Inklings

Category: ideas

  • ‘Hey You Guys!’

    sloth

    Hopefully Sloth, The Goonies beefy but lovable misfit monster, will make a return appearance in the alleged Goonies 2 sequel. The last we saw of the Goon Dock adventurers was 30 years ago when they were kids in search of One-eyed Willy’s pirate treasure. It will be interesting to see what adventure awaits them as adults. Imagine the potential plot-lines – Mikey’s mid-life crisis leads him to quit his job, while Chunk struggles with weight gain. Mouth loses all his money in the stock market and Data’s facing a class action lawsuit due to a wrongful death by one of his inventions. High school sweethearts, Brand and Andy, are getting a divorce because of an affair with Stef. Maybe Sloth will save the day. Wonder what he’s been up to for the last three decades.

  • Groucho 2.0*

    disguise_anime

    The original Groucho glasses were a common punchline in cartoons when a character needed to evade capture. Long associated with slapstick, the ‘beagle’ glasses were often accessorized with a cigar. Isn’t it about time the ubiquitous gag disguise gets an upgrade?

     

    *Tattoos and pipe sold separately.

     

  • Dreamers

    mittyOne of my family’s favorite movies of late would have to be Ben Stiller’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Aside from a catchy soundtrack, the story is inspiring and motivational. I think one of the central themes of the film is that it’s okay to dream, but until you start moving forward with a plan to accomplish your dreams, that’s all they’ll ever be.

  • Ideation

    A blank page is liberating but can also be very intimidating. When tasked with coming up with ideas and creative solutions there are often road blocks. I think every creative is seeking that surefire way to push past these obstacles when often the answer is at the end of their pencil. Transposing any and every thought onto paper is usually my first step, though I believe the methods for generating ideas will be different for every creative on any given day. Ultimately I think it boils down to finding inspiration. What inspires me may irritate someone else. Likewise, suggesting that there is only one way to solve a design problem is faulty logic. The curse of contracted creativity is having to sell your solution, regardless of your methodology, to the client with limited vision. It’s much easier to create for the sake of creating. Assigning purpose and function that the client agrees with is the real challenge.

  • Evolution of the Idea

    I never realized how ubiquitous the symbolism for an “idea moment” was until I considered its use in a historical context. The pre-twentieth century “ideas” don’t quite depict that flash moment of brilliance that we associate with turning on a light. Using the traditional incandescent bulb in today’s green-conscious world seems too anachronistic. Will adopting a revised symbol of the light bulb be necessary as advances in technology render the original unrecognizable? Add this to your list of things to lose sleep over.