I’ve just been feeling kinda … well … ‘dry’ lately. I feel like many of the ideas I come up with lately are just good enough, or a little cliche, but not anything I’d look at and say “Hey, Ma, look what I did!”. Now, cliche is not a terrible thing and if it’s executed in the art/graphic in the right way can be a good thing.
I’ve done several searches on Amazon and the NYPL, much of what comes up is the graphic and design cookbooks. I have used these books on occasion, they are pretty good, but are not what I need at the moment. What I’d like to know is: Are there are any books out there that focus on just the metaphors/symbolism, and which ones you’d be using to jumpstart your brain into creating concepts. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
Try The Woman’s Dictionary of Symbols and Sacred Objects by Barbara G. Walker. It won’t grant everything you want, but, at the very least, it may open doors to other resources.
I’m at work now and the book is at home (I think). I think it is called the Dictionary of Literary Symbols. It’s been decades since I last went looking for it so I may not be able to find it, but if I find it, I will either post it or email the title and publisher to you.
But honestly, when I hit that spot you’re talking about, I “move my brain”. This is a term I came up with for taking on a different intellectual perspective. I studied zen, took up jogging, started ballroom dancing, worked for a landscaping firm, studied karate to name a few. The metaphors move with me and become fresh.
I got the idea after noticing that a number of different authors (like James Michner) have a new book with every new location they move to. Others (likes Ernest Hemingway) have a new one with every new woman or wife they take up with. I thought that possibly these books are merely (or a lot bigger than just “merely”) manifestations of a changed point of view. So I came up with the “moving my brain” theory.
Besides, I like where I am living and I most certainly like my wife.
I’m thinking about getting a job as a boxer’s cut man next.
How about Metaphors We Live By by Mark Johnson and George Lakoff? More generally speaking, TV time has the right idea… you can’t force creativity. Check out the essay “The Crux of Creativity is Variation on a Theme” by Douglas Hofstadter in Metamagical Themas.
My roommate just bought The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler. I haven’t read it (she won’t let it get more than 2 feet from her) but it looks really great. It shows you how to use the mythic archetypes of Joseph Campbell to structure fiction. Might not be much help if you’re not going to be writing a ‘Hero’s Journey’ type of story, but great if you are.
My job often involves working with visual symbolism, but I am very much a verbal thinker, so it always helps me to browse these books:
The tips in this thread are good ones, especially the instructions to work your mind a different way. I find that the best ideas come when I’m walking the dog, cooking, driving, etc. Give your mind a rote task to focus on and let the creative parts wander. It often helps me to perform an activity opposed to my goal- If my goal is words, I sketch or paint. If my goal is visual, I write. It alleviates some of the pressure and the forced perspective leads to unique solutions.
If I’m stuck visually, I go to a tatoo parlor and browse the books/walls. For some reason, this works wonders for me. It’s typically a very visceral, blatant, aggressive style that spurs ideas.
My job often involves working with visual symbolism, but I am very much a verbal thinker, so it always helps me to browse these books:
The tips in this thread are good ones, especially the instructions to work your mind a different way. I find that the best ideas come when I’m walking the dog, cooking, driving, etc. Give your mind a rote task to focus on and let the creative parts wander. It often helps me to perform an activity opposed to my goal- If my goal is words, I sketch or paint. If my goal is visual, I write. It alleviates some of the pressure and the forced perspective leads to unique solutions.
If I’m stuck visually, I go to a tatoo parlor and browse the books/walls. For some reason, this works wonders for me. It’s typically a very visceral, blatant, aggressive style that spurs ideas.
Wow, I thought the thread had fallen off the edge unanswered. I’ll be hitting the library tomorrow, to grab one or some of these. I can appreciate the ‘moving my brain’ phenomenon. Usually I change the particular author I may be reading through, or grab a magazine completely out of my character. I didn’t know why I did it, I just did.
Thanks so much guys. I’m really grateful for the help.
Miamouse