hubbel "I Predicted Lindy Hop" Deerblind #387: Hubie Hewitt, the Broadway Legend #388: Huge Crybaby McWeepy #389: Poo-Knickers Elias #390: Elffriend Weingarten #391: Forktongue Nigel Fork #392: Woodeye Apfel #393: Hairlip Mikhail #394: Solid First Draft Patton Taylor #395: Prettynickels, the Lamb #396: Not-Only But-Also Pete #397: Pentheif Hickock #398: La Grande Mel #399: Applebee O'Bennigan McFridays #400: Ladry Jerry Lardo #401: Low-Carb Hodgman confessed in a CBC interview that when he got into the 300s he didn’t Aleks Stovepipe #402: Hugo Stares #403: Eldred Splinters #404: Oliver, the Train-Oyster #405: Pring, Ultralord of the Hobo Jungle #406: Utz, the Crab Chip #407: Salt-and-Pepper Chest #408: Beverly Hills Buntz #409: Mississippi Barry Phlegm #410: Matter-Eater Brad #411: 49-State Apthorp, the Alaska-Phobe #412: New Hampshire Todd #413: "Taxachusetts" Glenn #414: Hydrocephalic Jones #415: Vermont "Greenmountain Boy" Phil Marijuana #416: think he could go on. But he pushed himself to 700, with some startlingly creative Alaska Mick the Crabber #417: Arizona Ludwig #418: California Ainsley Shortpants #419: Collegeboy Brainiac, the Hobo Einstein #420: Dr. Zizmor #421: Silas Swollentoe (2 illustrations) #422: Slimneck Holden Fop #423: Aspiring Jaster #424: Illinois Obama #425: Sammy Austere #426: New Mexico Anselm Turquoise-Eater #427: Caboose-Fouling Ferris Ntz #428: Prayerful Stan, the Bent-Knee Yahoo #429: Four-Fisted Jock Socko #430: Buttery-Cheeks Anton #431: Shadow ("Blinky") Preston #432: Godigisel the Vandal #433: Gunderic Godigiselson #434: Panzo the Spiral-Cut Ham #435: Smoke-Collecting Reg #436: Hot Gnome Jimmy Jackson #437: Pontius Cornsilk-Heart #438: results. He then went on to record a 45min mp3 of his list. http://www.archive.org/details/700HoboNames Sanfor Who Lacks Fingerprints #439: Treesap-Covered N. Magruder #440: Thor Hammerskold, the Mexican #441: Bingo-Balls Nick Chintz #442: Bleedingtoe the Barefoot 'Bo #443: Hondo "Whatever That Lizard Is That Walks on Water" #444: Salami Sunshine #445: Fourteen-Bindelstick Frank #446: Oregon Brucie Shunt #447: Pirandello, the Many-Bearded #448: Quinn and His Quaker Oats Box Drum #449: Fatneck Runt #450: my-e-hobo.com #451: Somersaulting Mike Spitz #452: Bo 'Bo #453: Abelard "Sunken Treasure" Lowtrousers #454: Colin, That Cheeful Fuck #455: Battling Joe Frickinfrack #456: Monsieur Dookie, the Francophonic #457: Happy Horace Noosemaker jasontheodor.com #458: Hieronymous Crosseyes #459: Crumbjacket Timmy #460: Overload-the-Dishwasher Mac #461: Phythmic Clyde Hopp #462: Microbrew Stymie #463: El Caballo, the Spanish Steed #464: Lee Burned-Beyond-Recognition #465: Hollering Martin Mandible #466: Damien Pitchfork, the Freightyard Satan #467: Handformed Hamburger Clarence West #468: Dr. Nobel Dynamite #469: Pickled-Noggin Nettles #470: Mischievous Craig #471: Baldy Lutz, the Amityville Horror #472: Ashen Merle Buzzard #473: Frypan Nonstick McGee #474: Singleminded Hubbard #475: Maryland Sol Saynomore #476: Baked Salmon Salad Finn #477: Unshakably Morose Flo #478: Fr. Christian Irish, the Deep-Fat Friar #479: Smokestack-Hugger Jools Nygaard #480: Fossilwise Opie Fingernail #481: Tab-Collar Dix #482: George Slay, the Duck Throttler #483: Eldon Waxhat, the Waterproof Man #484: Timely Clayton, the Human

