Let’s Get Creative

create something!

create something!

The world is a crazy place. Frankenstorms, economic roller coasters, political wastelands, but you know what? We are lucky enough to live in some amazing times.

Forget the craziness. Let’s focus on being creative.

I came across a couple great blog posts today that offer some creative inspiration. So, I figured I’d pass the inspiration to you.

First, here’s a post by Seth Godin that offers some much needed perspective.

Seth is good; amazingly creative. But I tend to shy away from him because he’s become a bit to popular for my liking – the Dude tends to have an irrational aversion to anything mainstream. Sorry Seth.

But I love these thoughts…

  • There’s never been a better opportunity to step up and make an impact, while we’ve got the chance. This generation, this decade, right now, there are more opportunities to connect and do art than ever before. Maybe even today.
  • It’s more important than ever [t]o persist and make a dent in the universe[.]
  • We’ve all been offered access to so many tools, so many valuable connections, so many committed people. What an opportunity.

It’s time to create. It’s time to “Make Good Art.” It doesn’t matter what it is. Just create.

Numero dos, a post by the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) for TwitPic, Steven Corona. I just started following Steve’s blog the other day (can I call you Steve? Thanks. :)). I think this is the first post I’ve received. But it’s a gem.

Steve synchronictically builds on Seth’s post by offering some advice to get the creative juices flowing

  • You don’t need to be an expert to solve a problem and it doesn’t need to be perfect the first time. Cut before your measure.
  • Block off a chunk of time; 6 [hours] is good 12 is better.
  • Write out as many actionable steps as you can in 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, stop. You now have your plan.
  • When you’re creating, Google is off limits.
  • When you set yourself up for success, creating, doing something actionable, is the easiest part.

Creativity. It’s magical. And we all have access to it. Use it.

The World at Your Fingertips – MaKey MaKey

A few posts ago I linked to a Kickstarter campaign for slip-on shoes for everyone – i.e. hickies. A pretty neat idea, but sort of leaning to the goofy side of life. My next Kickstarter link seems to have a bit more potential.

Are you familiar with Kickstarter? It’s a relatively new (year or so?) way for ideas to get funded. Some lame, and some totally awesome. Basically, you put your idea online, ask for money, and if people dig it, they’ll give you money in exchange for some type of return – a free book when it comes out, acknowledgments in the credits, etc.

Giving more power to the people – i.e. a new way to take power from The Man. Rad.

Now on to the brilliance. These dudes from MIT have created a neat little device that will turn just about anything into a touchpad that will control your computer. The video below demonstrates some great – and goofy – examples, but picture controlling your computer with a banana or turning your stairs into the keys of a piano (Big anyone?).

I’m not sure where this technology will take us, but my guess is we’re just scratching the surface. Technology is insane!

You can find out more on the MaKey MaKey Kickstarter page.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfQqh7iCcOU[/youtube]

Hats off to Trent Walton for sharing the link. I’m easily following 100+  blogs at this point, so I’m not all that familiar with Trent, or where I came across him, but he seems pretty cool. Worth a look if you’re into the radness.

DIY for Little Dudes

Check out this website for the kiddos; www.DIY.org. Awesome!

I’m a believer that we’re all creative. We all have an artist, an inventor, a craftsman tucked away inside of us. We just need to have the self-motivation and inspiration to draw this creator out.

Be creative everyday is a good motto. Find reasons to create. Anything. Something. Everyday.

Writing, drawing, building, painting, playing. Anything. Just create. I love the idea of being creative. I wish I cultivated my creativity more over the years. Dude Knows Best is helping me with this creative itch now.

The good news is it is never too late to start. But the better news is that it’s never too early to start.

DIY.org is a site that is crafted to inspire kids to create and to share their creations. It is just getting off the ground, but I hope it grows by leaps and bounds. I hope it becomes the number one place for kids to turn to for inspiration, and more importantly to inspire others.

The world can never have enough inspiration and creativity, and I’m happy to see a new outlet directed at the youngin’s.

Based on their first week, DIY.org seems to be off to a great start. Here’s their first blog post – 2,730 projects uploaded! Awesome.

DIY.org

DIY.org

Ghost Town Marble Run by Redshoeman

Thanks to Swissmiss for passing on the creative goodness. 🙂