Creativity 101

I’m heading downtown this morning to spend the day with the wonderful gang at SAW Video Co-op. I’m on the Board of Directors there, and today is what’s known as a “Visioning Retreat”…which is really just a fancied up term for creative planning, I think.

I don’t know exactly what to expect, but I’ve been to lots of these kinds of sessions before. I find them to be quite a bit of fun, when done well. I have no doubt that this session will be great – these guys are a class act.

Before I head out, I wanted to jot down a few ideas on creativity. Creativity is something that lots of people get apprehensive about. “I can only be creative when I have complete silence.” “If I’m not feeling it, it won’t happen.” “Most other people are far more creative than I.”

We have lots of excuses for our lack of creative energy. I make them all the time. Someone once told me that procrastination is a direct result of not having enough information. If you don’t know, you can’t do. Kinda makes sense, eh? So how do we get over the hurdle and get into a creative mindset? Here’s a few things I’m trying.

Clean the closet. It’s next to impossible to have a creative thought if you’re busy worrying about everything else you need to do. But don’t sit there saying to yourself “I’ll work on my creative thing as soon as I get X and Y done,” because you’ll never get to Z, I promise. The best way I’ve found to get things out of my head is to get them onto a list. Get a clean sheet of paper and a pen (Yes. Low tech here, people!). Write down everything you need to do. EVERYTHING. Once you’ve got your list, put it away. There. Now you have a blank slate. Create!

Have lots of dumb ideas. Seriously. I have dumb ideas all the time. Ridiculous, even. I know it’s dumb as soon as I think of it. But I make note of it anyway. (Tech tip – I am a fan of Evernote for this, because I can jot it down from any computer, handheld device, etc. and it’s all synced up all the time). Because what might be a dumb idea today could be a brilliant move in 6 months. That’s happened to me a lot. Come up with lots of dumb ideas, because for all the dumb ones, you’re going to get some real gems.

Many hands make light work. It’s true, there are some things in life that are just better when you do them with someone else. (No, I’m not talking about that. But think what you want.) It’s fine to be a creative loner sometimes. Writing this blog is my independent creative outlet (though I get lots of inspiration from you all). But really, I can’t think of anything I like more than sitting in a room full of creative minds, shouting out ideas, playing off one another, and making something brilliant. It’s a wonderful feeling, to be supercharged with all the creative energy that a group can have. If you need to get fired up creatively, grab some friends or colleagues, lock yourself in a room for a few hours and see where you end up. It works.

Well it’s about time for me to head out. I’m excited for today, and for all the new ideas and creative moments we’ll have. I’ll leave the rest up to you, okay? If you have thoughts to share on how you spark your creative energy, share them with us in the comments.

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6 Comments

  • September 12, 2009 at 8:44 am

    Another brilliant post, Suze thanks!

    I remember the first time I suggested in a creative strategy session (brainstorming or whatever un-fancy term we used) that bad ideas now could be good ideas someday.

    Sometimes reading or watching or simply saying something seemingly unrelated to the problem at hand can be the exact thing you need. I made the mistake of saying to someone that it can be as easy as yelling out “pineapple” to get the ideas flowing.

    I now have a black tshirt which I wear with pride that has one simple word on it: Pineapple.

    @knealemann
    [rq=603592,0,blog][/rq]9/11: Where Were You?

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  • September 12, 2009 at 10:16 am

    […] task on so many things I make hard. I was reading Sue Thompson-Murphy’s post this morning on Creativity 101 and everything she said rang true to me. Sue has been an inspiration many times since I found her […]

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  • September 12, 2009 at 10:19 am

    Great Post, Sue, not just about creativity either though I am really good at putting off creative projects with my long list of reasons. Unfortunately, I do it with everything. I am moving forward and as always you give me inspiration!
    [rq=604210,0,blog][/rq]Making Excuses

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  • September 13, 2009 at 1:08 am

    Interesting, I wrote the following comments as a reply to Sue’s last post about her review of “Crush it”:

    I am not a big fan of “self help” people/books in general. I don’t need books to tell me to get off my butt and become a big success. I think that is kind of self-evident.

    I do however appreciate short snappy practical advice on how to get somewhere or do something that is evidence based, empirical, and from a source that has used their own advice to great advantage.

    Sue: This post is exactly the kind of advice I find useful. It’s practical and empirical.

    P.S. Speaking of recording ideas: I also find Evernote handy, I will send myself voice messages with an idea if it is a little too long to type into my iPod Touch. I also carry a camera with me 24/7. I often use it to snap billboards, posters, storefronts or areas of town. I will then follow-up by finding out more about that event and/or going back to that location with my good camera.

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  • September 13, 2009 at 1:31 am

    Sue also said:

    But really, I can’t think of anything I like more than sitting in a room full of creative minds, shouting out ideas, playing off one another, and making something brilliant.

    To that end I joined the SAW Video Co-op yesterday as a Producing Member. I first heard of SAW back in the 80’s when they would come into Skyline cable 12/22 to use our facilities to create video-art. I was their technical advisor. We did a video of models dressed in bubble wrap parading out of a washroom, and a five minute interview that started with an extreme close-up of an eyeball. Every 30 seconds we would double the size of the frame until we ended with a wide angle with the camera backed into the far corner of the studio.

    I don’t pretend to understand this stuff, but I do like to help people with these sorts of projects.

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  • September 14, 2009 at 8:52 am

    […] on task on so many things I make hard. I was reading Sue Thompson-Murphy’s post this morning on Creativity 101 and everything she said rang true to me. Sue has been an inspiration many times since I found her […]

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