My job is problem solving. Creatives hire me to collaborate on making something special happen where there is nothing. Often, the entire job is a contridiction, a riddle is my assignment to help solve. This is why I get paid top dollar, I help solve people’s problems. Agencies come to me with a brand identity, maybe a layout, some thoughts on what feel they want, but what they don’t know is how to combine A+B to produce a very successful C.
As soon as the puzzle is presented, an idea will pop into my mind, maybe it is a solution, but often it is not the best solution. Whatever it is, my mind latches onto it as the one and only thing that can be done. My mind loves defending its own ideas to itself. It is nessessary to get out of that loop. The solution, is as the budhists like to say is “Change your mind and everything else changes”.
Everyone is different, I tend to be very physical and enjoy moving my body, thus my perenial dislike of tripods. I have a neighbor who makes lists of things to think about and spends some time each day thinking in stillness about them. I have no idea how that process works. For me, to see things differently, I need to change my mind, literally, or nothing else changes.
My problem solving technique is to change my brain chemistry. I know what you are thinking, better living through pharacuticals. That time in my life well over and done. Actually, what I do is go down the block to Golds Gym in Venice, early 80s punk rock on my iPhone, rock out on an aerobics machine while checking out the endless steroid freak show that is Gold’s. Get the heart rate up in the 150s for half an hour or so, the endorphenes start flowing and eurika! My brain is flooded with solutions that I never considered. When I come back to the studio, examine the new ides, which may all be crap, but they are different, and that is what is important.
