movement alights

Loie Fuller, the once famous American dancer living in France in the 1900s who became an overnight success in 1892, was in fact: "something of a paradox. A tall and lovely sylph in posters and sculptures, she was in reality a rather chubby woman with a fairly plain face. A dance innovator, she possessed no formal training in choreography. Eventually a cofounder of art museums, she had never even seen an art exhibit before going to Paris at the age of thirty."



It must have been a huge exercise in those days, over a century ago, to make one's living as a woman who's husband turned out not to be a bigamist, but a trigamist and she could only rely on herself. "What she did have, in addition to her winning ways, was a dauntless will to get ahead, together with enough intelligence, resourcefulness, and ingenuity to give effect to that will. These qualities were not only recognized but often admired by others, including the prominent art critic Arsene Alexandre, who in 1900 lauded her vitality and positive drive and proclaimed her to be a very pushing woman in the best sense of the word. The strength of these traits enabled her to keep going in the face of repeated disappointments and disasters."
(source quotes NYTimes)

So how did Loie develop her unique form of dance?

"Images were projected onto fabric through the use of calcium lights, drapery and magic lanterns (a type of early slide projector). Fountains lit with multi-coloured lights that she saw in Paris, as well as the skirt dances performed at London's Gaity Theatre all influenced her own presentations."
source: Artsalive

So the question becomes: do we create our best work because we get the idea while working away, or do we simply create it, because we have a strong urge to survive? This lady managed to stun everyone in her time period with something no one had ever seen by introducing new ways to light the dress, to move differently. She completely overhauled the concept of what dance was. Sadly the chemicals she used to light her theater work proved fatal for her health in the end, yet her beautiful legacy remains.

poetic imagery

When I was away in Auckland I came across a very special book. It's called ''Beautiful Solitude" and eventhough I cannot make heads or tails of the Chinese phrases, I can of the miraculous illustrations done by Jimmy Liao.

There is something very touching about his work. I absolutely love the book.

I guess the simplicity and black and white just grabbed me! Below are some more pictures of illustrations of other books:

 Jimmy Liao is a professional illustrator. From wiki: "Jimmy Liao (Chinese Name: Lao Fu-Bin, born November 15, 1958) is a well-known Taiwanese illustrator as well as a picture book writer. The name Jimmy is his English first name which brought about his (phonetic) Chinese pen name.


After graduating from Chinese Culture University in which he majored in art, Jimmy worked in an advertising company for twelve years, and then he worked as an illustrator for newspapers and magazines. In 1998 his picture books Secrets In The Forest and A Fish With A Smile were published in Taiwan.

 

Jimmy’s books have been translated into dozens of languages and sold around the world. His books have also been adapted for theater, movie, television, and animation.

His pictures are characterized by their use of striking, bold colours and depict central figures that often appear small in the foreground, suggesting the viewpoint of a child in the wide, sometimes sinister, world, or to hint at loneliness."

I like how he manages to include both large spaces in his work and make the characters so personable in it. His work seems cute but has a lot more to it which makes it very compelling I think.

Now I hope he doesn't mind, but I have started scribbling poetry work of my own in this book choosing his images carefully to accompany it, or is it mine that accompanies his? It somehow seemed the right thing to do.

deadlines

We always think deadlines can be useful. Well of course they are, they provide us with a sense of direction and purpose and a TADA! as we get something done in time. The other side of the coin is those who continually suffer from other people's deadlines, the so called provider-of-deadline-allowers. Ever thought of them?


The reality is that whether someone obligingly promised hand over heart to accommodate you, life may go differently. There can be technical malfunctions. There could be a cyclone. They might have the flu. They didn't look when crossing the street and their fresh undies were exposed. You simply can never tell what happened. Sometimes they are sorry they missed your deadline that you feel you have to pay for their counselling fees. Other times there are those who may lie to your face. (It is a very grey area. Tread with caution.)


Mooodlies recently had a deadline crossing. Actually Joi and my deadlines went up in smoke on more then one occasion. We were a bit taken aback but deliberately decided to not blow a fuse. Instead we discovered that a) some people who are deadline-providing-allowers are not as excited about their job as you are about them finishing it and b) have a plan b in order to always have another deadline-providing-allower on board you can count on.


