A year ago I started to write a book on creativity. In it I discuss how we’ve made this notion so mythic that it has become ridiculously exclusive. This seems rather silly, given that it’s learnable, just like any other discipline. The point, however, is that all this time has passed, and I only have half a book ready (I’m a walking cliché—sorry folks!)

In art school I became friends with a colourful and interesting fellow named Ian. Although it has been years since we last spoke, I often think back upon his unique perspectives and the typically inebriated conversations we shared. Yesterday I was reminded of an idea he once discussed: that those who eat meat should at least once have to kill an animal.

Struggling with too many projects, and not sure where to start? Wish you had a few tricks up your sleeve to make things easier? While the following is certainly not a definitive list, it does contain a few of the things we do at smashLAB to bring out our best.

Design is such a multi-layered practice that it’s often difficult to define. That being said, I believe that the word “design” is increasingly confused with “style”. For example, to most “I like the way it’s designed” means that they like the way that something looks.

Unveiling a solution is arguably the most harrowing aspect of the creative process. In our last post we talked about how we can work to better service our clients. In this one, I’ll share some of the best responses we have to questions that can often derail an otherwise effective solution.

If you live in Vancouver, you complain about the rain and the cost of housing. It’s easy game, as we all share in this experience, no matter how routine the discussion can become. We designers aren’t so different. Although the public may never see it in designer propaganda, it’s not uncommon to find us commiserating about difficult situations with clients.

Thinking back on colour coding high school class schedules to make them more usable (embarrassing, I know); I accept that design was fused to my DNA. To gain a command of the discipline, however, required a disproportionate personal investment if measured against tangible returns.

I’m a hard-ass. Some would correct that by simply removing the word “hard”; but I digress. There are a number of people who find me rather difficult to be around. I would go as far as to say that our staff – both past and present – would unequivocally agree that working with me is daunting at best. Understandably, I have long searched for the reason behind this. Aside from my somewhat abrasive personality, I believe that the problem stems from alternate notions of purpose and commitment.