Full Circle Lateral Thinking

Oftentimes, as a creative, I find myself facing a block. It happens in the most random of instances. I could be crafting copy, tinkering with a colour scheme, making art, choosing a piece of furniture, a new employee or a brand of whisky.

I invariably find myself asking widely for a spectrum of opinions to colour the white spaces between the wireframe lines of decision-making. After all, life is all about decisions. And decisions, whether big or small, are an amalgamation of the tiniest and sometimes subconscious choices. These are then processed into a more complex action plan which in itself forms the master plan for success or failure. The more I hear other people's opinions, the faster I reach the conclusion that mine was the better idea. Don't get it wrong, I'm not being parsimonious; it's just that I prefer to think along parallel perspectives about the same subject - either simultaneously or at different instances. And I cross-examine each predilection from an opposite perspective.

Just like any creature with the luxury of choice, I like to consider that the choice that I make is in my best interests. That is where I sketch out the plan. In black and white. So that I can fill it in with the secondary and tertiary creative variables. These may take the form of personal preferences, conditioned learning and current or future environmental nuances.

At any given time I have a choice to make. I have a million choices at my disposal. I have limited time. Some choices have to be made instantly to avert catastrophe or to propel myself there much faster. I consider all options, illustrate best scenarios and epic fail scenarios in my mind before I act.

The third layer is a combination of all the variables along parallel timelines, individual audience idiosyncracies, environmental variables and reversability of any of the components of the action's sum total. When I am sitting down with a panel of peers bouncing ideas off of, I have pretty much determined my course of action. What I'm seeking at that point is a separation of timelines and variables to help me choose the best components and order of arrangement while evaluating the net effect at different stages as well as the desired overall effect.

I may come across in some in most instances as dismissive or persnickety. Guess what? That's already a factor I've considered. If I hear something new that is alien to me, I'm sold to listening at the very least. I simplify it in a way that I can explain it to my grandmother. I then make a firm decision.

I don't believe in failure. I believe in learning and adapting.

That's what keeps me sharp.