Naturally you may not have the option of a plan b because you have signed a deal or legal arrangement with partner a. In that case another solution would have to be sought. At the end of the day though: life is life and can take us by surprise no matter how well we plan, fret, worry, dance or run with it. The key is then to relax in the knowing that life continues as before and that it's up to us how we react, not the other person. Also I would strongly suggest to work with people you trust, somehow they have the tendency to respect you and thus are happy to aid in your deadline addiction.


I would like to share the following with you that Joi so neatly wrote:


" I make stuff because it releases schools of fish from my thoughts
I make stuff because it keeps my hands busy
and my mind fizzy
I make stuff before stuff makes me.


It's the same reason I think in dialogue,
despise voice chats
see in pictures
even numbers (there are calculators for such problems)
I make stuff before stuff makes me.


When stuff makes me
I have no control of the the way I'm written
and that can't be good
as I end up with too much ears
and very little heart
or too much heart
and not enough tears
I make stuff before stuff makes me."


The world is made of stuff. Make it fun yeah!

freshness

Sometimes I feel I am repeating myself, but let's face it: many ideas or things  seem to come back to us, by reminding us of something we have seen or experienced previously. Nowadays many things get a new jacket and they are out the door.


When was the last time you were genuinely surprised to find anything that made you stop and think, or at least made you realize that indeed this was a rare find! Was it yesterday, last week or a month ago? Then there's the 'eye of the beholder' aspect, so what could be an absolute gem to you could mean worthless crap to another. I'm just saying. Doesn't that make it fun though? I think so. (And no I'm not doing the chocolate box quote that would be SO obvious.)


So what I spotted today made me say: how clever is THAT! Now what is it?

Doesn't it look beautiful? This is how you whip it up: simple recipe! By Yoav Reches, artist.

(With big thanks to Richard of Bitrebels who always has great posts.)

Then I came across another read today, which details how there is now more and more a trend of seeing great design become accessible to those with less big-a-wallets. There are even designs that you as the consumer will need to finish off. The concept makes great sense, is fun and could even be considered "green" for a variety of reasons. (Read about the ins and outs of this post here on Fastcompany.)

And why is this interesting? Because to me this not new as an idea, but it is very current in todays market. What excites me is that the combining of whimsy, finishing it off yourself and the "green" of it has great marketing potential and opportunity. An almost self made unique design, fabricated locally, at low cost to the consumer, easy peasy fun solution. Very Ponoko too. If that doesn't spin your wheels as a creative I don't know what will. 

My brain fizz is already humming away, thinking on how this could be implemented. And that very way of thinking was also described by Gary Vaynerchuk, who's book "Crush it" I finally finished, having only had about 20 pages to go last Wednesday. His book details very well how entrepreneurs have to keep their eyes peeled for things popping up left, right and center, and what snazzy dish you can create from it yourself. Tasty stuff.

Note: Klout who analyse your Twitterness, assessed me as such, which I found amusing: @bonvivantmiriam is a Curator

You highlight the most interesting people and find the best content on the web and share it to a wide audience. You are a critical information source to your network. You have an amazing ability to filter massive amounts of content to surface the nuggets that your audience truly care about. Your hard work is very much appreciated.

frolicky frock

My mac at home is so ancient, you could turn the monitor into a fishbowl and turn the computer itself into a side table, considering I doubt very much it will spring to life again. I'm not keen to make an attempt any time soon. Problem is that most of my Dutch design work, brochures, logos are on the croaking thing. Hm... #dilemma


I started thinking about why it would be handy to have an online portfolio. Anyhoo: my focus is textile design, so I came across something on Twitter today that could be fun. (You know really: it's a good real time search tool, you should consider using it, it's not just the earth's water cooler spot for catching up with other global villagers.)


