I often get asked where I get all my ideas. The answer of course is everything I see and imagine. But a reference library is also critical. I love books. If they are full of pictures and illustrations - so much the better. My wife cringes each time I get near a book store for we know it wont be a cheap exercise but it is critical to gathering ideas. If you look in our financial books there is one category devoted to research and ideas. Books I collect fall into this column. To output creative ideas we must first fill our heads with everything imaginable. It is a job I take seriously.
Picking out books does not take me long. I flip the pages quickly and if three things catch my eye it is a book worth buying. Most likely if there are three good ideas there will be more. When I get home (or in my travels I'll read the book through, storing the images in my head. Then the book is catalogued and placed in the appropriate section for future reference.
Today I head over to Vancouver Island for three days to speak at a tourism conference. The subject I will speak on is signs and how they can create tourism in a BIG way. I'm looking forward to the trip.
But I am also looking forward to stopping in my travels along the way. There are three bookstores I simply can't drive by and it has been a while since I've visited there. I'm looking forward to adding to my collection.
-dan