Cartoonist and illustrator Ape Lad created 700+ Hobo drawings from these names. jasontheodor.com

Notice the range in styles Ape Lad had to employ to finish this task. jasontheodor.com

Breaking Default · Don’t stop and think, just do. · Get out all your ideas, good & bad. · Sacrifice judgement for volume. · Deplete everything, then find new wellsprings. · Odds of a Great Idea are increased. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ 100 little pigs A Action Exercise · Write down one-hundred different names for a pig. ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________ the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Action Barriers What is stopping you from creating things? The common culprits are time, inspiration, procrastination, and routine. jasontheodor.com

How to Make Time for Ideas 1. Don’t Shower 2. Ignore One Phone Call 3. Get Take-Out for Dinner 4. Cab-it to Work 5. Leave Your Dishes in the Sink 6. Skip the News 7. Don’t Go to the Bathroom 8. Extend Your Coffee/Smoke Break 9. Sacrifice One XBox Live Frag Session 10. Go To Bed 10 Minutes Later jasontheodor.com

Ze Frank online performance artist Creativity is having the energy to stay interested. Read Dan Brodnitz’ interview with Ze Frank: http://about-creativity.com/2007/03/an-interview-with-ze-frank.php jasontheodor.com

inspiration http://www.zefrank.com/zesblog/archives/2007/11/on_feeling_unin.html jasontheodor.com

Resistance is Futile Here are some interesting books on overcoming barriers. jasontheodor.com

LifeFocus™ System spoke @FITC 090428 I continue to experiment with routine. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ routinization A Action Exercise · Write down at least 3 things you’d like to be doing every day. · Create a simple symbol to represent each one. · Why aren’t you doing these things? · Identify some of your biggest barriers. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

C.onnection C “glue” Quality · Familiar · Resonant · Shareable Emotional Dimension · metaphorical Connection is what links our actions and ideas to memory and culture. jasontheodor.com

Carl Ally advertising executive The creative person wants to be a know-it-all. He wants to know about all kinds of things: ancient history, nineteenth-century mathematics, current manufacturing techniques, flower arranging, and hog futures. Because he never knows when these ideas might come together to form a new idea. It may happen six minutes later or six months, or six years down the road. But he has faith that it will happen. jasontheodor.com

flickr pho to: _rather not Connection Story Desired Result of Connection: familiar, resonant, shareable work jasontheodor.com

hello? hello? hello? hello? Hellohello? York City! New hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? billy? hello? hello? hello? hello? ello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? he hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? Before birth, the human brain tries to understand sensory input and connect it to the ello? right memory. At first it is overwhelming, like calling your Nana in NYC and having hello? hello? answer the phone at the same time. hello? everyone hello? hello? jasontheodor.com hello?

Hello New York City! hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? billy? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? hello? Over time the connections are whittled down to a city block… jasontheodor.com

Hello New York City! hello? hello? hello? billy? hello? hello? hello? …a single building… jasontheodor.com

Hello New York City! billy? …and finally to Nana herself. Now this connection becomes the default and is reinforced by repeat usage. It is the go-to state for future calls. jasontheodor.com

Thought Pathways Neurons that fire together, wire together. — Richard Restak, neuroscientist Each strand in this image represents thousands of individual neural fibers in the brain. http://www.technologyreview.com/player/08/08/06Singer/1.aspx jasontheodor.com

Internet Pathways Each strand in this image represents a routing connection on the internet. http://www.opte.org jasontheodor.com

Connect the Thoughts This is a mind-map where you start with a core word or idea and continue to branch out by association. jasontheodor.com

