C is for Creativity (and 100)
February 10, 2012 | No Comments
{ our blog baby pic }
First of all, we wanted to take just a sec to make note that this is the 100th weekly post to the BZ Blog. Nine and ninety more since we first said let’s do this. That’s hard to believe, at least from this side. So, three cheers for the blog and a hearty toast to y’all for clicking, in at least two senses of the word. We appreciate it fully.
Thinking about beginnings and drafts reminds us of when we first drafted our collective free-for-all wish list (on a huge Post-it® pad with its own easel) for our then-future-now-present office space, perhaps the most brought up, seconded, and solidified must-have on that sticky paper was a danged bar. And not a danged bar in the sense of having a cabinet tucked away in a corner: a bar that was front and center, danged first thing you saw. This isn’t because we’re a gang of lushes that know how to draw. That’d be irresponsible and safe to say, not so good for business. To the contrary, we were more interested in what the presence of a bar in an office could do for the brain than what the actual contents of the bar could. And the hunch was good: the bar takes effect way before the first pour. If you stretch things a bit and consider the office as a metaphor for the brain, adding a bar has the same affect as having a drink: it allows for the over-think to take a break, and lets the free flow of ideas and creativity happen, something we eluded to in that very first blog post, even.
Timely enough, a couple of articles have found their way to us in the past week focusing on the brain, creativity, sleep, booze, ‘the zone’ and the benefits of defocusing. Or as a wise Zoomer says, ‘gettin’ yer mind right…’. Perfect resonance, any way you slice it.
So let’s do this. Here they are:
The first (from WIRED) explores its title, Why Being Sleepy and Drunk are Great for Creativity by BZ favorite Jonah Lehrer, and the second via BoingBoing, on attaining the flow state: ‘that zone you can get into when you’re doing something that you’ve become highly skilled at’ – that sweet spot. Read it here, it’s worth your time for sure.
Thanks again for checking us out. Have a great weekend and get your minds right in whatever way tickles your fancy.
For the 100th time,
-BZ
PS: Props to Bryan Bowers for the great WIRED find – and for sharing. A BZ blog post might have one writer – but it’s always a team effort, one way or another.