Walk around the offices (ok, cubicles) of a creative agency, and you’ll likely find that most of the people working there have extremely diverse personal backgrounds. I love it when we get new employees and everyone goes around to tell one thing about him or herself that we may not yet know (last time we discovered that we could practically start a circus with the various talents we had in one room—I have the unicycling and gymnastics covered).
My point is, dedicating time to activities outside of work (or school) is extremely important. I’ve often drawn creative ideas from my “outside” hobbies and experiences, and meeting new people with different perspectives helps to remind me that we all think differently.
So what are you doing outside of work or school? Where do you draw your creativity from?
Maddie
Just found your blog and I really enjoy it!
Stephanie Russell
I’m always looking at other blogs and portfolios (I love Smashing Magazine, Brand New, Tutorial9 and others) for inspiration. I also play racquetball to oust any frustration and clear my mind.
Camping is fun, too.
Rachel M. Esterline .:. A Step Ahead
A lot of my inspiration comes from reading the news or other blogs. Conferences, workshops and speakers for PRSSA usually help a lot. Often, the moments that I get creative ideas are when I’m relaxing, driving or doing something mindless.
Rebecca
Aack! You’re confirming a fear of mine. My hobby is blogging. Now my work is blogging (and other stuff too of course). I hope that doing the thing I love all the time doesn’t sap me of my creativity!
Allie Osmar
It’s definitely ok if you hobby/work overlaps and takes a lot of time (hey, mine does too) as long as you can find a balance away from your computer and work too.