When you first start, the default memories and associations come easily. But as you get further into the fringes, you unlock dormant memories and new thoughts. jasontheodor.com

Memory from the Fringe I’m an artist too, Jason! What do you think of my drawings of Garfield? I hadn’t remembered this for years: in Grade 6 my friend’s mom excitedly showed me her bizarre talent for copying the Saturday comics. jasontheodor.com

Start in the center, then explode outward. Let your thoughts self- organize. Don’t forget to use colour and images. jasontheodor.com

Brain as a Tag Cloud Don’t forget to forage in the fringes and look in the smaller spaces. jasontheodor.com

Twyla Tharp choreographer, dancer Reading, conversation, environment, culture, heroes, mentors, nature – all are lottery tickets for creativity. Scratch away at them and you’ll find out how big a prize you’ve won. Everything you are exposed to makes a connection. It’s how you put them together that makes things interesting. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ connect the thoughts C Connection Exercise · Choose a topic (eg. reading, conversation, environment, culture, heroes, mentors, nature…). · Explode each topic into tangents on a mind-map. · Go as deep and broad as time allows. · Try to find memories/stories you’ve never uncovered before. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Content on Content What happens when you take a pre-existing idea and recreate it in a new way, or build on it, or cram it into a new framework? jasontheodor.com

Julie & Julia In 2002 Julie Powell started a blog in which she recreated (in one year) every recipe from Julia Child’s “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” jasontheodor.com

Julie & Julia The Julie/Julia Project became the book Julie & Julia in 2005 and a movie in 2009. jasontheodor.com

Michael Paulus artist Michael Paulus took 22 well-known cartoon characters and rendered their strange skeletal structures. http://michaelpaulus.com/v/59023.html jasontheodor.com

Michael Paulus artist He borrowed from a pre- existing form and presented it in a new context. jasontheodor.com

Hyungkoo Lee artist Hyungkoo Lee built on Paulus’ idea and made physical, museum-style models for an installation. jasontheodor.com

GarfieldminusGarfield.net Dan Walsh took away the most important element of the Garfield comic strip and created something arguably better than the original. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ content on content C Connection Exercise · Create a mind-map (see connect the thoughts exercise above). · Explain the mind-map using one of the following images as the foundation for your presentation: · The cross-section of a cruise ship · A Tokyo metro map the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

jasontheodor.com

Through the Looking Glass Look at an idea in reverse, from the opposite perspective, to shake up default thinking. jasontheodor.com

Coke: GTA Parody Grand Theft Auto does not reflect Coke’s brand personality, but when you put a new spin on the idea, it suddenly works. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wt5FiZQrgM jasontheodor.com

Chic Thompson motivational speaker Never solve a problem from its original perspective Chic Thompson uses the Great Reversal technique with the word “never.” His mom claimed she wanted a meat thermometer for Christmas so he asked, “What would you never want for Christmas?” Her answer was, “A bikini.” jasontheodor.com

Bikini for Mom So he created a photo album of her in swim clothes as a young girl. She cherished that gift considerably more than a meat thermometer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_akNayiMYbY jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ the looking glass C Connection Exercise · Think of 10 ways to make the next holiday into complete and utter failure. · How can you turn some of those negatives into unexpected positives? · What did you come up with that you never expected? the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Breaking Default · Tread new neural paths. · Push far into the branches. · Forage amongst the weaker memories. · Force-fit your ideas into another frame. · Remove something crucial. · Start from the worst idea. jasontheodor.com

D.eviation D “skew” uniQueness · Original · Flexible · Challenging Personal Dimension · meaningful Deviation takes your actions and connections and makes them original. jasontheodor.com

Margaret Wheatley management consultant The things we fear most in organizations -- fluctuations, disturbances, imbalances -- are the primary sources of creativity. jasontheodor.com

Edward de Bono author, inventer Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way. Edward de Bono wrote the creative classic Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step. jasontheodor.com