If you have creative endeavors, go check this competition out: "Create a vintage inspired surface pattern for Clothkits to print, and see your creation come to life on the catwalk!" Link here. It sounds very Etsy. In a good way. "Want inspiration?   We do not need to see the end shape of the garment, just the fabric design, but why not think 50s pinched waist dresses, 60s mod shifts or 70s flowing frocks.  We will then take the design, print it, and make it up into a summer dress. "


So get ready set go, start frocking readers and readerettes. If you're ever so inclined of course. Otherwise feel free to do a Google on something else. My point is that it can be fun to try something a bit different today. Don't sell yourself short. I'm not interested to hear the but... but... if we do that we never do anything frolicky or frocky. I reckon the world can do with some more frothy frolicky frock. Uhuh.


image by Clothkids

vision or ideas

(image courtesey of xkcd.com)


Having a Vision and having Ideas are very different things. Going off on tangents (ideas) can be fun, possibly useful for brainstorming, but most of us would like to see some sort of result, or progress at least.


A Vision gives us the landscape, strategic planners love models or written plans as that way the Vision becomes matter. There's 2 sides to this coin. 


Naturally only having ideas doesn't lead to much. Over the years I have toughened up in that regard. Once upon a time when little Miryam was in ArtSchool having tons of fun for 5 years there was room for exploring and fluffing. The thing I regret about becoming older is that inherently it becomes more realistic and usually therefor less fun. Darn! But it shouldn't have to be. That's why it's important to keep the balance of having fun as well as knowing what you're really up against. Pink glasses are so yesterday.


So making the transition from ideas, to dream, to Vision, takes time, and both creativity and sensibility are needed. Just trying and seeing how it goes usually falters. Or the steam runs out if the Vision isn't strong enough (been there done that). Entrepreneurs or Artists that are most successful seem to possess the blend of several aspects that are necessary:


1. Talent: creativity
2. Vision: knows goals
3. Determination and conviction
4. Connector/net-worker: knows many people
5. Has financials in order
6. Web-savvy and use social media
7. Produce results


From what I can see online and observe in the real world; the ones that are "clued in" are savvy. They do their homework, take chances and go all the way. They stick their necks out, they pursue that which they believe in. Of course they have doubts about some aspects, as they are human, but generally they stick to their guns and ride the waves. They also are very good at building tribes (Seth Godin) which means they have a loyal fan-base and peers in their industry.


On this topic also read an excellent post by Roberto Verganti for Harvard here.


People that have done very well by following their Vision (imho):
Hugh Macleod: Gapingvoid art/wine/writing
Gary Vaynerchuk: wine 
Chris Guillebeau: writer and traveler
Boh Runga: NZ musician and jewellery designer
Lucy : TheDesignFiles: interior decor blog


The future consists of adapting to new media, but to keep continuing 'the story' as that is vital to building the personable brand. Business has become personal, with communication becoming intimate. This also means transparency, ethics and being genuine are on the top of the list.

creative thinking

After a bout of the flu I'm back and still slightly fuzzy in the head. I think that's more to do with the Monday-itis feeling then anything else. Still: it's good to be back, it's sunny, the heater is on and there's plenty to do. I'm taking some time out now to 'munch some lunch'. I'm reading that apparently it's usefull to 'act' like a creative person. Ah. Some people seem to think that artistic or (in other words) 'chaotic' behaviour is unlikely to achieve major productive and measurable results. We might be onto something here if it does...

From Copyblogger: "Think of creativity as a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. To increase your creativity, you simply need to “act” like a creative person. Not surprisingly, people recognized as creative tend to share common traits." (Remember the 'act like' piece Steve Pavlina wrote a while ago? Exactly. Same applies here.)

Highly creative people:

• Have the COURAGE to try new things and risk failure. Every big breakthrough starts as a harebrained idea. This doesn’t mean you should constantly go off the deep end, just that you should balance your routine portfolio of solutions with an investment in the new and untried. Over time, the risk is usually worth the reward.


• Use INTUITION as well as logic to make decisions and produce ideas. When Matt Drudge designed his Web site, he listened to his gut instead of the Internet gurus. He kept it simple, small, fast, and some would say ugly and primitive. But it works for him, making The Drudge Report one of the most recognizable and popular sites in the world.


• Like to PLAY, since humor and fun are the ultimate creative act. Which is to say you just have to lighten up. We all have goals, and quotas, and deadlines, but it’s not life and death. When you enjoy yourself, your brain relaxes and is able to produce more and better ideas. One of those ideas may be just what you’re looking for.


