CREATIVITY

I just posted about Paper, the app for your iPad that lets you turn your tablet into a digital notebook. My friend has worked with them since, I think, the beginning. She’s been singing the praises of the app (of course) since basically the first day I met her.

Since I follow my friend on Twitter (hey @amycao), I feel like I get the absolute up-to-date news notifications for all things FiftyThree. Seriously, it’s the best. I love seeing the company in the news and seeing the latest features that are rolling out. When I clicked through one of her tweets, I was expecting to watch a quick clip of a new feature or a little interview with a founder. Standard startup material, right? Well, it turned out to be a 22-minute video. I bookmarked it, ran out to grab lunch, and then watched it.

It was just what I needed. That morning, I was inundated with just a bunch of blahs pretty much the minute I woke up. I had this moment, where I was sitting in bed and just didn’t want to get up. I was really upset by something that had been said about me by someone that I knew. I was frustrated by a minor speedbump in a project. I was overwhelmed by the number of decisions I had to make in the next hour so I could respond to an email… and I felt frozen with perfectionism.

After a really amazing weekend with my friends, this week has been moving at a snail’s pace. A handful of meetings here and there, but I’ve generally been struggling to feel inspired. That morning was no exception; in fact, it was probably the most uninspired I had felt in a while.

I grabbed my iPad (because half of my bed is for me, and the other half is for books, magazines, my laptop, and iPad…) and just was doodling for a bit on the app. Eventually, I was ready to face reality and get up and shower and tackle the emails I needed to get out on a deadline. Just spending the ten minutes playing in Paper was all I really needed.

Of course, later that day, I watch the video and I’m even more inspired. The video is part of a series called “Small Empires” and they follow and get to know various people who have created and are doing amazing things in New York City. Similar to Humans of New York, I am really inspired by the video series because it sheds new light and brings new meaning to the certain pulse this city has.

“None of them are asking permission to innovate, they’re just doing it.”

The Paper by FiftyThree episode is great. I’ve worked at a tech startup and everything about FiftyThree is incredible. A clear vision, emphasis on team cohesion (love that they have a 1:1 ratio for engineers and designers), and an incredible product.

Even if you’re not a nerd about technology or startups, the concept of creativity and the beliefs that FiftyThree has about beauty and creativity are really wonderful to hear about. 

100% recommend spending the 22 minutes to watch:

What’s inspiring you lately?

xoxo