no boundaries

Hey everyone, A very cool music video that I can only describe by saying that border, boundaries, oceans, ideologies and perceptions are no longer impediments to collaboration… so what do you hear when you put on someone else’s headphones? Watch the whole thing.

Haven't you ever felt like breaking something?

Well, apparently you are not alone... when Sara Lavely thought about breaking something at a low point in her life, she made a business out of it.

The Smashshack is a place in San Diego where you can buy stuff mostly made of glass and ceramics for $10-$50, rent a “break room”, personalize your experience by putting on your favorite music, invite some friends, and start breaking ! When you are done you can take the pieces in a box as a souvenir, or the broken bits go on to become mosaic artwork through local artisans, art therapy and student projects.

Curating NYC

What? “Target brings great design at pay-less prices to New York with four limited-time Bullseye Bodegas staged throughout Manhattan”.

Target’s slogan is “Design for Everyone” and they really mean it, not only making design more affordable, but also taking Target to places where the megastores are not close enough. For four days New Yorkers were able to “shop for chic deals in home, fashion, accessories and beauty from our acclaimed roster of design partners”. Using vacant store spaces in top NY neighborhoods like Soho, Midtown, Union Square and the East Village, they created small pop up Target boutiques designed by David Stark. Inside they offered very limited amounts of products from 22 designers like Dwell, Converse and Jonathan Sounders. The strategy to gain people’s awareness of their designer lineup was brilliant, and the stores had to be a huge success, since lines were endless from day one, and by the last day there was not much left.

inspiration from Mexico

Monica from Play México recently visited India, she shared some insights she took from her trip.

"In India there are three major rivers, which for Hindu religion has an important meaning: Ganges which means Purity. Yomuna which means Devotion. Sarasvati means Knowledge. The three rivers join to make the Perfection.

She based on this idea, what do you need to instill values in your employees to achieve perfection in themselves and your company?

MoOM

Hey. Don't go check your Facebook between meetings- give yourself an internet based EUK to help keep your brain in gear. Check out Coudal Partners Museum Of Online Museums

There, you'll find links from their archives to online collections and exhibits covering a vast array of interests and obsessions: Start with a review of classic art and architecture, and graduate to the study of mundane (and sometimes bizarre) objects elevated to art by their numbers, juxtaposition, or passion of the collector.

'Look up'

Unexpected Combinations

Unexpected combinations can result in some seriously fantastic ideas. Check out what happens when you combine Rachel Ray, Pee Wee's playhouse, and a Peter Gabriel music video.

Hong Kong LAMS.

Check out this video of Andy and the Play team taking in the sights in Hong Kong. They were only there a few days but they did get a chance to step out of the conference room and explore the city. What a wonderful place to practice Confusion Tolerance and push the boundaries of their comfort zone...

Visual Sorbet

I'm loving this photo set of Indian street graphics over at MeanestIndian's flickr page.What a departure from the street art around our office....

Ore Ida Story

From Play Inspiration Vol 1 - here's Ben telling us about a team that learned how to take risks and embrace the failed attempts.
(Can we get a cannon too?)

I found a pretty interesting article from Jean Aw, over at NotCot.com, that highlighted a speach by JJ Abrams (the guy that created TV shows like Lost, Alias and Felicity). He makes some great insights into what inspiration is and how it connects to his business. Practically a case story for some of our current thinking around the topic and how we want to deliver it.

In his TED talk,, JJ Abrams will tell you his story of this 15$ mystery box that his grandfather bought him, that he has still have yet to open… and he discusses the concepts of infinite possibility and the power of a sense of potential… how mystery is the catalyst for imagination… and that life altering moment where he realized the possibility that mystery is more important than knowledge… the difference between what you think you’re getting versus what you’re actually getting…

Let's hear it for the boy...

If you're in the Richmond area and have recently picked up this months R Home Magazine you may have recognized our very own production specialist: Byron Wampler and his amazingly designed house. Byron's spent the better part of his life surrounding himself with unique artwork and design pieces and his home has now become one of the team's (and greater Richmond's) favorite places to become inspired.

Unfortunately, RHome doesn't publish their articles online so you'll have to run out and pick up a copy for yourself. Or call us. We'll send you one.

I.C.I Stories

Introducing a new series, I.C.I (Inspiration, Creativity, Innovation) Stories, created as a way to capture and share some of our teams favorite stories. Some may come from reading magazines, some from real life experiences. Each has been told in an effort to share a specific insight, and because we think they're fun to listen to.

Think of them as bite size reprieves from the work day.

Sara Storck goes first with her story: Bring your soul to work. Take a break. Listen for a bit. We'll post more stories as we get them.

Traffic Contrarianism

Check out this article from the Washington Post about how some folks in Europe have thought and acted in a counter-intuitive way.

