Blueprint of sorts.

Today, I RID this book on creativity.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what creativity is, and how it flourishes.

My view is that we need three things to be creative:

Stimulation – It’s why we need to watch TV, read magazines, and get out there and experience stuff. I myself attended two concerts this weekend (Decemberists and Arcade Fire) and the energy, people-watching, and musing about lyrics all made me think about things I hadn’t before.

Reflection – But stimulation without time to take it in isn’t worth very much. We need to ruminate, consider, and “park the lessons” that we learned from our stimulus. This in some ways is the hardest part. Because of our over-interrupted culture with its buzzing email, mobile phone, and the like…it’s hard just to make time. (BTW, the irony that I’m writing this on a day a text message woke me up isn’t lost on me.)

Collision – Finally, true creativity comes from the collision, mixing, or blending of two ideas that produce something new.

Here’s to a great day filled with new and great creativity.