Finding Daily Inspiration at Thinkwell, Part Two

As we continue through the list of ways Thinkwellians have adjusted to work-from-home life, our team has shared a wide variety of outlets to fuel their creativity during shelter-in-place restrictions. Given that we can’t go out into the world to benchmark attractions or experiences, we’re constantly finding ways to bring creativity directly into our homes. 

From Beijing to Montreal and beyond, we’ve asked Thinkwellians around the world what they’ve been doing to seek out creative inspiration. This second half of a two-part series covers what keeps their imagination alive. 

Theater In-Home With Thinkwellians

Many of our Thinkwellians have theater backgrounds. Through the years they’ve honed their craft and have used their skills to develop incredible attractions, shows, and museums through the learned disciplines the stage has to offer. That’s why we asked Sara Beil, a writer in our content department, what she’s been keeping an eye on. “There’s some exciting virtual theater happening! Some friends of mine run a pretty successful digital theater called ‘Pixel Playhouse’ on a Twitch stream, where they gather a bunch of singers to perform live songs (musicals, most of the time) every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. PST,” she said. “It’s highly recommended for the musical theater buffs!” 

Meanwhile, Creative Director Eric Hoff, whose background stems from immersive and traditional theater, has been enjoying a wide array of theatrical performances. From a gem of a concert production by the Lincoln Center Theatre, alongside the youtube channel from the National Theatre of London, he’s enjoyed many productions from the comfort of his home. “One amazing byproduct of this shelter-in-place time is that incredible professional theater companies are streaming fantastic plays and musicals to watch at home,” he stated. “While there’s nothing quite like seeing shows in-person and witnessing live theater, I have to say: the thrill of these performances from home is a close second!”

While in quarantine, Eric also partnered with colleagues to create ‘Arcana’ an alternate reality game taking place throughout Instagram  – all from the comfort of homes. Based around an old Los Angeles murder, Eric and his team weaved an intricate ARG game through the Instagram platform, allowing anyone, anywhere, to participate in a new-age style of gameplay.

What’s Happening With Theme Parks

Theme parks aren’t just for the fans. We designers at Thinkwell are avid fans of the very places we create, and we love to see what others are up to — be it construction updates on Facebook or following theme park Twitter accounts to see what they are creating for social content, it’s been great to see what others have come up with during this time. Jeremy Thompson, another writer in our content department, loves following theme park Twitter accounts. “We’re already at the point of shelter-at-home where the social media accounts for regional theme parks are staging rap battles against each other,” Jeremy mused. “It’s great to see who’s coming up with this. Kentucky Kingdom is winning it all at this point with their rap battle against their fellow regional park, Worlds of Fun.

Across the board, fans have also been creating their own “at home” version of famous theme park attractions. From famous Disney attractions to our very own Dave Cobb’s recreation of Men In Black: Alien Attack (an attraction he helped design), the creativity of recreating beloved attractions has helped keep our minds sharp through this time. 

Dave Cobb, principal of creative development, has also been enjoying his time at home by getting spooky with virtual reality with “The Dark Ride Project” – an online archive of haunted amusement park attractions. 

We Do A Bit More of Everything

Outside of checking out the latest VR creations or following online theatrical productions, we’re also doing other things for our well-being as we work from home. For example, Ethan Jackson, design manager, has been living on his patio during the warm Los Angeles weather. “I have weights out there, a chair/table to eat and work, and a hammock to rest in. With all the social distancing we need to be doing, my patio also has a view of the apartment complex’s pool for me to watch all the actors and waiters who lay too close to each other as they tan poolside,” he laughed. “It’s about as L.A. as you could get.”

Meanwhile in Montréal, the President of Thinkwell Studio Montréal, Hugues Sweeney, has a morning routine he maintains to help keep his mind going while he works from home. “Every morning before sunrise I ride to the top of Mount-Royal by bike to have daily contact with nature and to see my city awaken from above (Mount-Royal is a small mountain in the middle of Montréal). So a little endorphin rush, trees, and deserted streets all help to start the day,” he recounted. “In order to feed my ears, I get my daily dose of music via NTS, an incredible web-radio that broadcasts DJs live sets 24/7 from London and L.A. For my neurons, I am a member of Quartz, a media outlet of new perspectives on international geopolitics, the global economy, and leadership of change.” 

Expanding further across the world, Managing Director of Thinkwell’s Abu Dhabi office, Amin Rashmani, purchased a treadmill literally two days before the lockdown went into effect. “In six weeks, I’ve run over 175 kilometers in a period of over 24 hours of total run time,” he enthusiastically stated. “I’m starting to use the line, Never have I been more active than by staying at home!” For news, Amin has been keeping up on Gulf News to get updated on the regional market. “I also regularly follow the Worldometer website to get a status update of where we are with the Coronavirus,” he stated.

As you can see, Thinkwellians around the world use a wide array of news, creative outlets, and daily routines to keep a level of mindfulness about them as they work from home. We’ve found ways to adjust to life in this new normal, and we hope that these listed items help inspire you in new ways, to perhaps start a new routine or find a new place to get creative.