What seemingly "needed" and obvious things can be changed or removed to get at a potential solution?

BOHMTE, Germany -- Like countless other communities, this west German town lived for years with a miserable traffic problem. Each day, thousands of cars and big trucks barreled along the two-lane main street, forcing pedestrians and cyclists to scamper for their lives.

The usual remedies -- from safety crossings to speed traps -- did no good. So the citizens of Bohmte decided to take a big risk. Since September, they've been tearing up the sidewalks, removing curbs and erasing street markers as part of a radical plan to abandon nearly all traffic regulations and force people to rely on common sense and courtesy instead.

This contrarian approach to traffic management, known as shared space, is gaining a foothold in Europe. Towns in the Netherlands, Denmark, Britain and Belgium have tossed out their traffic lights and stop signs in a bid to reclaim their streets for everyone.

The assumption is that drivers are accustomed to owning the road and rarely pay attention to speed limits or caution signs anyway. Removing traffic lights and erasing lane markers, the thinking goes, will cause drivers to get nervous and slow down.

"Generally speaking, what we want is for people to be confused," said Willi Ladner, a deputy mayor in Bohmte. "When they're confused, they'll be more alert and drive more carefully."
The European Union has subsidized shared space programs in seven cities in five countries. Interest is spreading worldwide, with cities in countries from Australia to Canada sending emissaries to Europe to see whether the experiment works.

In Bohmte, a town of 13,000 people in the state of Lower Saxony, residents were tired of all the trucks whizzing along Bremen Street, the main route through the city. Since the street is categorized as a state highway, German law prevented local officials from banning trucks. They considered building a bypass instead, but merchants worried it would suck too many vehicles out of the city center, hurting business.

In 2005, city leaders learned about shared space and decided to give it a try. One of the biggest obstacles was persuading regional traffic bureaucrats to approve the unorthodox approach. "They were grinding their teeth, but finally they agreed," Ladner said.

On Nov. 26, a small section of Bremen Street -- absent signs and curbs -- reopened to traffic. With no marked spaces, people can park their cars wherever they want, as long as they don't leave them in the middle of the road. The new pavement is a reddish-brick color, intended to send a subtle signal to drivers that they are entering a special zone.

Only two traffic rules remain. Drivers cannot go more than 30 mph, the German speed limit for city driving. And everyone has to yield to the right, regardless of whether it's a car, a bike or a baby carriage.

Peter Hilbricht, a Bohmte police officer in charge of traffic planning, said the main intersection in town generated about 50 accidents a year before the changes. He expects the number to plummet, citing the experience of other cities that have embraced the shared space approach.
In Haren, the Netherlands, for example, the number of accidents at one intersection dropped by 95 percent, from 200 a year to about 10, Hilbricht said. "You can't deny the numbers," he added. "Half the world is eager to see what's going to happen with this program."

Old habits, however, can be hard to break. Especially in Germany, a rules-obsessed nation where people who dare to jaywalk can expect a loud scolding from other pedestrians, even if no cars are in sight.

Asked to give a personal demonstration, Hilbricht put Bohmte's lack of rules to the test. Picking a random spot, he bravely stepped into oncoming traffic and across the road -- an act that could have earned him a fine pretty much anywhere else in Germany.

Cars immediately slowed down and gave Hilbricht a wide berth, although he admitted that his police uniform may have worked to his advantage.

When a reporter tried the same thing, two approaching drivers barely hit their brakes, including one guy in a van who babbled away on his cellphone as he sped past.
Ladner, the deputy mayor, acknowledged that it could take a year or two before residents get used to the changes. But city officials are confident. They are spending $3.3 million to overhaul parts of Bremen Street by next summer and hope to expand the special zone gradually over the next 10 to 20 years.
"We're very optimistic," Ladner said. "If others can do it, then why not us? It will be difficult for some people, yes, but it can be accomplished."
Although shared space is attracting lots of attention in Europe, no one expects Germany to shut down its famed autobahns anytime soon.
The program is designed only for public spaces where pedestrians and cyclists share routes with cars. Traffic engineers say it could lead to gridlock if introduced in high-traffic areas, such as large cities.
Practically speaking, the shared space concept works only at intersections that attract fewer than 15,000 vehicles a day, said Juergen Gerlach, a professor at the Center of Traffic and Transport at the University of Wuppertal. The approach can backfire if it covers more than a half-mile of road at a time, he said. Otherwise, drivers would get too frustrated with the slow pace and bypass the area.
Some residents in Bohmte said that although something needed to be done, they remain unconvinced that doing away with all the street signs and safety measures will do the job.
"It's how people are these days -- everyone is in a hurry, everyone just takes off," said Maria Stolte, who pulled her Mercedes in front of a bakery in the no-sign zone to buy some bread. "No one looks or pauses or is courteous. I hope it will slow people down."
At the same time, she doesn't plan on taking her bike for a spin anytime soon. "I don't know if I will feel comfortable riding down this street," she said.
The baker, Gisela Luebbert, is also skeptical.
"What they have done is pretty, no question about that," she said. "They've done a nice job with the design, but was it absolutely necessary? I don't know. We'll see if it's worth all the trouble."

