Creativity Beyond Pencil and Paper

“To be able to actually come up with an idea and then see it in your hands, and then be able to press a button and have it be in millions of peoples’ hands. I think we’re the first generation in the world that’s really ever had that kind of experience.”

— Drew Houston
Creator of Dropbox

Today, I came across this video from 2013 about coding and find it quite inspirational. While the Lunch Note Sketch community currently focuses on creativity in the classical sense -- pens, pencils, paper, etc. -- coding is quickly becoming the next generation of creative thinking. While computers and coding have been around for more than a generation now, only fairly recently has the craft taken off. It is a subject in school that requires specialized knowledge from the teachers, many of whom have not been exposed to or expected to become experts in it.

My background is in design and development. I have spent years creating websites using typical coding language like HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, and the like. I also taught myself Flash Actionscript in the early 2000s when Flash was being used to create great interactive and animated experiences. The great thing about all of these languages is that they’re similar and/or build off each other, yet they each offer their own rewards. With coding becoming more popular it makes sense for kids to become more knowledgable about it even if they think their future careers won’t need it. I plan to teach my kids about code as they get older, in addition to the classic arts, just so they can be more well-rounded.

I hope you enjoy the video and let’s keep pushing the envelope of creativity.

Vacation Notes

My family and I recently spent five days at a beach in North Carolina. Four adults and three children (Auntie and Uncle were there) spending time in the pool, the sand, and the ocean. It was glorious. Now that we’re back I wanted to show off the vacation-themed sketches that were done while there. There’s nothing quite like sketching notes while listening to the waves crashing against the shore.

For the past 35 odd days I have been sketching notes based on the Summer Break List Of Things To Do theme. These sketches have been ways to come up with new ideas for the kids to explore while on summer break. Admittedly, I haven’t heard any complaining about being bored. That has to do with the fact that our three kids range in age from 9 months to 4 years old, so everything is exciting. It probably has more to do with the fact that my wife is a super mom and keeps them busy everyday. Nonetheless, I wanted to create notes based on our vacation and the things we might be doing that day.

Build A Sandcastle

​The first day’s sketch was an easy one. Building a sandcastle seemed like the hot topic in the days leading up to the beach. Last year my daughters were more interested in the sand than the waves, so I figured it might be the case this year. Much to my surprise and delight, they wanted to spend more time in the water. Sandcastles were built, just not as big and elaborate as I thought they’d be.

Look for Seashells

Looking for seashells was always one of my favorite things to do when I went to the beach as a kid. Every year I always seemed to get lucky and find at least one really cool item — whether it was a seashell, sand dollar, starfish, etc. This year we were determined to find something cool. And we did!

Catch a Wave

After discovering that the girls were more interested in the water I wanted to shift focus from the sand to the surf. While we didn’t go surfing, we spent plenty of time jumping waves. Eventually, our 3-year old — the same girl who hated the water last year — was running and diving into the waves.

Go Snorkeling

We bought a mask and snorkel for my oldest daughter because we thought it would be fun to let her see under the water as she swam. She really enjoyed the pool and used the mask quite a bit there. Maybe next year we’ll go to a beach that has clear water where she can actually see fish and coral.

Relax

The final note came on the day we were leaving. After our quick getaway, I thought it was important to recognize that we all need to relax. Especially as the vacation winds down. All the time was spent running around on the beach or in the pool, as well as taking care of three small children. So this note might be more geared to the adults, but certainly should be appropriate for the kids as well.

Where have you gone on vacation this year and how did you like? If you took your children, what were some of their favorite activities? Please share your stories in the comments. And don't forget to tag any of your beach sketches on social media using the #LunchNoteSketch hashtag.

Today We Launch

“An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail.”

— Edwin Land

So this is it. Lunch Note Sketch officially launches its own web presence today! The Facebook community has been up for 2 months, but we’re confident this website will take Lunch Note Sketch to the next level. We have already kicked around a number of ideas about what this site could be or what it can offer. You can see on the Downloads page we already offer some sketches that you can download and print for free to color and make your own. So spend some quality time with your kids or grandkids coloring some sketches. Please share your masterpieces by either posting them on our Facebook page or emailing them to LunchNoteSketch@gmail.com.

Updates will be coming in due time, so please stay tuned and let us know if there’s anything we can offer to help spark some creativity. We would love to hear your feedback.

Now let’s get creative!