This week’s post is a reflection of my past couple weeks.
Since starting this blog I have tried to put myself out there and reach out to
some other’s ideas of creativity. For instance, I have been reading a book for
class called Hey Mr. Whipple, Spueeze This!,
a great read about Luke Sullivan’s experiences as an advertising creative. He
made some points in a few of the earlier chapters about the creative process as
a whole. Some I agree with and some not so much.
To start, he mentions a process that has been around since
the 1940’s. James Webb Young laid out a 5 step process of idea generation that
holds true today.
1.
Gather as much information on the problem as
possible. Read, underline, ask questions, “be” the problem.
2.
Sit down and actively attack the problem.
3.
Drop the whole thing and go do something else.
Let your subconscious mind work on it.
4.
“Eureka!”
5.
Figure out how to implement your idea.
All I can say is, brilliant. I completely agree that this
process can work for one person’s need for a creative solution. The television
series Mad Men shows this process
working for them every time and it's even held true with me. However, I believe that in a group setting this
wouldn’t hold true. When working with a team and trying to all collectively
land on one idea, it would be pointless to all work intensely to just drop the
issue and then hope one person comes up with a great idea. However, I have seen
this process kind of work in a group setting.
Imagine a group sitting in a room trying to brainstorm a new
slogan for their T-shirt company. They start by coming up with words they want
to be associated with, that evoke a specific emotion to their consumers. As
they bounce several ideas off each other one creative takes a second to think
about how hungry they are. They start thinking about their options on their way
home from work Chipotle, Subway, Papa Johns, that new Chinese place with the
really good egg rolls. They then picture sitting down on the couch to watch
late night tv and take a their first bite, when the phone rings and it’s their
best friend wanting to go out. When all of a sudden they get an idea so pure,
so different that they rejoin the conversation to share their experience. Then as a
team they agree and begin working on the implementation of the slogan.
I’m guilty of that scenario a couple of times in a group
project. Sullivan also brings up a great point of how people put into a
position where the job to be creative induces fear. He believes that being a little scared is an integral part of being creative. He then quotes Woody Allen “If you’re
not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very
innovative.” That is a great quote, and Luke Sullivan makes a great point. I
personally feel as though fear does not reinforce the creative process. I feel
as though being scared of your job is a natural thing. You have to report to
someone more powerful than you regardless of how you feel about them. The fear
of impressing is a common thing. Saying being scared is good for a job in the creative
process is like saying you need to be a good skater to play professional ice
hockey. It’s a part of life, just like skating is a part of ice hockey. Fear
inhibits the mind, making you question choices in the best interest of yourself
and your image. You don’t want to say anything that would be offensive or
completely wrong to the problem at hand.
The way I think about it is every new idea is a good idea, but
not every new idea is appropriate. For instance, I was on a project team with
two fellow classmates. We pushed a project off until two days before it was due
(bad idea to begin with). We spent the night bouncing ideas off each other
until someone made a joke. This joke turned into a potentially good idea. The
product we were creating an advertising campaign for was panty liners. One of the
group members made a joke about what if you put a little face right in the
middle of the pad. Then underneath put #ImSittinOn______ (insert face's name here). Focusing on the idea that this USED to be an uncomfortable topic. let's work to make it easier to talk about.
So stupid but after thinking about it we thought it was
probably an idea no one else would even consider pitching because of how
sensitive the topic is. We were even scared to get laughed at by people we will probably never talk to. So we wrote up the report and sent it in. We didn’t
win, HOWEVER, the day after submitting it. We found another company with a
commercial that’s out right now that featured a women talking about having “Sam”
in her pants.(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePWlvzDkiA0)
ODDLY similar to the campaign idea we came up with.
So I hope you can see my perspective. Comment about your
creative moments and share your thoughts! Remember to stay happy and stay
creative!
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