Creative Jam at McNay 

mcnay-exercise-oneBeing creative requires a constant supply of information. Whether it be from the internet, magazines, outdoor materials, everyday household products – you name it, we need it to keep our minds fresh and up-to-date with new ideas and creative avenues.

So esd has come across a creative avenue for the team to explore. Once a month our design team gets together for a creative jam. What is a creative jam you ask. Well it’s an outing that gives our team a chance to step away from the computer and get back to the hands-on approach to creativity. The goals of these exercises are to build team unity and explore new perceptions from creative exploration.
The exercise is very simple. The idea is to choose a task and a destination, establish a medium for the team and go.
Our first jam lead us to the McNay. Tthe exercise was to explore the art exhibit and find five works of art. Then using a piece of paper folded into an accordion fold with five panels, sketch the work chosen on one of the panels. Each team member was asked to spend no more than two minutes to sketch what they saw of that piece. Once finished with a panel we rotated until all five panels were filled giving us a strange looking work of art.
What we try to take away from these jams are to put more emphasis on conceptual value of the idea than on its production or finished value. What it also tells me as Art Director is how each one of our creatives approaches and interprets the exercise.
All-in-all the jam was a hit and everyone can’t wait until the next one. Stay blogged.