Some creative blöks are easily side-stepped or avoided, such as the Perfection Fairy or the Flatfooted Naysayer; but not this denizen of the Creative Hinterlands. Excuses are a hulking moose of a problem. The Excuse Moose A very common ungulate grazer on the bogdowns and downtime meadows of the creative hinterlands, the Excuse Moose collects […]

[Editor’s note: This is the fifth in the Denizens of the Creative Hinterlands series. For more, see the Perfection Fairy.] Contrary to the popular romantic fantasy of a blissful artist joyfully churning out masterpieces, creating is no stroll in the park. Rather, each design or artistic creation is a journey through the Creative Hinterlands, a […]

Last time out, we encountered the cerebral, multi-armed Ponderous Complexicator, who leads you astray from your creative quest by over-analyzing and under-feeling. But there are plenty other denizens of the creative hinterlands that can derail your quest to create. Here’s number four in our series: the nearly irresistible Shinefool. These cute and completely unrestrained fashion […]

Editor’s Note: You run into them everyday, but don’t yet know their names. They are the Denizens of the Creative Hinterlands, and their misguided attempts at helping you only result in stifling your creative flow. Brad introduced us to The Flatfooted Naysayer and The Perfection Fairy in two earlier communiqués. Now he’s back with a […]

Each step you take on a creative path—whether you’re designing, drawing, or developing—is a step into the cloudy unknown. And along this path you’ll likely encounter a number of challenges, traps, and hazards that you must overcome before you lose your creative way. In the first installment of “Denizens of the Creative Hinterlands,” I introduced […]

A creative endeavor is an adventure in every sense of the word. Like most designers and artists, I encounter a host of challenges the instant I begin to create, and I must race to get the project done before they overwhelm me and stifle my initial creative urges. After years behind the pen (and mouse, […]