My friend has set type for decades, even as he was an investigative reporter for various papers and now as he publishes a hand-set, self-printed 16-page journal. A beautiful piece. He's teaching me to set type and use his small, elegant printing press. What an honor. Some photos of this morning's lesson.
He's so fast and nimble in his moves to set lines of type -- 10 point Kennerley here -- and moves deftly. A craftsman.
We've been talking. The fuel we use as creative strategists, as writers and thinkers, as risk-takers, doers + makers of things is our intellectual curiosity. Why? and What if? become the tools of invention, our saving grace when we find ourselves stuck or without hope or searching. So, let us find those things that pique and provoke.
1 :: Begin with a premise. The creative process is steeped in wondering. The rational tools of research methodology, collaborative approaches, scientific inquiry are used by asking pertinent questions repeatedly to find answers. Curiosity leads us to answers, to more questions, to bigger conceptual platforms. Interesting research:
Kashdan + Steger (2007). Curiosity and pathways to well-being and meaning in life: Traits, states, and everyday behaviors. Motivation + Emotion 31 (3), 159-173. Keywords: Curiosity Happiness Hedonism Pleasure Positive emotion
Much good info here, but this is the takeaway: "Greater trait curiosity and greater curiosity on a given day also predicted greater persistence of
meaning in life from one day into the next." Being curious, the data suggests, predicts more meaning in life. When we wonder, we grow.
And using this as a personal and professional building block? Wow. Click here for a collection of what ifs. Click here for discussions on curiosity and creativity. Of course, listen to the astounding Ken Robinson talking about human creativity and education :: 20 minutes that can change your life.
But maybe an interesting way to imagine curiosity as creative prod is to listen to a poet who curiously delves into time and humanity. Poet John Rives asks :: Is 4 a.m. the new midnight?
2:: The Curiosity Group gives us a tour of imagination and smart thinking, letting us connect curiosity with strategic ideas. After all the best work happens when it's built on strong curiosity. Wonderful, whimsical and they're in Portland? With a flying elephant? Move that couch into the bathroom. A screen grab of their work page.
3 :: Our new School of Journalism Advertising curriculum is built around the creative strategist model we've created. One of the classes that help tell that story is Curiosity for Strategists, a course built on creative and conceptual thinking, mythology + archetypes, anthropology, storytelling, and performance. Beautiful, fun stuff that leads to people like Mark Lewis, Professional Storyteller, coming to class.
4 :: To be curious is to build the architecture of meaningful ideas. Digging for insights is part of the the Strategic Planner's DNA, finding the conceptual nuggets that lead to smarter, honest work that is compelling and memorable. When we visited Nike, we saw the trappings of good work everywhere. This piece is part of a campaign that started with a simple question: how do sports affects the millions of girls on the planet in ways other than competition?
5 :: Curiosity then invention. Quintessential W+K Portland. If we're curious, we weave together ideas, invent. We make things.
Brett Robbs: Idea Industry: How to Crack the Advertising Career Code
Teresa Amabile: Harvard Business Review on Breakthrough Thinking