• Are EXPRESSIVE and willing to share what they feel and think, to be themselves. Blogging is the ideal arena for injecting your personality into your work. People are emotional creatures and respond better to people who appear real, honest, and open. Not only is it more interesting, it can also be more persuasive.


• Can FIND ORDER in confusion and discover hidden meaning in information. Research and critical thinking are key tools for the creative person. Information is to the brain what food is to the stomach. So-called “writer’s block” or creative burnout almost always results from a lack of fresh information and having nothing meaningful to say.


• Are MOTIVATED BY A TASK rather than by external rewards. You must like the challenge of writing, explaining, teaching, and persuading. Sure, you can make money along the way, but if you’re in it just for the money, you’re not going to be a fountain of new ideas.
• Have a need to FIND SOLUTIONS to challenging problems. Even the most creative writers won’t have a solution for everything. If they claim to, they’ve stopped thinking. Highly creative people are those whose eyes light up at a question they can’t answer. That’s the opportunity to learn something new and produce remarkably creative content.


• Will CHALLENGE ASSUMPTIONS and ask hard questions to discover what is real. Writing, blogging, or business rules aren’t really rules, only rules of thumb. If you want to wield true creative power, you will always take what others advise with a grain of salt. (That includes all of us gurus who love to don our pointy wizard hats and pontificate on the secrets of success.) If you don’t know something from personal knowledge or experience, you don’t know it at all.


• Can MAKE CONNECTIONS between old ideas to produce new insights. Combine the little doodles you make on a white board with online video and you get CommonCraft, a new approach to explaining things to people in a way they can easily understand. Sometimes the best solutions are simply two old ideas jammed together.


• Will PUSH THE ENVELOPE in order to expand the boundaries of what is possible. There was a time when no one thought you could make money on the Internet. Now it’s a huge, multi-national business platform. Instead of dividing the world into the possible and impossible, it’s better to merely divide it into the tried and the untried. What have you not tried yet?


• Are willing to TEST new ideas and compete with others based on results. Isn’t that what they mean by the “market of ideas”? Isn’t that what business competition is about? If you’re afraid of being wrong or losing, your creativity will suffer.These are certainly uncommon traits for most people. But they’re not difficult.

Watch how the creative people you know solve problems and deal with projects. You may choose one particularly creative person you admire and, when faced with a problem, ask yourself, “What would so-and-so do in this situation?” As you begin to “act” like a creative person, you’ll find yourself actually becoming more and more creative. And likely, more and more successful.

Wit thanks to Copyblogger for the above article. About the Author: Dean Rieck highly creative and successful direct marketing copywriter.

And if you have lost the plot entirely: read this That may help also.

Outside of the box

I remember someone telling me once you can be a Jack of all Trades but Master of None. I think in this day and age it pays to put that aspect which you enjoy -and excel at- to mix with other territories. This way you will develop and grow to find your own niche eventually and thus, become a master.

"Tinker Hatfield is the renowned designer of many of Nike's most popular and innovative athletic shoe designs, including the Air Jordan III through Air Jordan XV, the twentieth anniversary Air Jordan XX, the final numbered Air Jordan, the XXIII, and other athletic sneakers including the world's first Nike Air Trainer. (wiki)

The air max Tinker designed and that has been renowned, despised, idealized etc for 22 years now started with a visit to Paris where Tinker went to see the Centre Pompidou. He was invited to design a shoe for Nike. "All of the functional structural elements of the building are color-coded: green pipes are plumbing, blue ducts are for climate control,electrical wires are encased in yellow, and circulation elements and devices for safety (e.g.,fire extinguishers) are red." (wiki)

The design is totally different from the French traditional buildings that are sitting around it, displaying only small windows. This French museum gave Tinker, who worked previously as an architect, to look at concepts differently. This building gave him the idea for the Nike Air Max that launched in 1986, to show the inside of the shoe. It was a controversial idea at the time and several people within Nike had to come to terms with it as they thought it wouldn't sell. There have been 19 revisions of the Air Max since and it's still a popular shoe.

So how do great products come to life? They start with ideas that may be derived from other ideas. "Make a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Albert Einstein. (wiki)

Let no one take you away from your ideas or vision to create. When you stop imagining and creating, you stop living. (You can quote me on that.)

ps: of course I'm assuming here it will be something that will benefit others and not harm them in any way.