Sparking Your Creativity

I’m taking a “Creative Strategy and Execution” class through the WVU Integrated Marketing Communications program.  It’s probably my favorite class so far as I work to complete my Masters degree.  I love creativity and advertising!!  It’s such an awesome feeling to take a blank sheet of paper and turn it into something that captures peoples’ attention and encourages them to buy a product.  I enjoy researching a company, its products/services, the competitors and target audience and squeezing all of that into an advertisement.  Coming up with the “Big Idea” can be an awesome and memorable experience, at least it is for me.  That “WOW” or “Ah-Ha” moment when the light comes on and I can visualize the message in a print advertisement, news release, radio spot or TV commercial is simply amazing.  Sometimes . . . I even surprise myself.

During one of our first discussion, the topic was “What sparks our creativity?”  We all came up with lots of ideas that helped each of us be creative, and I wanted to share some ideas with you.  If you are in any form of marketing, creativity is paramount.  And we all experience creative blocks at some point in our career.  So how do we break down those barriers that keep us from coming up with the “Big Idea”?

Here are a few steps I take when I’m facing obstacles and need to spark my creativity:

• Take a break.  Sometimes we work so hard at trying to come up with that “Big Idea”, that we become overwhelmed.  So give your mind some time to relax.  Take a walk, work on something else, call an old friend, play a game, surf the net . . . what you need to do to divert you attention to something else for a while.
• Look at, listen to and watch the competitions’ ads.  Why re-invent the wheel?  See what the competitors are doing to advertise the same, or similar product.  I’m not saying copy their ad; you want your ad to look unique and different.  But something might catch your eye that would give you a fresh, new idea.
• Look at, listen to and watch any ad.  Just flipping through a magazine, the newspaper, listening to the radio or watching TV may give you ideas.  It’s very possible an idea may come from an advertisement for an entirely different product, but could be tweaked to work for yours.  Again, don’t copy . . . just soak in the visual and auditory ques that capture your attention.
• Use other forms of art.  This can be music, poetry, paintings, photography, comedy . . . whatever.  I often listen to classical or celtic music when I need to create something serious.  Sometimes, listening to a stand-up comedian will spark my imagination and creativity for an advertisement that needs to be humorous.  Taking a walk in the woods or looking at nature-filled photographs often inspires me as well.   Art forms help us experience emotions, which is what drives our creativity.
• Study history of the company and/or product.  Often times, when I’ve done additional research, I have found something interesting in the history of the company and/or its products/services that has inspired me.  It’s usually something interesting and very unique that sets that company and/or product apart from the rest.

Here is an example of a brochure I designed utilizing the last two examples for the 2009 Mountain Lakes Festival in Braxton County, West Virginia.  With a combination of the natural scenic beauty and the history of the Flatwoods Monster, the “Big Idea” came easily for an effective promotional piece.

 

So what ways do you spark your creativity?  I’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions.  You may give someone a tip that helps them come up with their next “Big Idea”.  So feel free to share.