Doctor’s Notes II

Back for a check up, eh? Creativity isn’t just raining down on you? Does it seem like the only wetness you’re feeling is the cold sweat of a looming deadline and not a creative thought in your skull? That sounds frightening! Fear is the mind killer and can take years off your already all-too-short life. Good news, the Doctor is here to get your creative brain to a good place. The type of place that’s fully legal in Colorado and Washington but less likely to be ripped away by a police-dog with a nose for “dried goods”.

1.) Pencil and Paper

There’s no reason to not have some within hands reach at any given time. Napkins and finger scrapings work fine, too. The point is your best ideas lie on the other side of an hour-or-two of doodling on some paper. I know this is the digital age but staring at a computer screen chokes the part of the brain that powers free flowing creativity. It’s got something to do with the diode triangulator and algorithmic bit-rates clashing with the synaptic relays…listen…trust me on the power of sketching.

2.) Star Trek The Next Generation

Sometimes your brain is stuck in the tractor beam of a Romulan Bird of Prey, and the only way to blast through the problem is a couple of photon torpedos and some sci-fi soap opera action. I recently started the series from episode one on Netflix. There’s nothing like having a nice 45 minutes of mindless sci-fi drivel that is engaging enough to keep you awake but not so deep or relevant that your brain can’t chill for a bit. Now, make it so.

3.) New Food

So your brain feels fried, covered in cheese, and swimming in con carne sauce? Well it’s time to rock the boat some. Your brain typically feels less inclined to produce work that’s worth a damn when it’s being fueled by “Chicken” flavored ramen. I suggest you go to your favorite restaurant and gamble on a completely new item you’ve never had before. Hell, be “creative” and ask your server what they create between working a double. Servers have a way of knowing great things to make with existing menu items.

4.) Martin House Pretzel Stout

Summer is definitely not the season for stouts but when a brewery makes something as good as Martin House makes their stout…I’ll break the “so called” rules. The guys over there cram nearly 6 lbs of pretzels into every barrel for this brew, and it pays off BIG. Martin House also makes a really good Saison, and that is more geared for the weather that we’re so blessed to be living in for the next 90 days. My suggestion is to visit them on a Saturday between 2-5, and try everything they’ve got on tap (or at least 3 things – there is a limit). You’ll be sporting a stout-beer-foam-mustache, staring into the middle abyss, saying “thank you, Doctor” in no time.

Here’s my prognosis. Your creativity needs some love, and you’re her Romeo. You need some help from the Doctor. This short list is my prescription for you this July. Soon you’ll be a god amongst men in your creative field. If these four silver bullets don’t hit the mark, come see the Doctor at Ilfusion.

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