It's just a word but really, as a designer, I can't live without the word "create."

The first time I realized  what "create" means to me was in my high school's art class. My teacher gave my class some geometry shapes and lines, and instructed us to use these to draw a picture; emphasizing how this can save time. This was my first time truly creating, before all I did was copy copy copy ... ... 
 

At the next step in my journey as a designer, I have to think about how to create a new thing or solve the problem (and make it looks good). But I always heard something like - "I saw that before!" "Oh! You must steal the idea from others!" 
But on the flip side, My teacher told me "Nobody starts with a unique style. We all learn by copying at the beginning."

 

At the beginning of your design journey, you should copy the work that you like. "We are shaped and fashioned by what we love" - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Choose the person you really love. Study everything by him, also the persons he likes and emulates. After that you'll find your own way to build a system.

You have to start doing the work you want to be doing. Like "dream", if you don't start doing something, "dream" won't come true. 

It doesn't matter if it's with a group of people or just yourself. Brainstorming can creates new ideas, and solve problems. It's more effective that you can get lots of keywords around the project. It is a powerful way to generate, share and maximize new ideas. 

As a designer at Wiredcraft, this step can parrallel how we design products as as a team "How We Design Projects" (https://wiredcraft.com/blog/how-we-design-products/) step 3  "diverge" and step 4 "converge".

Try to be a mashup, a collection of everything that works. Look back on step 1 (see all the inspiration and work you liked) and determine what is useful to you. 

This your time to doodle. Get your pen and paper ready and let your ideas flow.

How to combine your ideas with others? The project likes a puzzle and you like a machine, you've already have a picture in your mind, what you have to do is to transform the other's ideas into your's (maybe it's just the colour or the way of looking at the world). Then put all the ideas together, your puzzle is completed.

Share it with people. Get feedback and start all over again. 

 

 

"Good artists copy, great artists steal" - Pablo Picasso. Stealing isn’t about copying your fellow designers. It’s about learning what you can from them and filtering their ideas through yourself in order to build something new.