“I would venture to say that 90 percent of a decorator’s work is completed on Thursdays and Fridays. The rest of the week, I’m not entirely sure.”

- Mary Alice Yeskey from Charm City Cakes on “Ace of Cakes”

“Ace of Cakes” is a guilty pleasure of mine. I don’t set the DVR for it, but if it’s on, I’ll watch. Impressive cakes aside, I enjoy the window into their work environment, which is incredibly conducive to the creative process.

Which leads to that quote up there. Mary Alice opened the episode with it and a montage followed of the employees having some fun. I grabbed my notepad and jotted down what she said. My wife immediately hit me with, “Don’t put that online, people will think you goof off, too.” She knows me.

Do I believe the folks at Charm City Cakes only are productive on the last two days of the work week? Not a chance. But I know that mental downtime is big part of being creative. Goofing off is often part of the process. Creativity is not something that you turn on at 9 a.m. and shut off at 5 p.m. … I’d be a bit wary of any clock-watching designer. I’d wager that inspiration strikes me more frequently when I’m in the midst of the most mindless task (mowing the lawn, showering, jogging, riding my bike, etc.) than when I’m parked in front of the computer. I sketch ideas on whatever scrap of paper is handy so later I can see how they translate to the screen. Just because I’m not currently pointing and clicking doesn’t mean I’m not working.

All work and no play makes creativity decay.

I’d be lying if I told you there was great structure to my work flow.  To me, creativity and first shift are reluctant playmates. I work (and work hard, too) when inspiration makes its presence known. It’s that waiting for inspiration that can be frustrating to an onlooker. Rest assured, it’s part of the process.