REFLECTIONS FROM THE 2011 HOW DESIGN CONFERENCE:
As promised in the last issue of Graphically Speaking, I continue to reflect on my experiences from the 2011 HOW Design conference in Chicago this past June. My favorite session was the first one on Saturday morning entitled Galumphing, Goats on a Roof and Other Revelations to Spark Inspirations, presented by Sam Harrison. Having worked in many creative arenas, Sam is a popular speaker and author and you can learn more about Sam at http://zingzone.com/?view=about_sam.
Anyway, what caught my attention of course was the title… what in the world was this session about? I understood the “Spark Inspiration” part, but what did Galumphing and Goats on a Roof have to do with anything?
As I entered the ballroom at the Hyatt Regency, the atmosphere seemed electric. Myself and about 800 other creatively minded souls had the same curiosity as I did. Upbeat and energizing music played loudly over the speakers and 2 large screens were filled with random images…, which we would all learn about later.
As Sam was introduced, we could tell immediately that we were in for a treat. We all sat with anticipation as he delivered his presentation, with his southern-drawl and with an “I’m your best buddy” personality. Here is what the session was about…
As creative individuals, your mind has a loading zone on one side and a parking zone on the other side. The loading zone is where you take things in, things you may see, hear or do. The parking zone is where these experiences are stored. Between each of these zones is what Sam referred to as the ZOMBIE ZONE. This is where we try to make a connection between the two zones to come up with that great idea our clients expect from us every day. The reason it is called the Zombie Zone is when the ideas fail to come in a prescribed manner, we tend to have an empty expression on our faces.
So you need some inspiration… and get off the plateau of sameness. To do this, Sam outlined the 4 “G’s”, and they are:
- Galumphing
- Galvanizing
- Gawking
- Giving
So let’s take a brief look at each of the four G’s:
GALUMPHING
One definition of galumphing is to move in a noisy, clumsy manner, however, Sam refers to this term in a different way. He uses it as another term for “fun”. Instead, it means to give yourself permission to be silly. Take time to relax and play, schedule it if necessary. Because if no one ever did anything silly, nothing would ever be done. I bet a lot of folks thought the Wright brothers as pretty silly. Not so silly anymore though, right?
Position yourself as a beginner everyday, meaning, have the lightness of heart of a beginner. Think back when you were in school… you were a sponge to new ideas, whether you realized it or not.
Use your imagination; it is after all your “super-power”. During the presentation Sam presented several questions to the audience and when answered correctly, he threw out Superman and Batman T-shirts to emphasize the point.
Galumphing then is the taking in of ideas, filling the loading zone with new experiences and data, all while having fun. Emotion attached to an idea is more easily remembered for extraction from the parking zone.
GALVANIZING
This is where the Goats on a Roof portion came in. This idea of Galvanizing is the taking of an idea and putting it to work. Sam told a wonderful story about how each weekend, he and his wife drove from Atlanta to their mountain retreat in North Carolina. On their way, and on the left of a two-lane highway was a little fruit stand where they would buy fresh fruit for their weekend stay. On one trip they encountered road construction. Apparently the two-lane highway was being converted into a four-lane highway with a median divider. Sam realized that to get to their favorite fruit stand, making a left was now impossible without turning around at some point in the distance and it certainly spelled doom for the small business. And sure enough, as the months passed the business had less and less customers.
So what did the owner do, he put goats on the roof. You see, he was also a goat farmer and one day discovered that goats like to be up high. So he built bridges and ramps to allow for the goats to get up on the roof. He even put down a sod roof for the goats to graze upon. In doing so, he now has grabbed the attention of vacationer traffic as they drove by. Wouldn’t you be intrigued? It became a popular tourist attraction and the business was renamed Goats on a Roof.
They took a bad situation and galvanized into a profitable business venture. What’s your “Goats on a Roof” idea? Get inspired and take action. You just never know.
GAWKING
Does this really need an explanation? Basically, pay attention to what’s going on around you. Creativity is the encounter of the intensively conscious person with his or her world. We need to get out and experience it.
Sam goes on to say that brainstorming is overrated, exploration is the key.” So stop, look and listen. And ask more questions. The answers you receive may surprise you.
GIVING
This is about getting involved. Form a network that will support your endeavors and ideas. It presents unique opportunities to meet new people and to share in new experiences… filling up the parking zone.
Give back to your world and your community your gifts. As Wayne Dyer states, “Don’t die with your music still in you.” Allow the world to dance to your song and celebrate.
Lastly, never, ever give-up. Just say to yourself over and over… don’t give-up, don’t give up, don’t give up. And then take action.
At the end of the hour and fifteen minute session, Sam got all of us engaged by throwing out giant red balls where we gladly smacked them around the room like a room full of kindergarten children. It was a lively experience, one I am not soon to forget and I left the ballroom inspired and yes… galumphing.
