Monday Inspiration: I Am The Antichrist To You

I may be slow on the uptake but did you guys know about this? I have almost no words to describe this video and song. It is just beauty. It reminds me a little bit of Watership Down, but other than that it's probably the most original thing I've seen or heard in a while. Please watch and share if you like.

 

Kishi Bashi is K Ishibashi's self-recorded and self-produced project. K is a founding member of Jupiter One, as well as a touring member of Regina Spektor. Thank you for sharing this @KerryBeetge! Have a great week, team!

The Beauty Of The Irrational

This is a bit different from my normal posts. I've never been much of a fan of running; I've always thought it's really only necessary when you're late or if you're being chased. After watching this video though, I'm not so sure. For one, it's beautifully shot. For two, it has a grand, inspiring soundtrack. For three? Well... I might not be a fan of running, but I'm a huge supporter of any and all things irrational. Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing this Jono Mervis - champ! You can view the video in all it's full-res glory right here.

Zombie Inception Drawing

I know right, the title of this post is impossible to ignore; there is just too much awesome. Remember earlier this week, when I mentioned an upcoming post about drawing? Well this is what I was talking about, and if you're interested in this particular artistic outlet, then you'd do well to subscribe to marydoodles' YouTube Channel.

You can follow marydoodles on Twitter too; it looks like she gets a lot of her ideas from tweeted suggestions. Later.

Monday Inspiration: Think Outside The Box

First, watch the video below...

Pretty cool right? Now, to be honest, the stop-motion clip above has little to nothing to do with the point of this post, but think of it as an extended metaphor for thinking outside the box. I digress. I often find myself stuck in a state of mental block; wandering aimlessly, mumbling random phrases until I find something that works for whatever I may be doing at the time. Lately, I've been trying to kick-start my brain into thinking differently by experimenting with a few things. I've found that the tips below can trick your mind into tackling a problem in a new (sometimes more effective) way - often forcing you to rethink an entire situation. So here they are, in no particular order.

• Say YES to random
  Stop what you're doing. Look at something else. Take a walk with someone. Make tea instead of coffee. Break a habit for a while. Do something you wouldn't normally do. Surprise yourself.
• Get a kid's opinion
  Often, a child will cut straight to the heart of a problem because they're not really too focused on the details. I don't believe that kids have some unspoken wisdom that adults slowly lose as they become conditioned by external influences, but I think kids will always offer some kind of fresh insight.
• Do it in reverse
  What is your goal? Fantastic. Now use that as a starting point and work backwards until you've reached where you are now. It's actually harder than it sounds, but it's like jogging for your brain. If you play guitar and have ever tried playing the other way around, you'll notice that you have to rethink the shape of every chord and strumming pattern. It's the same with any other activity.
• Doodle
  It doesn't have to be a masterpiece. Just doodle something. Get your thoughts out on paper so you can make room for some new ones. (Also, I've got a great drawing-related post coming up later this week, so keep an eye out for that).
• Think in terms of another industry
  Reading up on the best practices and processes of another industry can often lead to helpful insights that might apply to your own line of work. As the saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat, so if your job is skinning cats for a living, you've got your work cut out for you. Lastly...
• Take a shower
  This is my favourite one, and it totally works. The shower is a beautiful place. Just you, your thoughts and your naked body trapped inside a cubicle while your dirt is washed away by jets of water. It's probably the purist thing we can do as humans and often leads to great ideas (like a luminous shower head that changes colour according to the temperature of the water!).

Well, I hope this has helped... or at least taken your mind off work for a while. Go now, and vanquish this week!

Pictures That Will Inspire You Dammit

A colleague used the term Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) today to describe how she felt about the shitty weather of late. Now, I don't know whether this is an actual thing - and I'm too lazy to Google it - but I'm sure we could all do with a little inspiration - and quickly, lest the torrential rain washes it all away. In light of this, I put together a bunch of my favourite pictures from my Designtastic Pinterest Board. If you can't see the whole post, click the See More button below the picture.