Put some Legos in front of me and I’m an 8-year-old kid again. Face smeared with peanut butter and fluff sandwiches, drinking whole milk out of a brown Tupperware cup.
Even as a kid, I could appreciate Legos for the miniature problem solving tools that they are. When I needed a spaceship, Legos were there. I could pull out the directions and build a beautifully symmetrical, color-coordinated Space Shuttle, complete with a mini astronaut and deployable satellite. Or I could be crazy-creative and craft my own super-mega-hypercraft with lasers and tractor tires and a steam engine on top—Yeeeeeaaaaaah!
But to this day, a pile of Legos still strikes me with the same Shakespearean dilemma: “To use directions, or not to use directions? That is the question.”
Either way, it’s a win. A problem gets solved, and I have fun doing it! Fortunately I’ve never been asked to grow up and “just stick to the directions.” Or stop being creative. I still use the creative problem solving skills I learned as a kid–only now I focus on brand strategies rather than spaceships. And those little plastic bricks have been replaced with Design Thinking, the toolkit we use at Skidmore to create the extraordinary.
Sometimes Design Thinking involves following directions, and sometimes it demands charging off into the la-la-land of boundless creativity to invent something wildly and weirdly beautiful.
As I learned on the schoolyard and still see at Skidmore, heading out into the creative ether can be an intimidating prospect. That’s why we developed a Design Thinking workshop to walk our clients and friends through Skidmore’s creative process. We’ve found that it helps to have a foundation that ensures that the spaceship you build is one you can be proud of.
In our workshop, we demonstrate how we apply Design Thinking in our day-to-day work. And how you can too.
It starts at the beginning—defining the real problem. Then we learn how to challenge our assumptions, take stock of our challenges and transform both into a solution. We spend time with our target audience, walk a mile in their shoes. We brainstorm and we collaborate. We banter and we laugh. We scribble ideas with crayons, and we surprise ourselves with our own unexpected creativity!
This summer we’re launching a monthly Design Thinking workshop, open to anyone. Whether you’re a creative soul looking for a refresh or just someone who wants to build an awesome super-mega-hypercraft, Skidmore wants to invite you to play.
So get a hold of us and join our next workshop.
We’ll bring the Legos if you bring the peanut butter and fluff sandwiches.
XOXO,
Kacha
@kachaazema
(Twitter & Instagram)
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