In Your Success Zone Blog

Architects Take Flying Leap of Creativity

 

The principals of DillerScofidio+Renfro, an innovative and "in the news" architecture firm in New York talked recently to Charlie Rose about their creative process. 

They have completed the Instititute for Contemporary Art on Boston Harbor, a redesign of Alice Tully Hall and the Julliard School at Lincoln Center in New York, and a portion of the new Flyway Park on the Hudson River, also in NYC.

When talking about the Blur Building (pictured above) which the firm designed and built in Switzerland in 2002, principals Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio admitted that they wanted to build a cloud. They didn't know how to do that but did their research and eventually built a building "without a skin" (no walls) and 35,000 water jets that disburse fine water spray to create an "inhabitable cloud" on Lake Neuchatel, Switzerland. They also designed a "Braincoat" to help visitors navigate the cloud of fog.

Scofidio explained that they come up with the idea of the space and impact they want to create and then figure out how to execute it. Diller says that it's like jumping off a cliff without a parachute.

Obviously, they are doing something right because not only have they won the first MacArthur (Genius) Award for Architecture, they are becoming well known in international design circles as creative thinkers who use space and building materials to make a statement, create a mood, and invite people into conversation.

In this interview these audacious creatives have described the creative process perfectly - having a vision, taking a leap, figuring out "how" by fits and starts, and landing on your feet in a brand new place. Brava!

Creativity on the Edge

 

I read Seth Godin's books and blogs. He's a fresh thinker and business guru for our new world (connected, constantly changing, and clamoring for community). 

Today Seth wrote a post that speaks to being creative in every situation. He encourages us to 

• find your edge in the situation
• expand it - a little or a lot  

This strategy works equally well for "Creatives" and "non-Creatives" as Seth explains. You  may find yourself more creative and willing to stretch in some areas of your business and life than others. For instance, you may be eager for new clients and customers and more reticent about changing your products and services 

The key is to find the edge and work it.

I'm noticing the pace of change accelerating. Reading Seth's post confirms that my best approach is to be WILLING TO EXPAND MY EDGES to keep surfing with the rate of change. I think that's the challenge and opportunity of our times.

Where are your edges? Are you willing to stretch them?

You can read Seth's entire post HERE.

Can Social Media Enhance Your Creativity?

You have no doubt heard by now about Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter - three of the most popular Social Media platforms. You may be wondering what all the fuss is about and why you would want to add one more thing to your daily TO DO list. Wouldn't it be a distraction?

Here are three reasons to get involved with Social Media:

1. It's fun, and fun enhances creativity.  
2. It reduces the isolation of working alone and puts you in touch with people from all over the world with all sorts of interests, giving you more fodder for your creative process.
3. You can "check your pulse" about what you are doing, giving yourself the self-reflection of journaling but in jiffy. 

I have an account at all three Social Media platforms mentioned above, but must admit to being hooked on Twitter at this point. I've been a member there for four days, have 23 followers (friends) and am following 36 people (I read what they are up to). I love it because 

• It's quick (140 characters only) to answer the question, "What are you doing?", 
• I'm connected with people in my area (like a friend who no longer answers email but responds to Twitter "tweets") and around the world (Phillipines, China, and England), and
• I'm "listening in" on conversations from people in totally different professions from mine as well as meeting folks with similar interests.

Social Media is about authenticity, connecting, and building relationships. It provides the "watercooler conversations" that many of us Creative Entrepreneurs no longer enjoy since we often work alone. 

Before you dismiss Social Media, give it a try. Here's how:

To get going on Twitter (lots going on - quickly)

1. Go here. 
2. Create your free account. 
3. Connect with me on Twitter here.
4. Click the "Follow" button under my picture. I'll get a notice and will start following you too. That way we can interact online.
5. Start "tweeting" by answering the question "What are you doing?" and clicking the UPDATE button.
6. Go here to search for people you know or interests you would like to "follow" (like beading, painting, graphic design, etc.)
7. Check in as you like.

To start using Facebook (more social):

1. Go here. 
2. Open your free account.
3. Put my name (Adele Michal) in the search box on the upper right.  
4. Click "View Profile" when my listing comes up. 
5. Choose "Add as a Friend" on the right. 
6. I'll get the message and connect with you as your friend. 
7. Check in and post to find out what folks are doing and to connect. 

To use LinkedIn (more professional):

1. Go here.
2. Start your free account and log in. 
3. Put my name (Adele Michal) in the search box on the upper right.
4. Click on "Add to my network".  
5. I'll get a notice and will connect with you. 
6. Fill in your profile. 
7. Search for other friends, colleagues, and interest areas.

You may find that the stimulation of a different window on the world enhances your creativity. And you might get hooked too!

My Creative Dentist

I don't usually think of creativity when I go to the dentist. My dentist, Dr. Scott Donner in Durham, NC, has taught me otherwise. 

Dr. Donner is very good with teeth, employs wonderful hygienists, and has the latest and greatest dental gadgets. 

What is really arresting is how HAPPY his office is: great music playing on the sound system; whimsical flowers, butterflies, and paintings everywhere; and pictures of hundreds of happy patients hanging on the wall. 

Dr. Donner has created this happy space himself. He is highly creative and has expressed his sense of fun by painting and decorating his office. He has run out of flat surfaces (yes, the ceilings are decorated) so he has turned his creative zeal to renovating a loft in downtown Durham. He was recently featured on the front page of the local newspaper for his loft renovation work. 

I am inspired by Dr. Donner and his sense of play. He certainly makes going to the dentist a happier occasion!

PS It turns out Dr. Donner's wife, Jennifer, is a Creative Entrepreneur as well. She owns a funky vintage shop called Dolly's in Brightleaf Square in Durham. Where will the fun end?!?

The Practical Artist

I recently visited the Morse Museum of American Art, which houses the largest collection of work by Louis Comfort Tiffany in the world. Tiffany, son of the founder of the luxury retailer Tiffany & Co., began as a fine artist and became an artisan and taste maker during the Industrial Revolution in the US. 

Born to wealth, Louis (pronounced "Louie" like the French kings) Tiffany followed his own creative inspiration becoming wealthy and influential in his own right. He began as a painter, did interior design, and became well-known for the stained glass windows and lamps created by his company, Tiffany Studios.

Louis Tiffany was committed to expressing beauty in an age when hand-made objects were giving way to those made by machine. He thought that he could reveal beauty to more people by using glass rather than painting, so turned his attention to this medium. He made extensive innovations in the coloration of glass and its use as an art form.

Tiffany and his studio artisans became painters in glass.

Tiffany Studios produced windows for churches, newly rich industrialists, and World Exhibitions.A businessman as well as an artist, Tiffany made glass art in the form of lamps that could be purchased and enjoyed by the new middle class. Tiffany lamps ranged in price from $45 to $450 (approximately $1,000 to $10,000 in today's money).

The glass lamp shades were beautiful representations of flowers and dragonflies. The bases were bronze castings of plant forms. The bases and shades could be interchanged so that the purchaser could have the combination she wanted in her home.

Today the glass that Tiffany and his studio produced still beckons with its natural beauty, creativity, and superb craftsmanship. Tiffany fulfilled his vision of creating and sharing beauty through color and light.