Monday, August 30, 2010

Finding the right climate for your creativity.

Since I've ratcheted-up my posting frequency from once a year to at least once a day(ish) I've noticed myself searching for inspiration and searching for suitable subjects in more places.

Whether it's the pressure to want to keep putting out (good) content or the strange "high" that I've been getting from writing more and thinking about different subjects, I've found a need to keep searching and exploring every angle of the things I encounter. There's always a story somewhere, right?

An interesting byproduct of this has been the realization that I need quiet in order to write (for the most part). In my design work and in the bit of development work that I do day after day, my iPod is always on, always pumping out some sort of audible assistance to help fill in the blanks. But when writing articles, I've found myself to be distracted by the sounds, the lyrics, the musical energy, and I get thrown off easily. Because of my work and personal schedule, I do most of my writing after everyone in the house has gone to bed (and with two kids, who can blame me, right? ), but that's become a necessity now in trying to get thoughts onto paper. Maybe that's why my iPad has become my go-to writing tool. It helps me focus on the words and tune out all of the distractions around me.

What about your work environment? What makes you more productive in what you do? Are there any tools that help you turn thoughts into actions faster? Comments are "on" and the floor is yours!