Look Somewhere Else

It's time for some creative inspiration, so let's turn to the trusty Creative Whack Pack. Today's card is: Look Somewhere Else. Let's see what it says:

Finding new ideas is like prospecting for gold. If you look in the same old places, you'll find tapped out veins. But if you venture off the beaten path, you'll improve your chances of discovering new idea lodes. Remember: you can't see the good ideas behind you by looking twice as hard at what's in front of you.

Where else can you look for ideas? What useful information might you find in a hardware store? In a cathedral? An operating room? A cruise ship? A junkyard? At a glacier? At a laboratory of a famous inventor? At a rodeo? In a large grocery store? At a yodeling contest? The children's section of a bookstore? What new places can you look for ideas?

Question: What different or unusual places have you explored for ideas in the past year? What did you find? How was it helpful?

Comments

[Cam Beck]

Strangely enough, a toilet. I didn't quite find the answer I was looking for, but for the subject I think I'm pretty darned close.

[Gavin Heaton]

Standing on a ladder. Looking down gave me a new perspective.

[Shakespeare's Fool]

Roger,
OT, and you have most likely already seen this, but on the off
chance that you haven't"
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/199512/edison
= http://tinyurl.com/ys4vqf
John

[Jeff Mordan]

When looking for a story about monkeys in a cage to help me explain technology innovations to the staff within my school, I found a blog from an author of a book I was supposed to read in college but never did. The simple and great ideas on the site help me look at problems differently and encourage me to extend creativity beyond my artwork into my new position as an Information Technology Artist/Teacher.
I ended up putting on small tecnology plays about each innovation using the staff as actors. This unexpected way of sharing information make everyone laugh and taught them something new.

[Roger von Oech]

Cam and Gavin: Here's a combine -- put a ladder over the toilet. See where that leads your thinking!

John: Thanks for the link. Interesting Edison article.

Jeff: Good story. Thanks. You've got an interesting website. I like your provocative art!