Creative Concept – a method (Part Two)

The environment:
Let’s assume you have landed a new project and you have the client’s brief in hand. You need to immerse yourself with this new information and challenge.
You need to set in motion new thought patterns because your task is to generate a new way of messaging the client service/product.
You need to find a powerful concept.
You need to shift yourself into parallel thinking 1 – which means all ideas are possible or perhaps you are more familiar with the out of the box process.
To achieve this, you have to let go of immediate environment and preoccupations. One thing that blocks creativity is stress. The worst ideas come from stress-induced decisions. Remember the core immediate meaning of *being* creative means you need to retreat *inside*.
Do one or two things first
Absorption of new information is best done when the mind can drift. So is your studio or workstation the appropriate physical place? If yes, then grab your favorite music and headphones, put it loud enough so that it occupies first plan in your attention. If the studio is not suitable, go to a favorite spot like a library; anywhere a place actually, where external stimulations are present but not overwhelmingly so. In order for the mind to find the right drifting environment – daily stimuli must be shutdown temporarily.

By the way, the studio war room as known as the boardroom is NOT a good place. Why?
As humans, we associate activities with certain places – it conditions certain activities. When you’re in the kitchen – you will be drawn to the fridge to grab a snack, etc. Well, you get the general idea. So the war room, is dedicated to meeting with clients for presentations or to brainstorm with your colleagues both *external/exterior* activities and aimed at outside results – it is an out-going mode. To come up with a creative concept, you must be in an *in-going* mode.

Conditioning yourself to have set steps i.e. a recipe, to conduct internal mind drifting, demands discipline and some preparation ahead. Most important: find the one that works for you. Remember your workstation is associated with *production* activities again, make sure you are capable of inducing this interior retreat.
No matter what your recipe is – to be creative – you need to permit your mind to shutdown to present activities, stimuli, and preoccupations.
You need to wander in your imagination in an unrestrained and free fashion.
You need to be in the proper mindset to conceive new ideas.

Also – if you think the environment to be a foolish step – let me remind you that, what you need to attempt is to overcome your client’s past communication history and strategies (and in fact, that’s ALL they remember) and you were hired to come up with something new that will support their branding mission. That is a sobering fact and a huge responsibility. Coming up with something NEW is a really big challenge since you will have to convey your *concept* in a way that the client gets the right impression and understanding.

Creative Concept – a method (Part One)

Creative: showing ability or power to conceive, given to creating, make an impression
Concept: the originating of something in the mind, imagine as possible, a generic idea abstracted from particular instances, foresee result(s)
Thus, a creative concept is a generic idea conceived to make an impression, carrying meaning and generating understanding.
The context:
The grand scheme meaning attribution in short, the buzzword *creative*, is way far too reaching like a huge canopy falling all over a wide range of activities and too often, misinterpreted as *expression* or *production* activities.
Keep in mind the fundamental difference between expression and impression. One use the prefix *ex* as in external or exterior the latter uses the prefix *in/im* pointing to *internal* or *interior*.
So, when one is creative, it refers in its strict first meaning: to inner activity.
The word creative stems from the word conceive…which is most of the time in reference with human conception, done inside, one that is private, hidden, and unseen. Interestingly, being creative is not a public activity and demands as such, a proper environment setting in order for you to conceive with brilliance.

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Creative Thinking (Part 5)

I – Ink.
Whether you use ink, pencil lead, crayon, or a computer, write down your ideas. We retain more of what we hear or see if we write it down. That applies equally to college lectures and our own brainstorming sessions.
Make Notes Any Time, Any Place. Get in the habit of making notes, outlines, sketches, or doodles. If you are actively pursuing a specific idea or problem, always have paper and pencil or recorder at the ready. Jot down or record all your thoughts, no matter how “off-the-wall.”
Keep a Notebook By Your Bed. Some of your best thoughts come just before falling asleep and just after waking. Keep a notebook at your bedside so you will always be ready to write down ideas whenever they come.
Create an Inspiration File. Whether it’s a file folder, a notebook, or an entire file cabinet, keep clippings, thumbnail sketches, junk mail, photos, and anything else that inspires you or gives you ideas. Add the notes you regularly take. Don’t just file it and forget it – go through the file curing your scheduled creative thinking times and when actively pursing ideas for a project.
You Are A Creative Person
The next time you start to think “I can never come up with good ideas,” think backwards. There are a countless number of useful ideas and innovative thoughts in all of us — if we take the time to learn to think and act creative.

Creative Thinking (Part 4)

D – Determination.
Creativity takes practice. Your creativity is there within you, but you must make a habit of using your imagination. Although many of your best ideas will come when you “aren’t really concentrating,” you can make them happen more often by regularly practicing effective thinking techniques.
Schedule Creative Thinking. Even when not pondering a specific creative challenge, set aside a certain amount of time each day, week, or month to relax, brainstorm, and daydream. Make creative thinking a habit. By getting in the habit of scheduling regularly creativity thinking time and creativity exercises you’ll be better able to meet future challenges as they arise.
Ponder On Problems That Don’t Exist. This isn’t the same as worrying about things you can’t change or trying to fix what isn’t broken. It means that even when you’ve come up with the perfect path to acheive your goals, think about alternatives. Keep a file of ideas that were discarded as not feasible this time around. You may find inspiration for solving future problems and creative challenges. Keep the sketches that the client rejected or that you never even showed to them. Sometimes pulling out these old ideas will generate new ones when needed.
And keeping a file of ideas that were rejected doesn’t mean just holding them in your head. Write it down.

Creative Thinking (Part 3)

E – Effective Thinking.
While positive thinking allows your mind to accept new ideas and creative thoughts, effective thinking involves directing your thoughts toward specific goals. Daydreaming, relaxation, and free association allow the mind to come up with new or unusual ideas or idea fragments.
Have a Goal for Your Creative Thinking. Without a specific goal in mind, random thoughts and ideas may not be particularly useful. Gerald Kushel, Ed.D., is the author of several books, including Effective Thinking for Uncommon Success. In a 1991 interview for Bottom Line Personal newsletter, Dr. Kushel says that to be an effective thinker, you need to have goals and a commitment to those goals. He outlines four steps toward effective thinking:
1. Take Notice. Take stock of where you are or what you are doing. Is it moving you toward your goal?
2. Pause. Take a break when you get off-track.
3. Identify Effective Thoughts. When a thought enters your head, identify it as effective or defective, positive or negative.
4. Choose. We can choose our thoughts. It’s the underlying premise of positive thinking. It’s true of effective thinking and creative thinking, as well. Choose to focus on those thoughts that bring you closer to your goals.
Identify Your Creative Challenge. Applied to creative thinking, effective thinking means clearly defining what creative challenge you need to meet. Do you want a new business name? Are you looking for an unmet need to turn into a business? Are you trying to come up with an exciting or unusual direct mail piece within a limited budget? Whatever the challenge, direct your thoughts and activities toward that goal. Gather materials that will help you accomplish your goal.
The right time and place and effective thinking only work if given an opportunity to do so. Creative thinking takes determinition, perservence.

About Sandlot Studios Creative Group

Founded in 2001 by Vikki Green, Sandlot Studios Creative Group is a full-service agency, offering every aspect of marketing, including direct mail and local store marketing, brand positioning, company/product naming, logo design, Web site design, Web site search engine optimization, advertising design, apparel design and specialty marketing, public relations, illustration, and media buying. Sandlot Studios is experienced in a variety of industries, including real estate, food and beverage, start-up ventures, children’s products, apparel, sports and entertainment and construction. For more information, call 602-366-5589 or visit www.sandlotstudios.com.