creativity is [contagious]

i'm fascinated by origami. something about creating a self supporting structure from a single piece of paper is so intriguing to me. creased folds serving two purposes; giving a flat 2d piece of paper strength to become three dimensional, while at the same time creating beautifully abstract pieces of art.  it's no stretch to the imagination why an architect would be captivated by this ancient art.

in my spare time i've been dabbling with a few easy sculptures. paper normally sent to the recycle bin have slowly, and through the use of youtube videos, become a swan, a crow and a crow sans tail i think looks like a penguin. believing you should always surround yourself with inspiration, i've kept these little sculptures a my office desk.

apparently, i'm not the only one to find inspiration in them....


when i walked into work today i found another tiny sculpture in the collection. next to the swan, crow, and penguin, was in incredibly intricate paper dragon.  i was beyond baffled until i saw the dragon was standing on a post it note.  i picked up the note and read it;

"liked your origami. thought you would like this - luke (cleaning crew)

as you can imagine, i was beyond impressed. i was completely fascinated someone i never met or had interaction with, took the time to create this beautiful piece of art. not only was i inspired at his craft, i was incredibly thankful he decided to share it.

luke gave me a reminder today.  always keep your eye out for inspiration, and when you find it, share it.

the [sketchbook] experiment

i am not a great sketcher, i fall more into the "doodle" category, but i wanted to improve.  i remember the words of one of my professor who told us to "sketch, something, everyday."  taking his advice,  i started a new sketchbook two years ago.  i've had several others in the past but was discouraged with horrible sketching.  i felt every blank page had to be turned into a work of art with perfect sketches, which basically defeats the whole reason for having a sketchbook.  this one would be different.  i decided early on i would not be afraid of anything i put in the book, it would be an experiment, an experiment to see if i improved.

i kept it open at my desk and started filling the pages with anything and everything.  sometimes it was used as a day planner, other times a memo pad, but mostly just scratch paper. i'd sketch architectural details, take notes on projects, or make reminders for myself.  sometimes i'd fill two pages in a day, other times i'd go weeks without making a mark.  slowly, i worked my way through the book.  when i found myself in a block, i'd clip out pictures of buildings from magazines and paste them on the page.  eventually, any photo i found inspiring was clipped out.  soon, song titles, lyrics, thoughts, and quotes started appearing.  anything that might spur a sketch became a contributor to the book.  then a funny thing happened, the pages started to became less about work.  project notes and details were replaced with sketches and drawings more personal.  the book that was suppose to help me stay more organized at work, started to become a way to escape the job for a few minutes.  a short little vacation on a beach of white paper and an ocean of blue ink.

the transition was unintentional, but a pleasant surprise.  i found myself wanting to sketch, looking forward to the occasional five minute break.  in a way, it became a stress reliever.  as i started nearing the end of the book, i found myself filling every square inch i could, not wanting to end this two year journey.  a few days ago, however, i filled the last bit of white space and the experiment was done.

it was interesting to go back and visualize how the book had evolved and changed over the course of a couple years.  is my sketching better? not really, but looking back over the pages, i feel the larger benefit of this experiment is the fact i enjoy the process of sketching much more than i did, and just maybe, that's more important than a pretty sketch.