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Does consumption of media help or hinder creative thought?

I'm about to enter my final year in pursuit of a BFA in graphic design. I've long struggled with deadlines, in part because I experience difficulty coming up with ideas. I am, however, a regular reader of several design-focused blogs, so I'm getting constant exposure to really cool examples of other people's work.

I'm extremely self-critical and often wonder if I'm just being lazy because I've kind of settled into a primarily functional minimalist style, because that just seems to be the way my brain works.

I've been thinking lately: with as often as we hear about, let's say, books inspiring creativity and tv destroying it, is it possible that looking at a lot of other work is keeping me from coming up with my own ideas?

I don't watch tv, but I'm playing with the idea of attempting a fast of graphic media (i.e. - setting up my browser, email, etc, to only display text) in an effort to kick-start my mind. What are your thoughts on this?

Thanks, up front!

It’s good to stay current with your industry, so continue to look at others’ work. If noting else looking at others’ work will help you avoid their mistakes and stay clear of unintentional copycatting. Artists don’t live in a vacuum after all.

I don’t think it is necessary to go to text-only. But if you are feeling bombarded by too much visual media, by all means, take a little break. I’ve done short media fasts (usually around 10-14 days) in the past. Read a book. Pick a book NOT in your field of study. Choose fiction, science, history… just not graphic design. Seeing what other disciplines are doing is a great way to get your creativity percolating.

Currently, I’m a reading a non-fiction called, Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb. It’s about statistical probabilities in the financial markets and has nothing to do with art. Or will it? Maybe one day! I may make something that is consciously or unconsciously influenced by the concepts he addressed.

I don’t know if TV destroys creativity, but normally it is a rather passive activity. I believe it is possible to find inspiration in it as a visual medium. You can view a program with a critical design eye. Look at the set, what the actors are wearing, what props were used, how the furniture is arranged, the lighting, the color pallet. Even more importantly for a graphic artist- the commercials. Was there text? Was the typeface a good fit? Did the color scheme match the mood or story? Was the logo prominent? Did the ad convey the sponsors’ message effectively? TV can become a mental exercise in design.

BTW, there’s nothing wrong with having a personal style. It’s a good thing, just be careful of ruts.

Flepia Color E-Book reader

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Does anyone else think "Kindle" is kind of a bad thing?

Personally, I don't like them... I understand the benefits of an e-reader type thing, but to me, nothing can replace the feel or smell of a book. It's kind of like the difference between a live concert, and listening to a song on your iPod. Cool, convenient, but not the same. (And for purposes of the analogy, ignore the fact that at some concerts there are screaming crowds that piss you off.)

I'm interested to hear other people's views on E-readers.

I definitely agree with you. I'd never get Kindle, I much prefer a real book or magazine or newspaper to a little digital contraption. This is coming from someone who loves new-age technology, too.

Tags: books, cool book reader, cool ebook reader, cool ebook readers, e book reader, ebook, ebooks, free, web2.0

Categories: Ebook Reader Devices

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