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You know how they say inspiration is all around you? Well it\u2019s true. But to most, they\u2019re flustered because goshdarnit if it were all around us then why is it so hard to find? I\u2019ve credited my randomness (which means that I might be talking to you about one subject and then shift to another without batting an eyelash)<\/em> to constantly getting inspiration all the time.<\/p>\n It\u2019s no secret to those who know me that I\u2019m a ball of randomness.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll be thinking one thing one minute and flitting to another a moment later. It\u2019s not that I have a short attention span; it\u2019s because I\u2019m taking everything in, all the time. I\u2019d be looking at that pattern on the wall, to the rug on the floor, connecting patterns and lines and POOF<\/span> something new is born in the recesses of my mind.<\/p>\n It could be a pattern that I\u2019d like to explore, or it could be a way to solve a problem that I\u2019ve been having \u2013\u00a0anything and everything is collected and accumulated which results in waves of impulses shooting around in that noodle of mine.<\/p>\n You\u2019d think that by now my mind would have exploded (or imploded) already with all the things that I\u2019m absorbing. Well, there\u2019s a method to my madness of absorbing inspiration and I\u2019m going to share that with you today:<\/p>\n 1. I look up and down<\/strong><\/p>\n We all tend to look at things in a straight manner. Walking ahead, how many of us look up, or even down for that matter? I\u2019ve seen things in new perspectives when I shift my viewpoint a smidge. It could be that normal commute home, but take a moment to take in your surroundings, and you\u2019ll be pleasantly surprised to see things you thought were never there before.<\/p>\n 2. I read. A whole lot.<\/strong><\/p>\n I read business books. Articles and everything I can get my hands on. I read TechCrunch, Inc.com, and the Wall Street Journal. I read Time Magazine. I\u2019m reading The Decision Book<\/a>, and I flip through Oh Comely<\/a>. The point is that I do not discriminate about the things I learn about \u2013\u00a0I find it fascinating that one day I\u2019m reading about how organic cotton is made, and then moving on to reading about World War II in a few clicks. Yes, it\u2019s random, but I don\u2019t memorize all of the things I absorb, because\u2026<\/p>\n 3. I\u2019ve learned to see patterns in things<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve written about how I connect things in my mind<\/a> for fun, but I also use the technique to find solutions to problems. It could be that article that I read last week that might help me solve a problem today. Or perhaps I can\u2019t figure out how to make an illustration better but I remembered that there\u2019s this fellow who used a certain analogy that could be applied to my brief. I don\u2019t copy and paste \u2013\u00a0I synthesize and solve problems based on how others have done before me, and this could mean so many different ways depending on how you see things.<\/p>\n And to make sure my brain doesn\u2019t go KABOOM<\/span> on me\u2026<\/p>\n 4. I don\u2019t use my brain to store things. I use it to come up with new things.<\/strong><\/p>\n I write down a lot of things in my journal and my sketchbook because I know that I cannot trust my memory\u2013 it has failed me a few times. I would come up with this insanely great idea and then sleep on it and forget all about it when I woke up. So rather than just forcing myself to remember, I unload all the information in a safe place \u2013\u00a0a notepad, my phone, etc \u2013 so that I can come back and retrieve it later.<\/p>\n And because I know that my ideas are in good hands, my mind is free to take in more things and to expand on what I\u2019ve seen and learnt, and to come up with even more ideas.<\/p>\n Tell me, what works for you?<\/strong><\/p>\nNot all who wander are lost print<\/a> by Eeko Studio.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"