Further to our video last week about how creativity takes time, here's a short TED talk video about how doodling can help every one of us focus on whatever it is that you do best.

Eleanor shared this video on her Facebook page, and as soon as I saw it I thought, "We need to hire some kids. They can bang out ideas really fast!" Well, not really. But I did think it was a pretty cool way to demonstrate that creative ideas and their execution take time. Playfulness and fun aren't the enemies of productivity. They are, more often than not, the backbone of effective results.

At aasman, we're fortunate enough to have a client base that, for the most part, understands this principle. As a result, our work often involves a lot of play, which makes this a pretty fun place to be—for us and our clients. 

Check this out for a little extra creative inspiration. Have a great weekend! 

Ode to inspiring weekends

My design teachers told me that it’s good to diversify my sources of inspiration and be in contact with all kinds of art… Following their wise advice, I like to extend my contact to all kinds of people, activities & rhythms, in all kinds of weather, headspaces & revisited environments.

I spent most of my weekend in the at-first-unploughed Log Cabin parking lot at the Pass, which could sound at first like a relatively lame (a.k.a. “safe”) plan. But add to the story a massive snow dump forecast, an actual metre of fresh snow, a cooperative snowplougher ready to make a little detour in trade for a brownie, a road temporarily blocked by an avalanche, a bunch of highly motivated and creative people ready to overcome any obstacle for a friend's birthday party, frantic shovels, an oversized party tent, courageous dogs, a mysterious backcountry ice cream recipe, colourful wigs, lovely ski turns, an efficient first aid rescue scenario and a Log Roll for the Hawaiien birthday girl and…(breath)…it all suddenly turns into a giant breath of fresh inspiration for the week ahead.

That said, I am definitely saving first prize for creativity to the weather, always surprising us with such different backgrounds and ambiances for every single day we spend out there, winter after winter. It makes our beloved “safe” skiing destination a fun place to "discover again" every time we go.

photo credits: Bridget McClarty and Valerie