So, what's your creative process?
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At most presentations “the question” comes up and it usually strikes me odd. I can’t imagine if clients are interviewing more than one creative firm they’ll hear widely varying procedures. One company may start with “absorb” while another begins with “listen” but the process is fairly consistent. I believe it’s important to have a process, but far more important is HOW you do the process. That’s the part that can’t be captured on a slide.
Charting creative thinking is like diagramming lightening. The right conditions can be determined and outcomes predicted however, the real magic of generating ideas comes down to…well…magic. I think it’s a real gift and I believe everyone has this gift, too. Unfortunately, external barriers keep most people from fully exploring their creative side. While I’m thankful for that ‘cause it gives me a job I love, I’m always looking to uncover new talents for our clients. I think about it a lot. Unfortunately, it can get heady real fast so after the bazillionth time I was asked to explain this black craft, I set out to break the code.
Question 1: How do you get ideas?
As funny as it sounds, the neurobiology is straightforward.
You desire something. Your electrons start firing to connect context, history and subjectivity in relation to your goal. That nanosecond thought process eliminates some options while creating more. Then the process is repeated billions of times over until you’re satisfied with the goal. Think about it like this: Imagine your brain is the United States. The highway system is the synapses that connect everything. You’re on the east coast and want to be on the west coast. You don’t have a map but start in an appropriate direction. At each intersection you decide which option will get you closer to your goal. Some turns slow you down and some are dead ends. You backtrack. Serendipitously, some allow you to visit Gatorland along the way. How cool are those happy coincidences?
Question 2: Big deal. Everyone gets ideas. It’s not that easy is it?
The fact that we share common wiring is what convinces me we all have the ability to think creativity. But if that were all it took, I wouldn’t have a job. Those external barriers I mentioned earlier, keep most of us pretty well tethered. Think about when you were growing up how many times someone told you the “right way” to do something as opposed to the most expressive or exploratory way. Coloring inside the lines tells us it is not okay to be different. So, by the time we reach adulthood, our imagination has been suppressed so many times it takes real work to access it.
Question 3: Why do some Creatives consistently deliver?
There are several factors that make some people better creative thinkers than others. From my experience, two common traits separate good from great.
First, believe beyond a shadow of a doubt there’s a better way to get something accomplished. I drove my parents (and now my wife and coworkers) crazy always asking “Why?” Once you master natural curiosity about the world you’re qualified to move to the next step of ideation.
So step one, you believe something needs to be done better. The next step is believing that YOU are the one that can make it better. You have to have an ego. Self-confidence drives you to think you’re all that. Just don’t be a weenie. No one likes to work with weenies. Get those two talents down and the rest is process: research, insight, experimentation, review, repeat.
I’ll post other common questions later. If you have specific ones leave them in the comments. Creative thinking in business is more important. As a matter of fact, a recent IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the number one “leadership competency” of the future.
Let’s discuss.
Comments
Well put sir. The most condemnation a good idea receives exists within the mind of it's own creator.
Excellent post. Another challenge for those of us not in a "creative" role (shouldn't they all be creative?) is the number of people who STILL tell us to stop coloring outside of the lines.
Well put gentlemen.
Question: Do you believe adults can relearn how to color outside the lines? I'm thinking of looking into that more.
Appreciate your input.
Great topic to tackle, Todd.
You're dead on regarding the suppression of imaginations. Moreover, adults are not only afraid to color outside of the lines, they're fearful to ask questions because, well, asking lots of questions is a perceived weakness in adults.
And I couldn't disagree more with that notion.
Asking questions routinely leads to finding a new level of truth. The best journalists ask more questions than their weaker counterparts. We might have never known the depths of Nixon's Watergate ways had Woodward and Bernstein been afraid to ask question after question.
Fearlessness is the most desired trait in today's creative economy. Without it, we're all churning out the same cookie-cutter ideas.
Thanks Gino.
I'd go so far as saying fearlessness is most desired because it is most scarce.
That kinda thinking takes risk that few can stomach right now.
The problem is in the business world it is more instrumental to growth than ever before.
Very nice post. Thanks for this article.
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