Deviation Story Desired Result of Deviation: original, flexible, challenging work. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ 9 dots puzzle D Deviation Exercise · Connect all dots in 4 strokes or less without lifting your pencil. · Now can you do it in 3 strokes? · How about 1? the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

9 dots Connect all dots in 4 strokes (or less) without lifting your pencil. This puzzle was very popular with motivational speakers in the 80s. They used it to coin the term, “Think outside the box.” jasontheodor.com

Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA, 1999 9 dots Assumption 1: Must Stay Within Perimeter of Dots. By default, the brain usually assumes that your pencil can only stop and change direction when it is on a dot. This drastically limits your options, and prevents you from solving the puzzle. jasontheodor.com

Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA, 1999 9 dots Assumption 1: Must Stay Within Perimeter of Dots. As soon as you eliminate an assumption, you can solve the problem in a completely new way. By moving your pencil outside of the imagined perimeter, by ‘thinking outside the box’, you can connect all 9 dots in just four continuous strokes. jasontheodor.com

Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA, 1999 9 dots Assumption 2: Must go through The CIA briefs agents with a book called centre of dots. Psychology of Intelligence Analysis by Richards J. Heuer, Jr. which discusses this puzzle and the assumptions we make. jasontheodor.com

Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA, 1999 9 dots Assumption 2: Must go through centre of dots. By identifying and eliminating additional assumptions, even more creative solutions can be found to a problem. jasontheodor.com

Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA, 1999 9 dots Assumption 3: Must stay on 2D plane. By pushing our assumptions, previously impossible tasks can become possible. Sometimes this requires an added dimension. jasontheodor.com

Center for the Study of Intelligence, CIA, 1999 9 dots Assumption 3: Must stay on 2D plane. Forcing the brain to discover new patterns and dimensions is the main purpose of Deviation exercises. jasontheodor.com

9 dots Other Assumptions: Can’t shrink, fold, or rip. In the book This Means This, This Means That by Sean Hall, he considers some even more radical solutions to the 9 dots challenge: What if you had one giant pencil? What if you folded the paper over the centre dot four times and stabbed it? What if you ripped out all the dots and laid them in a straight row? jasontheodor.com

“Think Outside the Box” What it really means: I can’t articulate how you could improve on the idea so I’ll pressure you to change it with no clear input or direction. I’m not a big fan of the cliché, and think that this phrase is lazy and overused. jasontheodor.com

There is No Box! By presupposing there is a metaphorical box to think outside of, you are already limiting yourself to binary thinking: inside is bad, outside is good. This is almost never the case. Perhaps you want to fit the box perfectly, or think along the edge of the box. Or perhaps you want to get on with it and eliminate the box altogether. Good for you, because THERE IS NO BOX! jasontheodor.com

Brand Dimensions P P P Physical Emotional Personal Speaking of boxes and dimensions, here’s a brief sidebar: the way we think about brands and objects has changed over the years, from physical descriptions of things, to emotional bonds, to very personalized objects. jasontheodor.com

Brand Dimensions “need” “want” “cherish” P P P Physical Emotional Personal Objects have been transformed from things we need, to things we want, and finally things we have come to cherish. jasontheodor.com

Brand Dimensions “need” “want” “cherish” A C D Physical Emotional Personal For example, the lowly potato went from a simple description, to an emotional desire, to customized nostalgia. By adding another brand dimension to an object or an idea, it can be utterly transformed. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ brand dimensions D Deviation Exercise · Pick a simple every day object (eg. rock). · Express how it could be transformed by moving through the following dimensions: · Physical (descriptive) · Emotional (metaphorical) · Personal (customized) the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Saul Steinberg new yorker cartoonist The life of the creative man is lead, directed and controlled by boredom. Avoiding boredom is one of our most important purposes. Nothing is boring. Anything can be looked at in a new way. The closer you look at something, the more alien and fascinating it can become. The most pedestrian topics contain hidden fantasy. jasontheodor.com

