Kick-Starting Creativity - Without Screwing Up the Idea!

A Special Presentation toAAF-Northeast Arkansas

August 23, 2012by

Joe Fournetcopyright 2012 Ideas & MORE, all rights reserved

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Handouts & Take Aways

Helpful Stuff - - websites & booksTop Tips39 Around-the-Web Ways to Kick-StartHighlights, SlideShare, PodcastQuestions throughout

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The iCloud: It’s not what you think

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Some Creativity Stuff

What is creativityPower of ideasCapturing creativity

Presenting the iKit

Warp Speed Thinking

Drill Down Techniques

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S’more Stuff

What to do with those ideas you generate?Idea Wall

Idea Tub

What makes for a creative environment?“SuckLess” mentality

Dead cat

Things to ponder & Wrap up5

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Warning!

You are now entering

The

Creativity Zone™

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Creativity

Creat ivi ty seems al l about thought and concepts .

So, what is i t real ly?

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What is creativity?

Creat ivi ty is the spark - the spark that igni tes what you say and how you say i t .

Or . . .

what you do and how you do i t .

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What does creativity mean to you?

OK, who wants to be first?

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Creativity . . .

should besynonymous

with a popular 4-letter wordthat begins with

F . . . U . . .

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Creativity . . .

Relax!

We’re talking

“FUN!”

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Creativity Insights

Creativity is a state of mindWhen the mind has fun, creativity is boundless

Creativity occurs when people perceive there are no limits.

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More Creativity Insights

Creativity can be defined as the ability to see, feel, touch, think and imagine what one has not seen, felt, touched, thought or imagined before.

Creativity – the sudden cessation of stupidity.My favorite definition:

“Intelligence having fun.”

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A Fickle Mistress

“Creative is a fickle mistress; she will not be rushed or forced, she will not answer simply because your or I call; It isn’t always the client’s fault that the work sucketh.”

-- D. Walker, Brown & Browner

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Be like Harley

“Creativity as a weapon of business is under-leveraged not for lack of ideas, but for lack of courage to use them or refusal to give up on them. The phrase,

‘We don’t have time for creativity,’ is not something you would ever hear in the most successful businesses.”

-- Mark-hans Richer, SVP/CMOHarley-Davidson

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You’re creative if . . .

You have the ability to challenge your own imagination and stimulate thoughts to lead you to

a new level of solution.We’re all creative because . . .

Each one of us represents a different perspective, a different creative slant.

However . . .

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Adobe’s “State of Create”

Global benchmark study on attitudes and beliefs about creativity

Surveyed 5,000 adults in five countries

US, UK, Germany, France, Japan

Less than half described themselves as “creative”

Only 1 in 4 believe they are living up to their creative potential

Yet, 76% of Americans feel that being creative is valuable

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Workplace Creativity Gap

Defined by the increasing pressure to be productive rather than creative at work

Average employee spends 25% of workday “creating”

Many did not recognize they were “creating” in non-conventional positions

Universal concern: Educational systems stifling creativity

US takes creativity for granted

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Any Questions?

Well?

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Ideas

i

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Power of Ideas

Simplest idea, creatively and smartly executed, can differentiate the forgettable from the memorable.

Ideas + Creativity = Logic + Magic.

Best results = ideas are media and discipline neutral.

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Don’t Let Execution Bury Idea

Even when strategy is clear, message can still be diluted if the creative is too cute, too complex or just plain dumb.

The computer and software are just tools to enhance the idea, not to compete with, replace, or screw it up.

Technology notwithstanding, be able to jot down your thoughts on paper or the infamous cocktail napkin.

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Technology in the Clouds

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Earthly Insights

Agencies and Clients should only care about two things: How to make the idea work and be relevant.

Be creative business thinkers as well as storytellers in relating to audiences.

Ideas must be clear with basic value explained in 20 seconds; borrow an 8-year old--if she gets it, u r ok.

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Check Your Ego!

“Creative people are 50% ego and 50% insecurity. They need to be constantly told they’re good and they’re loved.”

--Lee Clow,Worldwide Creative Director,

TBWA Chiat-Day

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Soooooooooooooooooo,

Never fall in love with your idea!

There’s always a better one around the corner.

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Creativity’s Cardinal Rules

Don’t ever underestimate the power of your mind or imagination.

In order to innovate or create, move beyond the conventional.

To hell with the status quo (attitude)Reality check will come, trust me

Don’t be afraid to ask . . . “Why, why not, or what if?”

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Questions??

???????????????????????

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Capturing Creativity

How do you do that?

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Presenting the iKit

Ye Olde Creativity Survival Kit:Makes you feel creative, think creatively

Warp Speed ThinkingDrill Down

Idea Tub

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Warp Speed Thinking

Generating ideas at breakneck speed by capturing one idea (single word or two or

phrase) per Post-it Note in answering simple question to solve a problem.

No time to analyze or judge or be fearful!Strive for 50 ideas in 5 minutes

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Drill Down Technique #1

Trying to hit THE idea from a standard approach

After eliminating duplicates . . .

Select “best” half from your Post-its

(you only have 2-3 minutes)

Select half of those until you’re down to 5.

Select 2, then 1.

Is it the best one? Supposedly. But wait . . .

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Drill Down #2

Trying to hit THE idea from a different perspective

Select 5 best ideas from Post-its (2-3 minutes)

Surprise!

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More Drill Down #2

After you have selected and discarded all Post-its until you’re down to one,

consider this . . .

Is it the best one? It’s definitely one you would not have paid any attention to were it not for this exercise.

It may be the hidden gem.

Consider doing BOTH techniques with different groups

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Idea Wall & Idea Tub

Idea Wall - anywhere your Post-it Note ideas can gather together in one place

Idea Tub - physical place, thing or electronic file where all ideas ever submitted are collected and organized in a manner that’s easily accessible

Remember: Bad ideas are forgotten; good ones need storage

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Creative Environment

Don’t manage creativity; manage FOR creativityEnvironment must be open and receptive to exploring new ideas

Acknowledge them as achievement & worthy ambition

Be prepared to take risks

What toys do you have?

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“You’re going to screw up!”

“So it comes with being daring that you’re going to screw up. But I’d rather apologize

than to be so timid as to not try and do anything smart or brave.”

-- Lee ClowWorldwide Creative Director

TBWA/ChiatDay

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Failure is an option

You can’t have success unless you’re prepared to have failure

As soon as you say “failure is not an option,” you’ve just said “innovation is not an option.”

Have the courage and guts to accept failure. Build it into your culture as part of the process; don’t ridicule it, embrace it.

Adopt Pixar Studio’s “SuckLess mentality”.

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What To Do With A Dead Cat

Do not bring a DEAD CAT without a shovel!

Never present a problem without bringing the shovel: At least two possible solutions.

You save time if one of these is adopted, and you get to share your creative thinking while learning what’s important to management.

Remember, you may not know all there is to know.

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It’s time now for . . .

O d d b a l l O b s e r v a t i o n s

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Oddball Observation #1

When it comes to applying yourself and being focused:

“It’s okay to be orderly in your normal life,but be violent and original in your work.”

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Oddball Observation #2

The key to accomplishing anything great is being too stupid to realize

it can’t be done.

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Oddball Observation #3

There will be mistakes made. According to Scott Adams, The Dilbert Principle:

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

Copyright 2012 Ideas & MORE, all rights reserved

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Thank You, AAF-NE Arkansas!!

Please send your donations to:

Joe Fournet Ideas & MORE

www.ideasnmore.net j4net@ideasnmore.netTwitter: @ideabeagle

281-980-1802 Copyright 2012 Ideas & MORE, all rights reserved

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