Go ask your father.
By Ariel Clark
Similar to the parent who is asked, “Where do babies come from?” by a young child, many creatives struggle to come up a good answer when asked about the birth of ideas. Certainly the truth about each is more mysterious, complex and gruesome than “The stork brings them,” but rarely do we go out of our way to explain in full.
Generally, the process of idea generation gets little consideration from the client and their audience. They are far more concerned with increasing their bottom line and being entertained, respectively and justifiably. If the creative process is explained to the client at any point, it usually is described like this:
Read brief. Work on concepts and thumbnail sketches. Arrive at big idea.
Unfortunately, this is pretty much never the way things go. (Though if such an inspiring brief exists, it would probably get more exposure than this one.) The cold, hard truth is that there is no one winning formula. Sure, tackling a job well-informed with a comprehensive brief is necessary to understand the message you are trying to convey. And yes, there are methods of brainstorming out there, but truly great ideas usually materialize from the ether, sometimes at the oddest moments. In the shower. At the movies. Those quiet moments right before sleep.
Every creative carries the burden of not knowing where our next great idea will come from. Luckily, a common trait among our kind is the ability to pull inspiration from all around us. And as scary as not knowing when or where an idea will strike is, it means we are open to them coming at us from all over, from any source. It’s sort of liberating, really.
A better explanation of the creative process would read like this:
Read brief. Begin concepting. Gather CA's at your desk to look for inspiration. Surf stock photography sites looking for inspiration. Surf favorite food blogs looking for ideas for dinner. Meet friends for a drink. (Ok, a few drinks.) Unwind at home by watching Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 on DVD. Round out the evening with some Guitar Hero. Sleep on it. Grab some coffee on the way into work because today you are going to "nail it." Stare at your blank screen awash in fear of failure and coffee jitters. Go back to the CA's. Meet friend for lunch. Take notes on napkin during conversation about her ex (there's definitely something there). Back at office, review notes, brief and food blogs one more time... and PRESTO! Great idea!
Truly great ideas are born when your brain is able to unconsciously chew on the message and its audience. Sometimes you need a few sips of a stiff drink to get the mix right, sometimes it’s as easy as stepping away from the computer and taking a walk. Wherever they come from, creatives and clients should take comfort knowing that the well can’t really run dry. As the world shifts, societies expand and grow, and Guitar Hero continues to release special editions, we’ll always have something to inspire a good idea.
Similar to the parent who is asked, “Where do babies come from?” by a young child, many creatives struggle to come up a good answer when asked about the birth of ideas. Certainly the truth about each is more mysterious, complex and gruesome than “The stork brings them,” but rarely do we go out of our way to explain in full.
Generally, the process of idea generation gets little consideration from the client and their audience. They are far more concerned with increasing their bottom line and being entertained, respectively and justifiably. If the creative process is explained to the client at any point, it usually is described like this:
Read brief. Work on concepts and thumbnail sketches. Arrive at big idea.
Unfortunately, this is pretty much never the way things go. (Though if such an inspiring brief exists, it would probably get more exposure than this one.) The cold, hard truth is that there is no one winning formula. Sure, tackling a job well-informed with a comprehensive brief is necessary to understand the message you are trying to convey. And yes, there are methods of brainstorming out there, but truly great ideas usually materialize from the ether, sometimes at the oddest moments. In the shower. At the movies. Those quiet moments right before sleep.
Every creative carries the burden of not knowing where our next great idea will come from. Luckily, a common trait among our kind is the ability to pull inspiration from all around us. And as scary as not knowing when or where an idea will strike is, it means we are open to them coming at us from all over, from any source. It’s sort of liberating, really.
A better explanation of the creative process would read like this:
Read brief. Begin concepting. Gather CA's at your desk to look for inspiration. Surf stock photography sites looking for inspiration. Surf favorite food blogs looking for ideas for dinner. Meet friends for a drink. (Ok, a few drinks.) Unwind at home by watching Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 on DVD. Round out the evening with some Guitar Hero. Sleep on it. Grab some coffee on the way into work because today you are going to "nail it." Stare at your blank screen awash in fear of failure and coffee jitters. Go back to the CA's. Meet friend for lunch. Take notes on napkin during conversation about her ex (there's definitely something there). Back at office, review notes, brief and food blogs one more time... and PRESTO! Great idea!
Truly great ideas are born when your brain is able to unconsciously chew on the message and its audience. Sometimes you need a few sips of a stiff drink to get the mix right, sometimes it’s as easy as stepping away from the computer and taking a walk. Wherever they come from, creatives and clients should take comfort knowing that the well can’t really run dry. As the world shifts, societies expand and grow, and Guitar Hero continues to release special editions, we’ll always have something to inspire a good idea.
posted by tba PR + Advertising at
5:01 PM
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