Some very interesting thoughts at the presentation by Jeremy Myerson and Kursty Groves hosted at Humanscale on May 17. Would it really make you work better if you could play on a fireman’s pole or if you had a constant supply of snacks and treats? Or is necessity the mother of invention? Do people create as an escape from the mundane? I often wondered if there was so much creativity coming out of the sixties in England because of the bad weather! What else could one do on all those rainy afternoons but write “Exile on Main Street” or design a mini skirt?
What makes you work better?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Bringing my dog to work
Listening to music or NPR/talk radio
Echinacea tea
Working outside on nice days
Contests of everyday or seasonal creativity (ie, award for best hat, wig, or pumpkin)
Rebecca – I enjoy some of the same things to get into the flow. My dogs are always at my feet and my cat is usually on the back of the desk. Since I work from home, I am able to enjoy taking a tea break in the garden and pulling a weed or two. I don’t mind the solitude as the house fills up at other times of the day and there is always someone to brainstorm with at the other end of the phone or by email. It works for me but probably not for everyone.
If necessity is the mother of invention, inspiration is the father; there are two parents, not just one. Necessity is the recognition of a need which most likely comes from observation of conditions around you, while inspiration comes from within you. Necessity is predominantly reactive, while inspiration is fundamentally pro-active (or, at the very least, responsive to one’s own system of values.