Creativity on Demand

No matter what your business or industry, occasional flashes of creativity are the times when things really come to life.. To be “on call” for creative ideas is one of the great pleasures of working in advertising, but it is also a challenge. With too much work, and too little time, calling up your creativity on demand can be a struggle.

One of the ways I try and stimulate my creativity is by keeping up with what others in similar industries are doing. There are blogs to read, newsfeeds to scan, commercials to watch and campaigns to study. Sometimes it gives me an idea for a client, or stimulates thought and discussion about a new direction. Often though, it just moves me to be derivative, and my “new” ideas sound very similar to the work I was just viewing.

True creativity needs a different stimulus, and that can best come from outside your business area. Look to original art, music, books or online activities that captivate you. Let those ideas percolate in your brainpan, and you will get something that is truly original. It is not chance that great ideas often come to of us in the shower, or while mowing the yard. The repetitive physical activity frees up our minds to work subconsciously…and our subconscious minds are fabulously creative.

I like to grow vegetables and herbs in my backyard (we eat what the dogs don’t get) and take long, aimless drives, where I always see something new and amusing. I recently took a master class in creative writing with Silas House, a wonderful Kentucky writer. (Read “The Coal Tattoo,” it’s my favorite of Silas’ books.) Take the time to find the things that wake you up to the world around you. Feed your brain the things that drag it away from to do lists and deadlines, and your business will benefit.

Sue McNally
Director of Public Relations
Thevimarcgroup