It happens more than you think. When you’re paid to be creative, it can be a real challenge to be original every day. Anyone that has stared at a blank screen for an hour knows the feeling. Most designers and almost all artists are motivated by accomplishing work of true originality. The problem with the information age is the constant struggle of enduring a bombardment of stimulation. The over-proliferation of media - be it tweets, texts, email, voice mail, or any other source, can be so overwhelming, it becomes nearly impossible to shut it off, And. Just. Think. On your own, for just a few minutes. I call it the Media Empty Stimulus Syndrome. It’s like junk food for your brain, or like trying to read with three TVs on, all tuned to a different channel.

The best vacations I ever took were places that had lousy cell service: A kind of self-inflicted attenuation of the noise that has become our lives. I believe the most important tool in our creative arsenal today is to develop a healthy stimulus filtration system. I learned to call upon this tool after years of practice, and a lot of motorcycle riding. Developing a skill that can block out the world can be a powerful tool. There are actual places you can go to heighten this skill - One such place is the Duende Arts Institute’s School of Genius, where creative people of all types meet to amplify, center, and elevate their true creative self. They assemble disparate groups of “creative” people and explore what it means to be an innovator in a world where derivative behavior has become the norm. Through introspection and collaborative exercises, they team musicians, dancers, film makers, circus performers, and designers (to name a few) to rediscover their creative process.

If nothing else, find a place and time where you can shut it off, even for a few minutes. I believe the power to focus is a key element, and I encourage everyone to cultivate your filtration skills.