Brainstorming On Paper

brainstorming on paper

As most of you who follow me know, I have been doing a great deal of traveling over the past few years, both for business and pleasure. In December, en route to our Miami apartment, I came across an interesting article which focused on brainstorming with paper.   Yes, paper!  In an age where we are all focused on digital tools and sustainability, this article intrigued me.   I for one prefer to type when taking notes or sending correspondence because I can actualy type faster than I can write by hand.   That said, this article gave me pause and reminded me of the importance of the brain to hand power in response to creativity. I have always supported hand drawing in class and while we use AutoCAD every day in our office and could not survive without it, there is something visceral about starting the design process with hand drawn bubble diagrams, plan sketches and 3D vignettes that you cannot accomplish in as meaningful a way if you begin with technology.   As I read this article, I realized that the collaborative process, documented on paper, can be such a profoundly helpful tool when collaborating with others on your team and with your clients.  The trick is to keep the time to one hour – no more.  If you go longer, you lose critical attention of the participants and the results will not be as meaningful.   This methodology does not ban technology as it still plays a part.  You can scan and send digital copies to all for reference and taking the ideas to the next level!   Interested? Click here to learn more!