I've been working on a few creative projects lately and keep getting stuck for ideas. When this happens I try to go back to a design class I had with an amazing jeweler, Reena Ahluwalia. Reena taught me helpful exercises to help break through those creativity blocks. I've wanted to come up with a list of my own exercises I can fall back on for a while now, so I thought blogging might get me started. Here's the first "creative calisthenics" I came up with - see my goofy examples below.
Step 1. List 10 of the last non-handmade items you've purchased
Step 2. Sketch 5 of these items from the front, back and side
Step 3. Focus on three of these sketches and start to brainstorm products that could provide an alternative to these pieces or act as an accessory