So, all of the Engine Yard offices I’ve been in have ping pong tables. Secret to our success? Maybe. There is something about taking a break to do something physical while you’re thingking really hard on a problem for a long time. Moving around makes you forget some of the rigidity you had built up around the problems, and you have headspace then for solutions. I don’t really play ping pong, but I pace, I dance, whatever works. Sometimes I just need to stare out the window for a little while. Really, it’s stillness of mind that you’re after, the not-thinking. It’s the creative headspace, the white canvas. The moment of quiet before ideas come rushing to fill it. Beginner’s Mind: Stretching that moment out is Zen meditation (and one of the reasons I have a zen symbol tatooed on my arm). The longer you can stretch that moment out, the louder the ideas get. Sometimes, something really brilliant will come, other times, it’s just a solution to a tricky process problem. I know I should just post single images to twitter, but that’s so much harder to get to later, and this format makes the photos look better. Also, this is a good excuse to air my stupid ideas.
