I admit! I'm not completely comfortable now. Coming up with tips and ideas could be perceived as quite strict. Or? However, the love for what I do and am passionate about is greater than my fear, so it is with great humility that I continue to write. Because what I want to share are things I remind myself of daily in my quest to develop myself and others around me.
I am fortunate to be able to use my creativity in my work. Think what a favor! As Executive Creative Director at Eventyr Nine Yards, I have the privilege of leading the creative work forward at the agency. That I am also expected to be creative in an environment of tight deadlines and a high level of work, I see that as the icing on the cake, the butter in the sauce, the bearnaise on the steak. I work closely with many of our customers and together with my fantastic colleagues we create ideas and concepts. And I absolutely love it! During my almost 20 years in the industry, I have been part of a lot, both being praised and feeling like a failure. I have accumulated lessons and experiences from both successes and setbacks. From this I have developed some thoughts that I carry with me and that help me in my creative work. So with that said, here are some tips on how to boost your creativity.
1. Think outside the box A classic brain storming with solutions that are pushed around the room without any goal or defined challenge has rarely led to anything good. So, think the opposite. Effective communication is created by creativity in the right direction. Start with a creative brief, with insights and strategies. In this way, you and those you work with will be able to create in the same direction and have focused inspiration. Gather the gang, go through the direction. Then you can shoot - in the same direction towards the target. It will not only get better, it will also be much more fun when you create together and develop each other's thoughts and ideas.
2. Be curious We live in a world that is constantly changing. In order to create really good stuff, we need to keep track of trends, innovations and news. But communication is about people and to be able to create interesting and effective ideas and concepts we need above all to understand people; how they think, what they feel and what they dream about. There are tons of ways and an incredible amount of data that can lead to good insights, but nothing beats talking to the target audience. So, be curious and ask, ask lots. I promise you will get loads of good and useful answers. We humans like to be noticed.
3. Work together with people who don't think and think like you. Sitting alone in a creative process is rarely the ultimate solution. Therefore, get together with other people who think differently than you do. In that case, there may be some friction in the process. And chafing is the best there is. Because chafing requires thought and solutions. Chafing drives the process forward. But for friction to be transformed into something good, curiosity, humility and openness are required. The starting point is, of course, to respect each other's opinions, a rule both in the wider world and in our industry. By conducting a solution-focused dialogue, I am sure that together you will arrive at things you would not have landed on if you had worked on your chamber yourself.
4. Be transparent We are all different and enjoy different types of processes. I like to be transparent in the creative process. I like to test ideas on others, call customers and throw a ball in the middle of the process, pull colleagues into meeting rooms to hear what they think and think. This leads to the creation of an incredible force where we together use the collective creative capital of the entire group. I believe that an important part of the creative process is the storytelling itself, putting thoughts into words and conveying them to others who can take over and come up with new insights. In this way, not only the idea itself develops, but also you yourself. Allowing the group to be part of the process creates the ultimate solution.
5. Structure leads to creativity It is common for creators to say that they work best under pressure. I can attest that in some cases it is true. But as we are rarely alone in a process, it is of the utmost importance to meet deadlines and to communicate with the rest of the team. Therefore, find a process that not only you are comfortable with, it should work for everyone involved and it is important to make sure that everyone follows it. It will lead to harmony, high fives and cheers rather than anxious emails with lots of question marks and exclamation marks. Believe me. I speak from experience…
6. Stand your ground
Anything new can feel uncomfortable and unsafe at first. When it comes to the creative process, we often come to a situation where we are "backstabbed" at our thoughts and ideas. It does not necessarily mean that they are not good thoughts and ideas, rather that people who are new to the idea do not feel safe with it. Here it is important to sometimes dare to stand up for oneself, to find new explanatory models and to dare to believe in one's idea. There is no better feeling than when you have stood up for an idea that ultimately turns out to be a success. There is in and of itself no worse feeling than when you have fought for an idea that turned out to be a disaster. But there are blows you have to take sometimes too.
7. Be honest
Do you feel insecure? Ask for help! Do not you understand. Question! Are you happy and proud? Tell it! Do you see others who need help. Support! Do you see others who excel. Applaud!
There they were - my tips on how to increase your creativity. I firmly believe in them and always try to adhere to them in my work. Hope these thoughts can spark something in you that can help you with your creative process.
Daniel Da Silva Executive Creative Director