Chuck Palahniuk author All God does is watch us and kill us when we get boring. We must never, ever be boring. Tell yourself right now that you will Never Be Bored™. jasontheodor.com

Never be bored™ I, ________________, of restless body, mind, and spirt, do gleefully swear the following: * I will always have a recording device in hand, even if it’s just a pencil. * I will turn waiting in line into an opportunity to daydream. * I will look at things with wonderment, knowing that there is infinite information in the smallest of details. * I will seek opportunities to ask questions and learn new things. * I will never be bored again because only boring people get bored. * I will be active, engaged, and unique with my creative endeavors. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ never be bored™ D Deviation Exercise · Write your own Never be bored™ Manifesto. · Include at least 5 statements. · Sign it like you mean it (in blood is optional). the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Misassociationalism f does not equal e. Therefore it is wrong, untrue, a lie. Misassociationalism is a long, fancy, made- up word to describe making sh*t up. jasontheodor.com

Martin Luther King Jr. activist Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted. jasontheodor.com

Theodor Seuss Geisel writer, cartoonist Where do you get the ideas for all the fanciful animals and places? I have a special dictionary and I just look up the spellings. Peter Bunzel. “The Wacky World of Dr. Seuss Delights the Child and Adult Readers of His Books”. Life Magazine. 4.6.59 jasontheodor.com

“My alphabet starts where your alphabet ends!” jasontheodor.com

Reindeer Games The teacher forced me to use only two eyes. My daughter was ‘caught’ gluing 4 eyes to a reindeer art assignment. The teacher physically tore 2 of the eyes off of the work to correct it. jasontheodor.com

Reindeer Games The teacher forced me to use only two eyes. But when I When my wife and I found got home... out what had happened, we pulled out a can of googley- eyes and encouraged her to break the rules. Do we want all art to look the same? jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ random creation D Deviation Exercise · Pick a random page from a magazine. · Take the first 1-3 words from a headline: this is your band name. · Pick a random page from another magazine. · Take the last 1-5 words from any paragraph: this is your new album name. · Pick a random page from yet another magazine. · The images in this spread will make up your album cover. · Do, glue, and skew. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Tangentometry Tangentometry is about exploring different kinds of tangents and making them work in your favour. jasontheodor.com

Louis Pasteur chemist, microbiologist Chance favours the prepared mind. If you have a focus, an intent, then your brain will unconsciously filter everything around you and measure it against this focus. jasontheodor.com

Tangentagon (natural progression) A tangentagon is created when you go exploring, naturally following tangent after tangent, until you find a topic that finally relates back to your original focus. It becomes a linear story with many sides. jasontheodor.com

Ouroboros All tangents eventually relate back to the source. In mythology, the cyclical nature of the universe was represented by the Ouroboros, a snake devouring its own tail. Destruction begets creation. Tangents are often thought to be a distraction, but they can be bent to your purpose. jasontheodor.com

Thinking Outside the Box The following pages are an example of a tangentagon in the making. The initial focus was on thinking outside the box. jasontheodor.com

180° Thinking Thinking outside the box led to the Thought Reversal technique, which is represented by twisting an idea by 180 degrees. I’ve often referred to this as the ‘rebel force’. jasontheodor.com

Rebel Without a Cause No one represents a rebel better than James Dean. jasontheodor.com

Rebel Alliance Except perhaps these guys. jasontheodor.com

Admiral Ackbar, supreme commander It’s a trap! Who were led by ‘fish face’, a commander with one famous line. jasontheodor.com

“It’s a trap!” This one-liner became an internet meme which spawned many jokes. jasontheodor.com

Mmmmm…Calamari… jasontheodor.com According the the Wookieepedia, Ackbar is a Mon Calamari, a race of fish people.

