Christian Marc Schmidt is Principal and Founder of Schema, a Seattle design studio focusing on the intersection of interaction design and data visualization. In this talk, Christian will discuss his interest in cities and mapping through the lens of several projects, both professional and independent, from dynamic visualizations of social data in a city context, to visualizations of transit data and the insights that can be derived from them.

CMSEA: How do you define creativity and apply it in your career?

CMS: Much of the time creativity involves combining and reinterpreting existing materials. This may be in response to a specific problem or opportunity, and more generally in pursuit of knowledge or insight. Mostly creativity comes through making, through giving form to ideas.

CMSEA: Where do you find your best creative inspiration?

CMS: There is no single place, although I draw much of my thinking from culture and the arts, and from using existing products or spaces. For me, many ideas come through conversation with others—and, as is often the case, through the process of working with materials.

CMSEA: What’s the one creative advice or tip you wish you’d known as a young person?

CMS: The importance of craft. Ideas are cheap, and the visual or material qualities of an artifact are ultimately what cause it to resonate.

CMSEA: Who would you like to hear speak at CreativeMornings?

CMS: There are honestly too many people to list, but at risk of singling out one studio, I would especially like to hear Masamichi Udagawa and Sigi Möslinger of Antenna Design, as I am interested in their process and how they balance experimental and professional projects.

CMSEA: What did you learn from your creative failures?

CMS: Personal projects I consider failures were mostly the result of being overly self-conscious and predictive about the outcome. Counterintuitively, I find it often works best to just let something (an idea or form) take shape.

CMSEA: What is the one question we haven’t asked that you want to answer?

CMS: Instead of giving an answer I will ask the question: Why, as people engaged in a “creative” practice, do we do what we do? I think it is a question everyone should ask themselves, not because there is a right or wrong answer, but because the process of thinking about it will help guide the decisions you make.

CMSEA: Thanks, Christian! We look forward to your talk on Friday!