David A. Edwards

ABOUT INTUITION/IMAGINATION

Where does it come from?

Experience largely. There seem to be deeper sources, related to our genetic makeup, and to sensory memories, as in smells, but for the most part our intuition comes from the many things we see, feel, sense in a life, most of which we never cognitively analyze, perhaps little of which we even consciously notice. Our brains pick these things up, fortunately, as, relative to all the things we think we know, these former are probably the more important reason for our survival.

How spontaneous is intuition?

Very. But there are things that we -- who spend so much of our lives creating -- do to keep our minds attuned to intuition. We place ourselves in surprising situations, ones where there is so much new information facing us, and information that actually interests us, so that we cannot possibly hope to understand. Some of our best insights come in these circumstances.

A deadline without intuition?

I don't worry about it. I am at a point where I don't place myself in situations where I am not inspired, and when I find myself in ones where this is the case, I walk away and don't look back. 

Amateurs wait for inspiration?

I think it's true that professional creators work very hard. I also think it's true that much of what passes as a creative life is really quite repetitive. True creators do work very hard, and yet part of their creative process spawns the sparks of intuition that others might climb a mountain and squat to summon. 

How to differ good from bad?

I don't judge at first. I take it all in. And I ask any idea to perform, in a way, and the bad ideas fall aside, very naturally, and the good ideas march ahead, so the ideas ultimately tell you everything.

Do I write down an idea right away?

Well, actually good ideas are so gnawing, so absorptive of my attention, that I will generally lose sleep over them until they have formed to such an extent that they get expressed, usually in writing, yes.

Do I feel the "big"?

Yes. I only am interested in big ideas now. I was once very interested in just having an idea, providing that I could have ideas and have them matter to others as much as they did to me. 

ABOUT CREATIVITY

Starts with yearning?

Yes, I call it dream, and passion, but yearning is a good word.

Is it magic/fun or torture?

A little of both. Those who are creative, and who cannot imagine living another way, don't have much choice in it, and it is the best possible world they live in. But viewed from the outside it does sometimes look quite awful, and other times like a party.

Process from idea to realization?

It is a series of experiments:  You know nothing. Then you think you know something. Then you know nothing again. And you inch along, getting closer and closer to the dream realization.

How do you force creativity?

There is an environment that facilities creativity. Conditions. These are roughly those of a creative adolescence -- an ability to have the long-term vision, a security, in one sense, and an anxiety in another, a sense that anything is possible (we can become a doctor, or an artist, or a banker or whatever we wish) ... on the other hand we do not have a clue 'who we are.' Assuming this environment exists (and it is created by family, friends, work place, etc - ultimately I created ‘Le Laboratoire’ to frame this personally), what most "forces creativity" is a flow of ideas that are picked up and considered. We want to be in a place where ideas are flying back and forth. And some of these go on to become realized ideas, so we enter the idea flow.

Am I in a trance?

Sort of, yes. In my most creative times I am often most forgetful.

What leads in the creative process: craftsmanship or spontaneity?

If we define the process as ideation/translation/realization -- that is the entire process from genesis of a first idea to realization of an evolved idea, then both matter. Ideas evolve over this time frame by hops, from hypothesis to results/discoveries to hypotheses to results etc. And in those transitions from results to hypotheses, i.e. in the "blank page" moments of creative process, spontaneity, intuition, matter greatly. Craftsmanship is the game in the trajectory from hypothesis to result.

Is it good to be ahead of your time?

Yes and no. It is painful to be ahead of your time. I find it most rewarding however if I can have multiple ideas, some ahead, some timely, and be able to endure until the world catches up with my furthest-out ideas, and then it is satisfying, and finally the world benefits. We need some of us thinking about the day-after-tomorrow.

ABOUT SUCCESS

Is there a rule for successful artistic work?

Successful artistic expression articulates an otherwise inexpressible reality of the human condition in this particular moment of time. It is sincere, deeply mysterious, and disruptive.

Is it tempting to recycle?

Not only is it tempting, success often demands that we repeat it. The nature of media and the flow of resources today are such that in any career path, one is almost always compelled (by resources, by fame, etc.) to follow the trodden path. It is the rare creator who detonates the path, to start a new path, and continues to reinvent. There are plenty of examples of this, too. They tend to reflect creators who have had a sufficient enough time to develop their creative process before the resources and fame arrived.

How do you deal with the moment of "end" before the next "beginning".

These are the best and worst of times. You are free, you are a child, you are vulnerable, you are anxious, you are curious, and you are terrified. All discovery comes out of these moments.

MY FAVORITE WORK

My last idea. Digital Scent. My first idea that became a company was inhaled insulin to replace injections. Then I had an idea that became a nonprofit to deliver vaccines for TB through the air. Then an idea of food in the air. Another company. Now I am at the limit of all these "air" ideas -- the nature of the air itself can be tremendously important to our health and wellbeing. We know this, of course, but only now are we beginning to see how to design it, as we design other things in our lives today, with digital personalization and control. It is relevant to health, to entertainment, and to sensory experience quite generally. The idea began, as many of my ideas do, in an artistic exhibition. It has evolved in many surprising ways. I am enamored of it. The idea reflects the nature of ‚Le Laboratoire‘ itself.