Octopus Escapes Through 1” Hole! Calamari is squid, the cousin to the octopus. This video shows the uncanny ability of this boneless creature to squeeze through a 1” hole. jasontheodor.com

Slinking Outside the Box The octopus becomes a perfect metaphor for escaping the box: your thoughts need to be flexible to escape the default settings. jasontheodor.com

There is No Box That shows you how random tangents can be used. At every interval ask yourself if the content relates back to your focus. If the answer is no, keep exploring! If the answer is yes, then you’ve created a tangentagon. jasontheodor.com

Thomas Disch science fiction author Creativity is the ability to see relationships where none exist. jasontheodor.com

Tangentagram (forced progression) A tangentagram is created when you force a relationship between preselected items. This is useful when you need to bring seemingly unrelated material together in a single story. jasontheodor.com

3 1 5 7 2 4 6 In this example, 6 random images are used to tell a unique story which starts and ends in the same place and uses every image. An exotic Princess(1) once found nothing to watch on TV(2), so she called for her loyal Fire-Horse(3) to fetch her an interesting Prince(4). The Prince produced a magic elixir(5) that caused them to abandon small talk and make love on the beach like crazed elephant seals(6). Eventually the signal was fixed, the Prince was dismissed, and the Princess(7) went back to her regularly scheduled programming. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ tangentagram (forced progression) D Deviation Exercise • Find six random images (see following worksheets for examples). • Create a story using all of the images, in any order you choose. • Make sure to come back to the first image chosen to end the story. • Present your story to the larger group (if applicable). the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

tangentagram worksheet 1 jasontheodor.com

Breaking Default · Remember: there is no box. · Shed your assumptions. · Use Random to your advantage. · Do it wrong on purpose. · Get good at ‘lying.’ · Link the un-linkable. jasontheodor.com

M.agic M unknown mystiQue · magical · combination of best qualities Another Dimension · mystical Magic is the mysterious sweet spot when all the previous elements converge. This magic can be practiced and provoked. jasontheodor.com

Darkroom This is the only exercise without a focus. Instead of struggling to take action, this is about stopping, closing your eyes, and seeing what develops. jasontheodor.com

Twyla Tharp choreographer, dancer Everything is raw material. Everything is relevant. Everything is usable. Everything feeds into my creativity. But without proper preparation, I cannot see it, retain it, and use it. How do we prepare? Literally by doing nothing. jasontheodor.com

Please wait… There are many moments in a busy day where we could just stop and reboot. jasontheodor.com

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ darkroom M Magic Exercise · Close your eyes and think of nothing for 2 minutes. · If a thought comes, let it go by as if watching a bird or a cloud (just don’t give it added attention). · Concentrate on your breathing. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

The ‘Aha’ Moment Drexel University “Light bulb” going off. This image from an experiment at Drexel University shows a subject’s brain activity the moment they have solved a problem with insight. http://john.kounios.googlepages.com/theahamoment jasontheodor.com

John Kounios,PhD professor of psychology Inward focus of attention promotes insight even prior to the presentation of a problem. Dr. Kounios, in a paper entitled Aha! Favors the Prepared Mind, discusses how moments of brilliance can actually be prepared for in advance. jasontheodor.com

Breaking Default There are many ways to change the state of your brain in preparation for insight. Some are safer than others. jasontheodor.com

Meditation Dhamm a Resea rch for E nvironm ent Fou All righ ndation ts reserv . ed © 20 06 Meditation is arguably the oldest method of preparing the mind for divine inspiration. jasontheodor.com

Sensory Deprivation Modern technology has afforded us the ability to enter meditative states without much training. jasontheodor.com

Psychedelics Painting: Alex Grey Psychedelic drugs have been known to change perception, sometimes in disturbing and permanent ways. jasontheodor.com

Sleepworking Desktop kitteh enters sleep mode. ta online-Be to: Nath fli ckr pho A lot goes on in our heads when we sleep. Sometimes a problem can be solved by writing it down the night before and ‘sleeping on it.’ jasontheodor.com

Using the Content on Content technique, I transformed the water cycle… jasontheodor.com

