tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31177646576952894532024-03-14T05:50:46.828-04:00Think FoolishlyVisual Comedy and Creativity blog for performers and artistic problem solvers. There is an art to foolery and foolery in all the arts.Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-11558757051474442352023-09-02T08:31:00.002-04:002023-09-02T08:31:19.991-04:00Drew’s Fool Tools: How to Think Like a Fool creativity cards on Kickstarter!Kickstarter for Drew's Fool ToolsI started this project here 15 years ago. 60 posts about how to think like a fool. Many have broken links, out-of-date content, and typos galore. I then started making it into a book. I taught it at workshops. I used them daily to come up with some very foolish ideas. And then life events and world events got in the way. But fools don't give up (unless Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-62791847501961821842013-05-29T10:32:00.000-04:002013-05-29T10:32:20.803-04:00Excerpt from Making Your Creative Mark by Eric Maisel: Passion and Voice
Passion and Voice
An Excerpt from Making Your Creative Mark by Eric Maisel
A logical — and vital — relationship exists between passion and voice. It is very hard to be passionate about what you’re doing if you haven’t found your voice as an artist. Imagine being forced to sing an octave too high or an octave too low, straining to hit notes that you can’t really hit and that aren’t Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-66235021511309432452013-05-28T10:08:00.001-04:002013-05-28T10:15:45.403-04:00Making Your Creative Mark by Eric Maisel
Creativity coach Eric Maisel has been featured on this blog a couple of times, first when he visited as part of a blog tour for his book, The Van Gogh Blues, and again for inspiring my posts about 15 Minutes of Foolery. Now he has a new book out for artists and creative types called Making Your Creative Mark: Nine Keys To Achieving Your Creative Goals.
This new book functions as a “user's Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-76198221139942567732013-04-03T21:36:00.001-04:002013-04-03T21:54:58.793-04:00Prompt FoolishnessAs an example of the previous post on Foolish Prompts, I pick a random number and get #23 Imagine: Misremember the Past:
What memories are getting in the way? How can I misremember them?
I list 3 memories that are getting in my way. I remember:
That I haven't been writing recently.
All the other things I could be doing instead.
How difficult writing this blog can be.
I imagine things being Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-57622576522596436672013-04-01T09:11:00.001-04:002013-04-01T09:12:03.630-04:00CorrectionI've made a huge mistake. Don't think foolishly, it will get you in trouble. The name of this blog has been changed to reflect the new editorial direction.Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-37530638754831770622013-03-28T13:59:00.000-04:002013-03-28T13:59:02.174-04:00Foolish Prompt[This week, as I resurrect this blog, I use foolish thinking to help me get back to writing again.]
Sometimes, you need a random act of foolery.
Step 1: Generate a random number between 1 and 60:
The numbers generated by this widget come from RANDOM.ORG's true random number generator.
Step 2: Find your number on the list below:
RISK
#1: Look for Trouble#2: Make Things More Difficult#3: Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-82964662022954731992013-03-26T10:24:00.001-04:002013-03-26T10:24:35.241-04:00How Long Should a Blog Post Be? For a fool, this blog post is long enough.
[This week, as I resurrect this blog, I use foolish thinking to help me get back to writing again.]
Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-68170740725194528192013-03-25T11:33:00.001-04:002013-03-25T12:14:52.416-04:00Your Moment of Fool
[This week, as I resurrect this blog, I use foolish thinking to help me to write again.]
I haven't written in this blog in a long time. But here I am writing while big snowflakes fall outside. There is no time like the present they say, so I'll let these words fall like snowflakes, fill the page, get me started writing again.
How can thinking like a fool get me to write again, get me to use Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-1303252065465179192012-07-28T21:36:00.001-04:002012-07-28T21:36:33.427-04:00“What The Fool?!?” short filmDrew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-84539647364563367662011-09-25T08:51:00.001-04:002011-09-25T08:53:33.377-04:0015 Minutes of Foolery—Part TwoBefore you read this, read Part One.Good.So, you just woke up. Do what you need to do. Fantastic. Let's begin:Set a timer for 15 minutes.Choose a simple problem. Maybe an object will inspire you. It's not so important what you pick.Think foolishly to find a bunch of solutions. This is a 15 minute break from censoring yourself.Set a goal for how many you will come up with in this time period. MakeDrew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-84145788061354915332011-09-24T09:27:00.001-04:002011-09-24T15:46:35.414-04:0015 Minutes of Foolery—Part OneYou may not believe this, but I'm not a fool 24/7. Often it takes effort and practice just to come up with something stupid. A foolish mindset needs reawakened, especially when I'm between creative projects or simply procrastinating. One technique I use is to start the day with 15 minutes of creative problem solving—thinking foolishly! Creative coach Eric Maisel suggests that artists show up to Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-90322584250887752202011-08-15T11:03:00.001-04:002011-08-15T11:03:38.991-04:00Return of the FoolI'm starting this blog up again soon. Stay tuned!Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-28822497172039810612011-03-28T09:26:00.001-04:002011-03-28T09:26:43.069-04:00Free Workshop in BaltimoreBaltimore area performers: I'm doing a free How To Think Like a Fool master class tonight at the Baltimore Theatre Project, 7-9:30PM (March 28).Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-1215768856893168662010-05-19T11:57:00.001-04:002010-05-19T11:57:30.528-04:00How to Think Like a Fool Movies 3-5Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-34405183380928671452009-12-11T18:29:00.001-05:002009-12-11T18:46:25.535-05:00Foolish MeAm I clumsy because I'm a fool, or a fool because I'm clumsy?Or am I just human?An example of my own real life foolery, or where I get material:I tried to pull out a cork from a bottle of wine I had opened the night before. As I pulled, I could feel the cork breaking, so I slowed down and got very careful and methodical. The cork broke anyway, leaving about a quarter still stuck in the neck of Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-56019114350913766182009-12-08T23:07:00.000-05:002009-12-08T23:07:09.528-05:00How to Think Like a Fool Movie #2Here is the second "How to Think Like a Fool" moving picture, Make Things More Difficult (click the link to go to YouTube and see it bigger or in high-def).I shot this one night last week very quickly. In general, I want to make these movies simply and easily, but that's not in the spirit of this specific fool tool, so I made things more difficult by reworking and reshooting two nights Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-25350557889564742502009-12-05T21:29:00.000-05:002009-12-05T21:29:11.028-05:00How to Think Like a Fool Demo Movie #1I've started to make short silent movies demoing each of the "How to Think Like a Fool in 60 Ways" concepts with the help of a fool I know.Here is the first, Look for Trouble (the bigger you watch it, the better).I shot the footage last spring, but didn't edit, add the titles, and frame with curtains until this fall. The movie started as an exercise to find as many problems as I could with the Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-79105572527622859562009-10-25T00:09:00.000-04:002009-10-25T00:09:06.858-04:00How to Think Like a Fool in 60 WaysHere's the complete list of blog posts with links:How to Think Like a Fool: RIPPO the Fool—5 Types of Fool ThinkRISK#1: Look for Trouble#2: Make Things More Difficult#3: Don't Solve the Problem#4: Set Yourself Up for Failure#5: Try a Really Bad Idea#6: Scare Yourself#7: Make a Fool Out of Yourself#8: Seek Rejection#9: Trust in Dumb Luck#10: Use Weaknesses as Strengths#11: Fix What Ain't Broken#12Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-33399575293403232292009-08-30T06:54:00.000-04:002009-08-30T06:54:50.680-04:00How to Think Like a Fool #60: Think Like YouOBSERVE: Think Like You"If every fool wore a crown, we would all be kings."—Welsh proverbThere are as many kinds of fools as there are people on this planet (just some of us are lucky enough to get paid for it). The last method to think like a fool that I'm proposing, but one that will generate many more, is to observe how you think foolishly, and then to do it on purpose instead of accidentally.Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-72385132743923166532009-08-29T09:16:00.000-04:002009-10-27T23:43:46.410-04:00How to Think Like a Fool #59: Don't ThinkOBSERVE: Don't Think"Often the hands will solve a mystery that the intellect has struggled with in vain."—Carl Jung"Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?"—Winnie the Pooh"Sometimes I think, and sometimes I am." —Paul ValéryMy 3 1/2 year old neighbor Milo, sees me out on the porch quite often. He asked his mom, Francine, "Why isn't Drew silly all the time?"Francine: Because Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-58957696322518396652009-08-28T10:44:00.000-04:002009-10-27T23:42:58.186-04:00How to Think Like a Fool #58: Find the Best in the WorstOBSERVE: Find the Best in the Worst"Optimism - the doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly." —Ambrose Bierce "Comedy is acting out optimism."—Robin Williams"Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll. The optimist sees the doughnut; the pessimist sees the hole."—Oscar Wilde"Donuts. Is there anything they can't do?"—Homer SimpsonIn today's worldDrew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-44015812076176715612009-08-26T21:07:00.000-04:002009-10-27T23:42:12.166-04:00How to Think Like a Fool #57: Ride the OpportunitiesOBSERVE: Ride the Opportunities"I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one."—Mark TwainMy theatre show “Help! Help! I Know This Title is Long, But Somebody's Trying to Kill Me!” begins with a fool (me, of course) discovering that all the other performers in the variety show have been murdered. A dark start for a comedy, and it gets worse as the fool is threatened with Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-39010704389287288382009-08-24T20:37:00.000-04:002009-10-27T23:41:39.833-04:00How to Think Like a Fool #56: Listen to your UnconsciousOBSERVE: Listen to Your Unconscious“Art is a marriage of the conscious and the unconscious.” —Jean Cocteau"The bad poet is usually unconscious where he ought to be conscious, and conscious where he ought to be unconscious."—T.S. Eliot Sometimes, when I'm looking for something I've lost (usually my keys) and I'm tearing the house apart, I'll get a sudden flash—a visual image of exactly where thatDrew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-53091520450004007672009-08-22T16:51:00.000-04:002009-10-27T23:41:01.754-04:00How to Think Like a Fool #55: Follow and Trip AssumptionsOBSERVE: Follow and Trip AssumptionsElmer Fudd shoots into a rabbit hole and assumes that he's rabbit hunting. Bugs nonchalantly walks up to him and asks, "What's Up Doc?" putting Elmer's assumption into complete doubt. In one sentence, Bugs makes Elmer aware of his assumption and challenges it at the same time, which sets the stage for proving him wrong.Assumptions do a lot to frame reality. Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3117764657695289453.post-44025184284123335252009-08-17T22:38:00.000-04:002009-10-27T23:38:34.616-04:00How to Think Like a Fool #54: Pay Attention to the UnnoticedOBSERVE: Pay Attention to the Unnoticed “You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it.” —Neil GaimanThe fool is in the details. Fools imagine that the world is a series of magic tricks to be figured out, if only they look where no one else is looking.You spy, Drew Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04012433892731872419noreply@blogger.com0