Staring into space? Flicking through internet tabs? Maybe a quick peek out of the window to see what the outside world is up to? When you need to be creative and it’s not happening, it feels like you’re climbing a mountain peak that’s far above the clouds and you’re at the very bottom…wearing sandals.
If only there was a shortcut, without the rain, wind and never-ending distractions along your path.
Well, you can put away your umbrella, we think there just might be!
It’s often hard to find inspiration
When you’ve got a bucket load of stuff to do, finding a moment to tackle a problem that requires a creative solution usually falls down the list. Don’t worry, we’ve all been there.
When life gets in the way, we often fall into the trap of focusing only on the essentials and watching the weeks fly by as we lose track of our time.
Then, because we’ve not been able to find time to get inspired, it all feels a bit lackluster.
Breaking that cycle is essential.
Tips on where to find a creative idea
Creativity is everywhere. Everyone finds it in different places – but, there are a few common threads that unite most creative thinkers (and doers.)
Influence. If you’ve been to a talk or a show, you’ll know the feeling of leaving and feeling inspired, talking to yourself the whole way home. To get more of that feeling, it’s simple – find time to go to more of those events!
Experience. All of our team value time away from the screen, moments with nature and conversations with friends and family. A walk through the forest can clear your mind and unpick a problem that seems insurmountable.
Nonsense. The whacky ideas are usually put in our internal bins straight away. But as Rory Sutherland says, the crazy ideas are often the most effective. Creative thinkers love those big, hairy ideas that feel a little bit mad.
Can you schedule in creativity?
Surely not… we hear you cry. Well, actually, we think you can.
We’re not promising to change the world, but regularly getting creative can bring positive change and help break that cycle we spoke about earlier. And it only takes a few minutes a week.
Here are two short exercises that you can bookmark, come back to and get creative in as little as five minutes.
Exercise 1: Out of this world
We want you to create a strapline or campaign for responsible tourism to Mars.
Consider:
The journey there, the experience – excitement or trepidation or both?
What might your audience feel?
What’s the campaign back story?
The effects on the environment – the pros and cons of space travel.
Push yourself to think differently in this intergalactic exercise.
Exercise 2: Change a letter
Think of some of your favourite films. The classics, the ones no one else has ever heard of, and even those guilty pleasures. (Yep, we know about that one!)
Take the title – and simply change one letter.
What difference can one letter make? Well, quite a lot it seems.
Here’s something to get you started:
Godzilla: the story of a giant, nuclear-powered monster ravaging Japan.
Codzilla: the story of a Cornish fisherman who battles overnight with a monstrous mackerel.
This exercise is bound to bring plenty of laughs, so share it with your family, colleagues and friends.
Feeling good? Well, we’ve got exciting news…
Surely not… we hear you cry. Well, actually, we think you can.
Both of those exercises were distributed to our lovely subscribers who get quick creative activities in their inbox every single week.
That’s our Creative Bootcamp. It’s delivered once a week and helps people like you get creative in just a few minutes.
Sign up with just a click here, and unsubscribe whenever you’ve had enough of the creative juice freely flowing.
