I recently gave a talk for the lovely folks at The Marketing Meetup, Exeter. At the end of my session we had a great discussion, but one question haunts me:
“How do I get creative quickly?”
There was a little more to it – particularly around analysis and data tables (I’ll return to that) – but the heart of it was essentially how do I get creative from a standing start. My answer at the time wasn’t as clear as I’d like so I thought I’d explore the idea and give that attendee a better answer…
Unfortunately there isn’t a “get creative” tap you can turn on, but you can do a few things regularly to help with your creative flow. Just remember as you read these: if something doesn’t come straight away be easy on yourself.
Few things kill the creative flow more than frustration and scrutinising ideas as they come.
Set a deadline.
15 minutes will do, but 30 minutes is best. No distractions, no web searches, no books. Just, you, pencil and paper.
The time restriction will focus you. Before you are going to switch your phone to airplane mode set an alarm, because you are doing this now!
React.
Want to get creative quick? Just do it.
A really important part of what I do to get creative quick on all kinds of graphic design projects is let myself be impulsive and react as soon as the call / meeting is done.
It might not seem it but it’s always useful. You either come away with the seeds of an idea, or get a better solution of what the solution to a problem is now.
The main thing to keep in mind is to approach this session with no inner judgement of your ideas or colleagues ideas. Judgement comes later, but it can often close doors when we want to….
Be open.
Treat it like a piece of improv where the golden rule is “yes, and…”.
This keeps you open to new ideas and allows you to approach your session with a spirit of play. If you are doing this in a team, this should be your reaction to every suggestion for these 30 minutes.
There are more rules which I suggest you look up. But “yes, and…” is a great way to keep the conversation rolling.
Quantity, not quality.
Take every idea to a point where it’s visually clear enough to be a reference point. Don’t get too bogged down in the details.
I heard Jack Renwick say at a talk that “a truly great idea can fit on a post-it.”
Perhaps that’s a good way to work. Move on every time you fill a post-it and aim for as many as possible in a session.
Enjoy it.
Give yourself to permission to have fun when you get creative. When you have fun and play with the process it shows in better ideas.
Stop.
When the time is up, finish the idea you’re on and stop:
- Glance over your ideas,
- don’t cross anything out,
- maybe circle what you love, and
- put it to one side.
Come back tomorrow with fresh eyes and see where you ended up. You will throw a lot away but don’t be wasteful. If you feel like an idea is bad figure out why and maybe it’ll steer you closer to the right solution.
That’s my “get creative quick” process which I firmly believe anyone can engage in.
Want to get creative? Get in touch.
If you have any tips to share, any questions to ask, or want talk to DC Design Works about your next branding project, get in touch today.