The Idea Cycle mind brainstorming memory inspiration focus eureka moment ideas streams of consciousness tangents steeping thoughts unconscious sea of thoughts …into the idea cycle. I was inspired/irritated by the saying: “There are no original ideas, just previous ideas re-arranged.” jasontheodor.com

Ideation Cycle 1. Explode 4. Apply 2. Connect 3. Configure This Idea Cycle is my usual approach to coming up with new, focused thoughts. jasontheodor.com

1. Explode! (induction phase) · Use action techniques. · Smash your focus into a million pieces. · Go as fast as you can. · Go for quantity. jasontheodor.com

2. Connect (analysis phase) · Use connection techniques. · Look for common elements, themes. jasontheodor.com

3. Conﬁgure (synthesis phase) · Use deviation techniques. · Put the ideas together in original, flexible, & challenging ways. jasontheodor.com

4. Apply (deduction phase) · Test against focus. · Is the idea magic? Test against Creative Success Meter™. · If it’s close, run it thru the cycle again. · If the idea is perfect, go one more cycle to achieve god-like status. jasontheodor.com

Baby with the Bathwater flickr photo : ladyb Sometimes even your best Letting go of an idea is idea has to go. often what you need for a breakthrough. jasontheodor.com

the Qs Quantity Quality uniQueness mystiQue A C D M simple familiar original magical smart resonant flexible well-crafted shareable challenging A great creative project ideally exhibits these nine attributes, and if it all comes together perfectly, it may cross the threshold to magical. jasontheodor.com

Creative Success Meter Idea/Execution: ________________________________ Check the attributes that apply to the idea/execution you are measuring. 1 point per strong attribute (plus discretionary bonus) for a total of 11. A simple C familiar D original A smart C resonant D flexible A well-crafted C shareable D challenging M magical bonus total the Creative Method and Systems jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Creative Success Meter Coke GTA Parody Idea/Execution: ________________________________ Check the attributes that apply to the idea/execution you are measuring. 1 point per strong attribute (plus discretionary bonus) for a total of 11. A simple C familiar D original A smart C resonant D flexible A well-crafted C shareable D challenging M magical bonus total the Creative Method and Systems jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Creative Success Meter Coke GTA Parody Idea/Execution: ________________________________ Check the attributes that apply to the idea/execution you are measuring. 1 point per strong attribute (plus discretionary bonus) for a total of 11. A simple C familiar D original A smart C resonant D flexible A well-crafted C shareable D challenging M magical bonus 7 total the Creative Method and Systems jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

flickr photo: ‘Playingwithbrushes’ creative success meter Creative Method Exercise the Creative Method and systems · Look at the following ads and rate them using the Creative Success Meter. · Be brutally honest. This is for you. You’re only cheating yourself if you give everything 10/10. the Creative Method and Systems Workbook jasontheodor.com the Creative Method and systems

Ad for McDonalds coffee. jasontheodor.com

Ads for Pow Wow burgers. jasontheodor.com

Ads for Apple Computers. jasontheodor.com

The Creative Method P P P “do” “glue” Quantity Quality · Simple · Familiar · Smart · Resonant · Well-crafted · Shareable Physical Dimension Action Connection Emotional Dimension · descriptive · metaphorical CREATIVITY “skew” Deviation uniQueness · Original · Flexible M · Challenging 11! total Personal Dimension · meaningful jasontheodor.com

Twitterpated… Please direct all complaints, comments, and accolades here. @jted New to Twitter? Download the new tweet sheet 2 from jasontheodor.com. Bonus: download tweet sheet 2. jasontheodor.com

slideshare.net/jted the Creative Method and systems For more slideshows, visit Jason Theodor’s slideshare page. jasontheodor.com

Thank You jason.theodor@gmail.com creativemethod.ning.com { twitter.com/jted jasontheodor.com slideshare.net/jted jason theodor jasontheodor.com

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Creative Method Workshop Edition

by Jason Theodor

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