'I finally have space.'
Creative?
If you draw, write, paint, make music, build things, code, sing, think very hard, dance, philosophize, daydream,
do architecture, create events, host parties, like cafes,
enjoy whiskey, or wish you had more time to
live in the present moment,
then
S. P. A. C. E.
is
for
you.
FAQ
Who is it for and why should I care?
Do you care about creativity?
It's not just about 'drawing a straight line.'
You care about making. You want to do more of it. Sharing is another day's work, you know that time will come. But right now, it's not about the quick turnaround post that will get 'liked.' It's about your own work, the work that you know you have to do to get from here to N+1. Whatever that looks like. However it happens. But starting, that's the trick. Caring, too.
Do you wish you had more time to make stuff?
Every Tuesday for one year, other people found it.
The first-ever email out from S. P. A. C. E. was called 'find your time.' That will be the first one we will send you when you subscribe, too. The idea is that it's not so much about how much or how little time we have---everyone has the same amount, right?---it's about what we prioritize. And when it comes to creative projects that you have been thinking about for a long time, it's probably just that you haven't booked time for those things to move a little further, and develop. With 20 minutes week and S. P. A. C.E. as a guide, you will get to those things. If you've said 'I've been meaning to do X Creative Project,' then X Creative Project is sure to get attended to with your new weekly, S. P. A. C. E.
How does it work?
Can email really motivate me? The answer is 'yes.'
The big idea is that we will get to know you through the process of sharing the prompts, and you are invited to reply. Every time you work on something you're more than welcome to share with us. We are a small team at Design Kompany but we read everything that's sent our way. Part of the reason why there are small numbers invited to join S. P. A. C. E. each month. It's a kind of relationship, really. Ambient, sure. But sometimes, it becomes more and more interactive. You write to us, we post some things into the Snippets section of our eZine. Then we ask others to respond. Then, sometimes, they do, and we'll post those. It is a hosted space, in that way, for conversations to flow. Naturally, in their own pace, with time and caring.
Who should join S. P. A. C. E.?
Curious? Then it's for you.
Not everyone, for sure. This isn't a 'quick tips' guidebook for how to do design thinking or creativity or even art. We believe in the process of making, and in doing the work, one week at a time, and building towards something that signals an arrival of a voice, or a technique, or a craft that is uniquely your own. That, to us, is the beauty of the creative process. Discovery along the way of who it is we really are. Does this resonate? If yes, please read on.
If you are open to new thinking, welcome bumping into serendipitous encounters, love the journey and believe there is a beauty in trusting the process, then this is the eZine for you. It's also interactive, so if you want to contribute something---a piece you're working on, an idea you have---you can run it by other people who would be very fun to hear from, in a safe and engaging hosted virtual space. The host is A. Spaice and a few others here at DK. Meet us in S. P. A. C. E.? We are looking forward to receiving you.
WHAT'S IN S. P. A. C. E.?
TUESDAYS AT 7AM
A. Spaice seeks intrigue at the margins' furthest edges.
Gathering the interesting conversations and snippets with guests in S. P. A. C. E.
Voices from around the world, one Tuesday at a time.
PRACTICE OF DESIGN THINKING
Useful and up-to-date
IT IS TRENDY right now to talk about 'design thinking.' But the thing is, there are ways to do it that are hands-on and there are ways to do it that are less hands-on, and we wanted to make a space for the more engaging activities to spur really lovely design thinking. A textbook isn't the way to learn how to think expansively.
A creative approach isn't something that comes in an off-the-shelf box. Experience in short bursts what we call 'design doing.' Crafted from our own methods of arriving at 'a-ha!' with more than 500 people in N. America, Europe and Asia. Hint: It's not about the fanciness of the notebook you use, or what books are on your shelf. It's about the practice, and S. P. A. C. E. breaks down the weekly how.
CREATIVITY PROMPTS
And... go!
STUMPED? We know how that feels. It's definitely not easy to stare at the blankness of a screen or page or canvas or whiteboard and try to get going with a new work.
So that's why we've been writing prompts in S. P. A. C. E. for you to use to jump start the creative thinking. And they're not just generic ones---we've made the prompts that got our clients started thinking clearly and expansively about lots of wide topics. It starts with getting into the practice---but how?
Business people and personal friends of DK's in the design and art fields alike have helped us write and illustrate these short prompts to dive into the process of getting going. Designed to fit in the space of 20 minutes a week.
INSPIRING FINDS
Bricolage style
SAVE TIME with snippets shared with you each week from great texts, discovered right in the moment of the week or saved from 20 years of collected and recorded bits of insight from great thinkers East, West, North and South. Fantastic quotes for inspiring and motivating creative work, and not just from the internet because the internet has become incredibly banal, hasn't it?
Real life, scraps from books, found notes from the road of whom we met and what we've learned. Ten years in Seattle, southwest Ireland, a year on the road in Asia, and now in Phnom Penh and London, there's a lot to share. In chunks. This section is a personal favorite.
Q&A EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS
In the moment
AN OLD CAREER in journalism kickstarted this section of our eZine. Interviews come quite naturally to DK, both in terms of whom we find (chance, serendipity!) but also the contents of those conversations.
Perhaps it's the natural inclination to ask a lot of questions, or the practice of continuing to probe when others might stop out of social graces, we've uncovered some very cool people and their stories of creating, and those are shared in this dialogue-focused section of S. P. A. C. E.
HOW TO GET IT
S. P. A. C. E. is sent every week
on Tuesdays 7AM USEST.
Here's where to subscribe.
