How To Find Inspiration
Every product shifts someone's emotion. It is easy to forget that. If you can think about that and connect with that feeling, you will have purpose
Talk by Nick Bennet, Chief Product Officer at Star Count at the 2014 Inspiration event hosted by Digital Doughnut.
Nick Bennet delivered a truly inspiring talk at this years inspiration event. As we all know, one thing that all marketers and creatives can relate to, and struggle with, is lack of inspiration. Sometimes inspiration is nowhere to be found; not in the yoga class, in the gym or at the bottom of a glass of wine. I agree with Nick when he proclaims that inspiration is a burden, a myth that we are chasing. However, Nick’s presentation enlightened me and made me think of ‘inspiration’ as something that I can create whenever I need it.
The Inspiration Formula - EMOTIONAL SHITF + PURPOSE +EFFORT = INSPIRATION
Every product shifts someone’s emotion. It is easy to forget that. If you can think about that and connect with that feeling, you will have purpose. If you have purpose you will get up earlier, work harder and do more. If you have purpose you will put the effort in. If you put your effort in you will do more than you ever thought possible and eventually sparks will happen.
Nicks Bennets 5 things that will help you find inspiration:
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Rub everything together, mix it.
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Involve everyone in the idea process not just the creative people, the strategy team or art directors. By involving everyone in your agency to brainstorm around an idea or project you will save time and resources.
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Accept every idea. You never know if you can unveil a hidden gem in a rubbish idea.
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Stay up really late on your own with a blank sheet of paper and a computer. After a while you will ‘get in to the zone’, but you have to stay up really late, like 5 am late.
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Stop being your title, people are not creative directors or receptionists, people are people. At the beginning we are people and we will be people at the end. If you are in the business of doing things for people (marketing etc.), the people business, it is only appropriate to invite everyone to join you in your creative process.
And remember, you don’t find inspiration, you make it.