Inspiration is like matter, it cannot be created nor destroyed; its presence is constant, but never seen.  Here at Ashworth Creative we are on a never-ending search for inspiration- but that’s just it, it’s not something you can search for, only thirst for.  That divine aqua comes in several different flavors at Ashworth Creative and each one suits one of our many different palettes. So where do we find the source? Well let’s find out.

One thing that seems to be a common motif in our team’s inspiration is nature. Our office is hidden away in the woods of Rhinebeck with huge windows that expose the green beauty and nature of our natural setting. Bambi sightings are a common occurrence and make it seem as though they are an automatic part of any office’s ambiance. “The huge office windows and constant connection to nature at the AshworthPlex helps to stimulate and relax me throughout the day,” Bryan stated. “Who wouldn’t be inspired by the view?” Isaac agreed.

The team also agreed that inspiration is more extrinsic based than intrinsic. And with such fabulous co-workers it’s obvious that we serve as extrinsic forces for one another. Chase’s creativity is a beacon for the team, “Chase’s ideas are truly inspirational,” Eve professed. “Most inspirational person in the office is Chase Evans – He’s the human form of Twitter,” Bryan affirmed.

A third inspirational factor that everyone expressed their consent on was music. With Ipods being a staple in the office, this one came as no surprise. From the Britney Spears loving Bryan (“Radar” being the dearest to his motivation) to Eve’s Parisian favorite “Yael Naim”, music plays a huge role in what ignites our creativity. Chase is so inspired by music that he couldn’t tag one song as his favorite. “It all depends on your mood,” he said. I would take him for an Arctic Monkeys fan for sure. He definitely rocks out to “Jet”.

Although our team seems to pull from the same inspirational sources, their personal definitions of the word were all very different. Bryan said that inspiration is what drives him to “strategize another day.” Yes, he is our web strategist. Eve coined inspiration as “the most important ideas, thoughts or acts” of her life. Isaac associates inspiration as motivation; “Something is not really inspiring unless it motivates us into a special or unusual activity or creativity. The thing itself that inspires us can be anything, but if it does not cause an action of some sort, perhaps it is just a thought.”

So it seems as though just when we think we have inspiration pinned to one definition, it shows its face in a different form and we are intrigued all over again. What the Ashworth team has to offer you is our creations that capture the essence of our inspiration. From Chase’s innovative ideas, Bryan’s practicality, Eve’s liveliness and Isaac’s brilliance, Ashworth Creative’s ideas are born and stamped with 100% inspiration.

Now share with us what inspires you by commenting below.

The future of the Web

Just imagine if you could manage your emails, social media accounts, find locations on a mapping service and have real time conversations with your family, friends and co-workers – all without opening multiple browser windows or multiple tabs. Fantasy right? Think again, that’s just the tip of the iceberg with Google Wave.

In its most basic form, Google Wave is a “real-time communication platform.” But it is oh so much more than that.  What it essentially does is combine the different elements that each social networking site offers and puts it into one huge platform.  What makes this site so much better is not only its convenience, but its pioneering features: real time communication, embeddability, applications and extensions, alteration-friendly, playback features, spelling and translating tools, and drag-and-drop file sharing among others.

The main feature of Google wave is the Wave, a real-time threaded conversation between two or more people. This conversation is real-time – meaning that users will be able to see the letters being typed. Users will be able to share photos, locations on Google maps and more through the wave. At anytime users will be able to bring new users into a wave and once invited to a wave, the new users will be able to playback the entire wave (conversation) from the beginning.

Another feature that Wave enthusiasts are excited about is Wave Embeds.  This function enables users to take content from Wave and enter it into a third party source.  Only two Embeds known have been established so far, YouTube Playlist Discuss and Multiple Extensions, but it’s plausible that many are to follow.

So what does this mean for you? You will be able to: have real time conversations between clients and coworkers, make an invite for your best friend’s surprise party using a survey feature and linking Google maps for directions, while playing your Aunt Mae in Arkansas in chess and post a quick tweet (on Google wave, this is called a twave). You will be able to do all of this from one location on your computer or phone. Including the fact that Google has opened the code, making it available to developers around the world, the possibilities are endless.

We are excited to ride the Wave.

For more info please read:

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/28/google-wave-drips-with-ambition-can-it-fulfill-googles-grand-web-vision/

http://mashable.com/2009/05/28/google-wave-guide/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