How to use a creative tool kit

For many of us finding creativity isn’t about waiting for random moments inspiration. It’s about having a well prepared ‘creative tool kit’ at one’s disposal. The toolkit outlined below will help to connect the conscious mind directly to the other deeper part your mind (you ‘normally’ don’t have access to) the unconscious mind and your very important ‘inner child.’ Connecting the conscious to unconscious mind is when the creative sparks start to fly. The concept of the ‘inner child’ is a complex subject, and not for me to explain, but for our purpose the ‘inner child’ is part of unconscious mind that:

• Creates freely without fear of judgment
• Speaks the truth
• Has fun!

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The Creative Toolkit

1. Be armed with good information.

Gain a detailed understanding the brief in hand. If the brief is thin, ask lots of questions until you get the insight required. On a big scale be well informed about the world around you. The best creative people I’ve worked with have minds full of interesting facts, information and stories they can draw on for inspiration.

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2. Have fun.

“The most creative people have this childlike facility to play”.
John Cleese

This is especially true in brainstorming sessions. Be playful and have some fun. Laughter is an important way to break down the barriers between the conscious and unconscious mind. Give your inner child the brief with a smile.

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3. Understand the balance between insight and inspiration.

‍A well-written RFP or thought-out strategic information is crucial to building a solid foundation for many creative executions. However, a blizzard of (sometimes conflicting) information can fog your creativity. Don’t forget to draw on your own experience and talent to make an informed creative judgment.

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4. Find inspiration.

‍Actively fill your head with salient information from the brief and start scamping, doodling, writing and researching. Keep active and make it happen.

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5. Learn to recognise a good idea

‍ Sometimes, the best ideas are hiding in plain sight. The trick is to recognise it. See diamonds where lesser people see mud – and use them.

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6. Get your inner child to come out to play

‍Your head is full of good information, you’ve had fun in the brainstorm and your notebook is full of scamps but nothing is happening!
• Clear your head and go for a walk/have a coffee break/change your current environment
• Sleep on it. That dreamy time when you first wake up, creatively speaking, is a special time. You may experience something like direct access to your ‘inner child’ seeing the solution in a moment of unfettered clarity

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7. Creative space and boundaries

‍Try to minimise the amount of people trying to trespass on your thinking time. For example;
• If the building is on fire, this needs your immediate attention
• If HR wants a sit down meeting about health and safety, it can wait

Unnecessary interruptions are very costly in terms of time taken to get back to where you were mentally before your were disturbed. Find spaces to do uninterrupted thinking like a unused meeting room, the drive into work, in the bath - wherever.

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8. Give yourself as much 'thinking time' as possible.

‍Keep exploring creative options for as long as possible and don’t settle on visualising a creative presentation any sooner than you really have too.

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9. Ask the question - Are you excited by your ideas?

‍If you are not psyched about your work, nobody else will be either. Did your idea give you ‘goose bumps’ when you first thought of it? If it did, the chances are it will have the same effect on other people too.

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10. Using AI

Some Creatives types are still a bit 'snooty' about AI or maybe simply feel threaten by it. Don't be like that! AI is not going away so it's best to make AI apps your friend. We are all exploring this new frontier and, at the moment, I find the possibilities more exciting than anything else.