I often get asked just where and how I can constantly come up with new ideas. There are a few ‘secrets’ in my experience. First we have to believe we can do it. Confidence is key. We also have to avidly collect ideas we can draw from. I have a massive book collection which I read regularly. Again and again. As I go through the books I am always seeing new things. Life is like a journey through an ever changing landscape and the things we experience are always changing. My interest too are always in flux. Seeing everything around you is something most people do not take the time to do. And by that I mean REALLY looking. My grand daughter Phoebe has taught me much in this regard. Everything to her is brand new and a marvel to behold - no matter how small. She has taught me to see things that same way.
I also record what I see around me. The camera is good but taking the time to sketch it is ten times better. The drawings can be quick and dirty. They are only for my eyes. If I draw something it stays with me forever, ready to call on when I need that idea.
I find I often sit down at my design desk to draw up an idea with no idea of what I am going to do. I draw in sketch books for the drawings are kept together and available for future reference. If I’m stumped I’ll draw a circle in the middle of the page and then work in that small area. It’s a whole lot less intimidating than a whole blank page. I’ll start drawing with the first glimmer of an idea that comes to mind. Often I don’t get very far before I decide it’s not working for I’ve already thought of something better. I’ll abandon the first drawing, turn the page and begin another. Sometimes this repeats a number of times before I find something that is suitable.
I needed an idea for a project that is due a few days from now. It was Tuesday evening and I was to be gone all day Wednesday. The idea was for a small panel to advertise my texture disk in an upcoming trade show in Florida. I knew the
panel had to feature textures and I wanted to convey that the work was done with a machine.. After two or three tries I came up with the idea of some type of cool but simple machine with gears. The background would be woodgrain (a popular texture). I scribbled down a couple of ideas, developing them just far enough to know it was a keeper. The picture above captures how far that scribble went.
Then it was time to build the file on the computer which didn’t take long. And it was a good thing for I didn’t have long to spend. This morning I finished building the router file and set things in motion while I did some bids and returned calls from when I was on the road yesterday.
By the end of the work day the machine was done. I cleaned up the edges and fit everything together in readiness for paint. Painting will happen tomorrow for I decided to push the start button one more time on the MultiCam and produce a second copy of the show piece for my display. It doesn’t take much longer to paint two copies at once instead of just one.
While I was in drawing mode I ket going after I had come up with the idea above. Before I stopped I had two or three more pages of ideas for other projects...
-grampa dan