Fishing for Mermaids

“Ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you’ve got to go deeper. Down deep, the fish are more powerful and more pure. They’re huge and abstract. And they’re very beautiful.” - David Lynch

Where do you fish for ideas? When you’re idea-fishing with artist James C. Christensen, you’re baiting your hook for something magical. And what’s more magical than a mermaid? Now, there’s an idea!

“Ideas aren’t conjured up on demand,” says the artist. “The quest for the next fun idea requires patience. But that patience is truly rewarded when—Eureka!—the excitement of the fresh idea arrives.”

In “Fishing for Mermaids,” Christensen muses on the creative process of finding ideas. Our fisherman is William Shakespeare, and he’s fishing for a muse in the form of a mermaid. He’s come prepared, and knows that using a hand mirror as a lure will appeal to the vanity of a mermaid, bringing his catch to the surface so he can get a closer look. For the moment, he sits patiently, knowing his catch will be well worth the wait.

Much like Shakespeare’s mirror, James C. Christensen’s “Fishing for Mermaids” is your invitation to a world of imagination and the infinite possibilities of ideas…