The Answer to the Inspiration Question: GROUT

After months of receiving Google alerts on the word "Inspiration" (and receiving nothing but spiritual or miscellaneous and ultimately personal references), something of interest finally arrived this morning. Granted the source is design-oriented, but the observations and questions from this blog are universal in their relevance to the topic. Here's the blog:

http://nick.typepad.com/blog/2007/11/flushed-with-in.html

The question raised is around the seemingly consistent power of the bathroom as a wellspring of inspiration. Here are a few comments I particularly want to reference:

"I guess the common denominator here (looking at the comments so far) is situations when your mind is bored with the current (lack of) stimuli, and thus start to wander and process "backlog information" just to break out of the boredom. :-)"

"The, often, stark-ish (not ers!) surroundings, like large expanses of white (tiles) leave no clutter for the brain to focus on, so it goes for a creative walk."

What I find fascinating is that this is a phenomenon we have all experienced and yet our philosophy of Look At More Stuff is also valid. More stimuli? Less stimuli? Which is truer? Are they both true? Or is the secret that you need both as an alternating resource?

If I had to take a guess, I would say that you need to "fill up" on stuff and then account for a time and space to allow your brain to operate as a sieve or metal detector, sifting through all the stuff until it finds something valuable. I particularly like the notion of the brain having a pantry of inspiration, so to speak. "Hmmm...nothing fresh in the refrigerator...I guess I'll have to hunt in the cabinet for something I stored away earlier." This metaphor helps me articulate a notion I have been carrying around. Inspiration is both an active and passive endeavor. We need to go out and "shop" whether we are are making a specific meal or not. We need to keep the shelves stocked. Then when we are starving and the stores are closed, our brains naturally will forage for something tasty that we squirreled away previously. So at first we need to learn to shop (look at more stuff). It will be a concentrated effort at first, but at some point the habit becomes second nature, and then the process starts to work for you without subconsciously...which transforms the blank environs of a shower into harvest season for inspiration and ideas.

Design inspiration: Illy Push Button Cafe

I just spotted this amazing and intriguing Illy Push Button Cafe over at thecoolhunter.com.

"With the push of a button, the house opens in 90 seconds like a flower and transforms from a compact container into a fully furnished and functional space with a kitchen, dining room, bathroom, bedroom, living room and library. All materials used in the Biennale house were recyclable or recycled. As Andrea Illy, chairman and CEO of illycaffe, has been quoted as saying, illy was initially interested in Kalkin’s idea as an examination of “home as one continuous mouldable surface, a relief against which human activity would pop out.”

Holiday shoppers milling about the Time Warner Center in New York will have a fabulous chance to experience one of these soon. Between November 28 and December 29, 2007, they can rest, relax and sip a perfect cup of illy espresso in one of Kalkin’s creations, the temporary Push Button House cafe that the Trieste, Italy-based illycaffè will install there."

Check out more about this amazing space at thecoolhunter.com

Robert & Ben: Inspiration Lens #2

Over the next couple of days as you continue to soak in the sights and culture of Istanbul, please find snapshots of collaboration. Different people working, moving, living life together. What seems to connect them to one another? How do they collaborate? What breaks down collaboration or togetherness? How does the environment support or discourage collaboration?

No one wants advice, only collaboration. ~ John Steinbeck

Sara Storck

Coffee Spoon.

IDEA GENERATOR

The Director's Bureau Special Projects Idea Generator - just push the buttons, watch the wheels spin, and *poof* a gorgeous new crazy idea mashup. Great for when you need those forced connections.

LINK

Why Sabbatical? Da Vinci weighs in . . .

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work, your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and a lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen."
- Leonardo da Vinci

I'd like to build on the following definition of Inspiration that Andy found at the Cooper Hewitt museum: "The rousing of the intellect or emotion to a state of heightened feeling, action or invention." Poet David Whyte refers to this as soul: "Corporations must make room for the presence of soul if they expect employees to change their behavior and contribute more to the enterprise." What's the first step that encourages inspiration? What's the symptom in an organization where inspiration is lacking?

Probably "your voice." Whyte says, "Your voice in an organization is an invitation to participate. Without this, people do not feel they exist in a company. " That's so true. We often see a reticence to speak up, or share a less-than-perfectly-formed thought. As I have been thinking about what the progression or model for inspiration might be for Play, the notion of exploring, and trusting "your voice" seems to be a component. Without sharing, or feeling as though you can speak about the connections that inspiration brings, how does inspiration live or add value?