Creativity Blockers

> I recently ran across a folder of things I have been saving for "something". A lot is outdated and now fills my trash can, but there are a few gems that I will keep. One of them is a handout I saved from one of my first art classes in college. I couldn't find it online anywhere, so I'm sure who to give authorship to, but I want to share it anyway.

> The Ten Commandments That Block Creativity

   1)  Everything thou doest must be useful

   2)  Everything thou doest must be successful

   3)  Everything thou doest must be perfect

   4)  Everyone thou knowest must like thee

   5)  Thou must not prefer solitude to togetherness

   6)  Remember concentrated attention and keep it holy

   7)  Do not diverge from culturally imposed norms

   8)  Thou shat not express excessive emotional feeling

   9)  Thou shalt not be ambiguous

   10)  Thou shalt not rock the cultural boat

> As  highly disciplined person, I find myself following more of these intuitively, rather than realizing they may stunt my creativity, so for me, it helps open my mind and be more creative when I focus on a few of them to slack on.> What about you? Which of these things do you do? If you allow yourself some leeway, how does it affect your creativity?

Better Way to Pay

> I recently spoke to a potential client. He wanted to know what I charge by the hour. I learned a long time ago, that's the kind of question that can ruin the chance to even be asked to submit a proposal for a design project. 

> I explain that I don't charge by the hour for my work. Here's what I do: I review the project, and submit a price for what it will take to come up with a creative solution from start to finish. If someone charges a dollar amount per hour, doesn't that give him incentive to work more slowly, so he makes more money? That doesn't seem right to me! I picture the person who moves like molasses, and my thought is, "he must be paid by the hour." 

> In my proposal, I say: "Here's what it will cost to complete your project, with these parameters (which I list). If the parameters change, so will the cost, and I'll let you know before proceeding if your requests will affect the price." Doesn't that give me incentive to work faster? You bet it does! Then we're both happy with the project, the timeline and the price.

> When I explain it this way, I get a lot of very positive responses, that this seems like a much better way to handle it. I think so!

Designed Thoughts

> I'm a contributor to the blog: GoodLookCookBook. Last week, I created these organizer box covers, by designing a typographic solution out of a quotation that I like. Check out the process and see more images on my blog post there.