Creative Collaboration: Sticky Note Survey

At our studio party celebrating our 20th anniversary, we set up all our whiteboards with Sticky Note Surveys. The idea was inspired by David & Tom Kelley's Community Chalkboard experiment in their book Creative Confidence (page 79 for all the details) along with Nobel laureate Linus Pauling's note that, "If you want a good idea, start with a lot of ideas."

We asked a range of questions knowing that our industry partners (and you, dear reader) would have so many nuggets of wisdom and inspiration to share with each other. We also asked with the hope that generating lots of ideas would help you stumble upon a good idea for your next creative endeavor. Some prompts and sticky-note-responses included:

What is your current, go-to pop of flare? A finish detail? A fabric? A color?

• Neon Pink

• The more diamonds the better

• ZIPPERS! (Here for the enthusiasm!)

Share your favorite piece of furniture.

• The Eames Lounge (A must.)

• Inflatable 90s Chair (Can't you just feel your skin sticking to plastic?)

• Custom Bar Cart (You know how we feel about custom!)

• My Dad's Drafting Table (So sweet we can hardly stand it.)

What is one of your favorite spots in your home?

• A comfy couch with books lined along the wall (Always yes to books)

• The yellow velvet chair in the sunny, window corner

• Any and all spots that serve as hidden storage!

• Wood herringbone wall covering

• Baby blue curtains in the early mornings

• The drawing my 11-year-old niece made that I framed and hung in the living room (Art with a good story is the way to go.)

Share a place that inspires you.

• Walking through the city in Fall

• Any bookstore

• A weekend concert

• Bradner Community Garden

• NYC (Counting down to our next trip)

• Seattle Public Library

• A ferry ride (Never a miss)

What is your earliest memory of loving design?

• I drew a floorplan of my house when I was a kid before I knew that was a thing

• Staring at the artwork in children's books and making up my own stories about the characters

• Drawing my own dELiA*s catalogue

• Grade school activity with my sister - designing our dream homes on graph paper

• When my graphic design teacher made me re-do my 3D cube three times until every corner was perfct

• Going to the parade homes with my mom then telling her how they could fix things

• Going to work with my general contractor dad when I was little

• My dad let me help him select finishes for our kitchen when I was a little girl

20 years in this industry has given us a deep appreciation for all of the creatives we've had the pleasure of partnering with and all the ways collaborating has sparked The New or returned us to The Essential. Sticky Note Surveys proved to be one intriguing way to generate lots of ideas together.

So! Grab some sticky notes, set up shop on your nearest whiteboard with your own burning questions, and invite those around you to share their unique brilliance.