I’ve mentioned this in the past but it bears repeating, idea files can be great things! What’s an idea file? It is everything and anything that you can store in a file folder that gives you an idea or spurs you on to create something.
I am always on the lookout for great ideas about new brochures and flyers. I like to visit vacation spots, restaurants, road side rest areas, any place that has a variety of brochures. It doesn’t matter what the brochure is about because you find very few, if any, brochures about entertainers. I look for how the brochure is designed and how colors are used. I find especially interesting the designs for amusement parks as I feel they capture the “feel” that entertainers must use.
It could be how they used photos; how they used color on logos; it could be the whole design of the info piece itself. But it does give me ideas on how to do my next mailing piece and what colors to use.
I also like to collect photos or shots of other entertainers. Many photos are posed by professional photographers and these capture the essence of the act. Some photos actually tell a story. My good friend Bob Rumba is a master at story telling through his photos. It’s not just a guy sitting pointing his finger at a puppet, his photos tell volumes! I remember one photo of Bob nervously playing cards with his Axtell turkey puppet. It reminded me of the old, smoky, back-of-the-room card games of long ago. Bob was losing as he had few poker chips and the bird was the big winner. The picture told a story, and it also caught the eye and amused everyone who looked at it, thus this photo worked for Bob. Find some photos that you like and put them in your idea file.
Your own ideas are also important. Maybe you saw something or something reminded you of an idea you had, so write it down on a note card and put it in the idea file so you can recall it later when needed.
You can also add favorite DVD’s or CD’s to you file as well as notes taken at lectures or ideas captured from television. Your idea file is your own personal oyster. Spring it open to enter the world of your own imagination
