I’ve always been fascinated by prolific artists, whether they’re writers, visual artists, designers, or musicians. The ability to tap into an endless stream of ideas and readily produce them in great abundance, either rough or refined, is a rare and enviable gift. Those of us who work in the field of design can attest to the occasional blank feeling at the very start of a project, when the immediate surge of inspiration is most critical. The complete standstill of creative thought is like a rude visitor who drops by without warning and far overstays his visit. Even the most vigorous attempts to kick him out may prove futile.

Sometimes, the reverse phenomenon might happen: great scores of ideas rush to be born, only to be stopped cold by our internal censor, guarding the exit like a muscle-bound club bouncer. Only the “best” and most durable ideas are ever worthy of getting through. Then the challenge becomes making those ideas real — on paper, on screen, in three dimensions. But the ideas have to be crafted with utmost care. Design involves so many choices: which color? which size? which direction? which order? Today’s great decision might become tomorrow’s utter failure.

In an effort to combat this endless cycle of no ideas vs. no good ideas, I’ve decided to redirect my mental energy to more constructive endeavors (see previous post). As a start, I’m going to try real hard to post more on this site, most likely in short form (thanks to the WordPress iPhone app). I will also try to add more projects, even if they’re in progress as sketches or rough prototypes. It won’t be easy, but I think it’ll be worth it.