Drawing Inspiration From the Pencil Jar

What is in a pencil jar… besides pencils?

The bigger question is: where does one find inspiration and how does one come to a creative solution?

It makes sense that picking a colour from the pencil jar is the first step in putting an idea on paper. A pencil, for the majority of us in the design world, is the medium that initially pulls a thought from our minds and brings it to life, be it in architecture, engineering, mathematics, art & literature, etc.

Therefore, the jar itself becomes a symbolic container of the potential in design.

In other words, the pencil jar is that which contains creativity, if creativity was something to be contained… and the pencils represent an outlet for that creativity. And so it goes, idea generation is itself the same as picking a colour from that proverbial pencil jar: the creative mind.

The development of a given architectural design, for example, more often than not arises from a think-tank of individuals contributing their preferred lines and colours to the project. Consequently, there is not always an agreeable consensus, wherein there aren’t enough colours to go around and picking from the pencil jar becomes a flurry of negotiations.

With the jar knocked over, pencils scattered over the table and everybody lunging from one colour to the next and back around the room in an exhilarating bustle of ideas, a masterful solution comes to fruition!

The weight of the phrase “From the pencil jar” seems more fitting than simply phrasing the creative process as plain, old “design.”

So, what is your take on the art of design from the pencil jar?

We advise you to go grab a pencil from the nearest jar and draw out your inspiration!