Do you ever have periods in your life when you read or hear something profound only to have a similar, reinforcing message come up not soon thereafter from a totally different source? This weekend, while driving back from speaking at the Rhode Island Flower Show, I was listening to the Saturday morning NPR programs. Since I was driving around Boston, I was able to listen to WGBH. The reason I mention this is that WGBH is carved into my memory as it always preceded the beginning of This Old House. The particular program on WGBH was talking about all kinds of innovations in technology. The show’s host was interviewing two technology experts about the far-reaching effects of technology in America today. It was an extremely interesting discussion as one guest was deep into the world of Silicon Valley while the other guest had covered the tech world for years for the New York Times. They were having a back and forth volley of a conversation about the role of computers in today’s world and the possible role of technology in the future. Both guests explained how computers were built to solve problems for the government at first. Then, computers changed to solve problems for businesses. Today, they said, computers are mainly focused on solving problems for us as individuals or as companies like to call us, the consumers.
One of the guests made a point that struck me as rather profound. He stated that for years, computer companies were trying to figure out how to make technology a part of our everyday lives. With the growth of smartphones and the future of portable tech, the wired world is now an integral part of many of our daily routines. He then went on to comment to the host that the future will not necessarily be about who makes the next big device but what can pull us away from our dependence on this tech being with us at every moment. That statement got me thinking immediately: that is the role of gardens, parks, and any other environment that takes the pressure off of the screen and gives you the break or as it is becoming known, the digital detox.
One way that I have started to continue learning while not staring at a screen is by listening to podcasts. I had never compulsively listened to one until chain listening to all twelve episodes of Serial. After finishing Serial, I enjoy listening to several different podcasts while either working out or designing. This morning at the Y I listened to the Love Maine Radio podcast which is affiliated with Maine Magazine. The episode was on illustrators in Maine and why they are inspired to live and work here. The show’s host, Dr. Lisa Belisle, was interviewing a local illustrator and professor, Scott Nash. Nash recounted how he had started his career at a larger office in Boston where he became successful until ultimately, he spent most of his time managing 80 people to do the work that he really wanted to do.
He took a leap and left that gig to move to Maine and begin a career doing what he felt best doing: being creative. He also mentioned that he teaches at the Maine College of Art (MECA). There at MECA, he said that he found it important to teach his students about discipline. Creatives are wired to circle the skies in a mental holding pattern while searching for inspiration. Nash explained that he has the same routine everyday. He gets up and starts to create. He goes throughout his day and once he returns to home at night, he ends the evening in his studio where he again, creates.
Nash also talked about divergent and convergent thinking. Artists tend to be divergent thinkers in that they start with a blank page and begin mining the depths of their creativity in order to determine what needs to go on the page. He said that sometimes, when he or others get into a writing or designing block when the ideas stop, the brain shifts to convergent thinking. We get so focused on that one thing be it a story, a character, or in my case, a plant, that we cannot seem to turn on the creative light bulb even though we keep flicking the switch.
Nash said the best way to overcome a block is to shift into divergent thinking. Either we go for a walk, work out, grab a coffee with a friend, or anything that pulls our brain away from the focus of the work that is causing the block. Over time, that divergence allows us to see the problem in a whole new light.
Pulling the radio show together with the podcast, I sense a need for divergence. For the past three weeks, I have been focused on getting planting designs on paper and plants sourced and ordered. It becomes a long slog when I start to question if the designs are good, are the plants ok, or even am I in the right profession? This week, I am going to lay out a routine to focus on what needs to be done to feed the creative spirit and that divergent soul. As I start to do this, do you have any tips on where or how you find creativity? If you are stuck in a block, what things have you found to break through it and not just get the job done but make fantastic art?
–Rodney
While researching plants for a woodland garden design, I came across a cold-tolerant orchid from China. Most cold climate orchids have small, diminutive flowers that can only be appreciated after getting down on your knees and staring closely at them. This orchid was different. The photograph in a book showed a large flower with a description of being up to 8 inches across. The size, shape, and form resembled a Cattleya flower. I immediately thought that I had stumbled across a truly rare find; a large flowered orchid that we could even grow outside in Maine!
Reason to Design 