There is something quite magical about creativity, which got me thinking about the makers of magic, magicians, these conjurers who create illusions and experiences for us mere mortals to enjoy. 

What is it that we can learn as creators from these sorcerers who play tricks on our minds with their witchcraft and potions?  

Let’s start with what an illusion is…

“An illusion is when what you see and what you think you see are different things. Your senses gather information and send it to your brain.  But your brain does not simply receive this information—it creates your perception”. 

These illusions are only successful when the magician has considered every angle that the audience will experience, thereby creating an interpretation of reality that they want people to have: miss a small detail or get the angle wrong and the spell will be broken.

Creating something is no different to the magic of an illusion.  To be successful the creator must consider all the information they’d like to be sent to their audience’s brain, in order to create an experience.  This is the magician’s true creative power: to conjure a perception of reality by considering every part of the illusion and casting that spell on their unsuspecting victim.

Here’s what is key for any “creator”, the more ways you can see something through the audience’s eyes, the better the chance you have of creating an experience that is truly magical.  

Your ability to build empathy, gather learnings and articulate your creation from a variety of differing perspectives will help you build a more complete spell, a holistic illusion that your too often single-minded approach might miss. This is the magic potion that will hook your audience and keep them spellbound.

So how do you do this?

A very simple, yet extremely effective approach to concocting this creative potion is to put yourself in the shoes of your audience, break down all the ingredients needed for the “illusion” you wish to create and consider as many perspectives as possible.

Every creative endeavour will have a different list of audience members with vastly differing perspectives to consider. Make a list of all the elements of the illusion you wish to create and who you want to enchant.

Let’s take the example of a chef, a culinary magician creating a new dish; they want it to be a showstopper, one that will put their restaurant on the map, leaving critics speechless and competition flabbergasted, propelling this particular kitchen wizard to award-winning fame (remember, THINK BIG!).

Here are some of the audience perspectives they could consider for their culinary illusion:

• What are the best critics writing about now? What do they love or hate!?

• What are the best chefs, the competition, making? What would make them take notice?

• What dishes won culinary awards? What are the elements that made a winning dish?

• What senses do you want to hit when people eat your dish?

• What ingredients do you want to hero?

• What memory do you want to invoke in people?

• What would you want your guest to tell their friends after they’ve experienced your dish?

• What textures and contrast do you want to create? Soft, crispy, crunchy...

• How do you want people to feel after they’ve eaten the dish? Warm, content, wanting more?

• How should the dish look on the plate? The colours, the height, the contrast etc.

• How would you like the dish to be described on the menu?

• How would you like the server to describe your dish?

• How do you want your dish to be served?

These are just some examples of the types of questions our chef could ask themselves, to gather perspectives and build a more complete experience.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a magician, a chef or even writing a blog, there is always an audience and it’s down to the creator to craft their illusions to be experienced as intended.

The magic comes from considering all perspectives and the trick is seeing through the eyes of others.

I finally had an idea for something to write about this week. It came to me when I was out for a walk, a moment of creativity when I least expected it - sound familiar? But why did it come to me then when I wasn’t even trying to think of something…and that’s exactly what I’ll be exploring in this post.

Let’s start with the story of Archimedes. You may have heard of him, a kind of famous, classical, mathematical genius. He lived in Sicily when it was part of Greece back in its heyday, pre-major financial instability, when Greece was known for some pretty incredible architecture, pioneering philosophical debate & hiding in wooden horses.

Anyway, our hero Archimedes was evidently at the forefront of his industry, a thought-leader and, importantly, hygienically inclined (that bit will come later).

As the story goes Archimedes was buddies with the King of Syracuse, evidently a smart guy in his own right for surrounding himself with intelligent folk (leadership 101 right there!)

The King had decided it was time to upgrade his gold crown, probably trying to keep up with the ever-changing crown trends around the Med at that time. The problem was that he was having some trust issues with his goldsmith, whom he suspected of scamming him. He had reason to believe that his crown wasn’t made entirely of gold, yet he had no way of proving it.

Archimedes was tasked with finding a creative solution to the King’s problem. He went away and thought long and hard for a solution: how could he prove the scam?

Later that afternoon, he decides it’s time to take a bath. As he lower’s himself into the bath tub, the water overflows.  His inner monologue blurts out, “I have it!”. He has found the answer to his problem with an extremely creative solution. By measuring the volume of the crown, from the volume of water displaced, and knowing its mass, he could calculate the density of the crown and compare it with the densities of silver and gold.

This moment was immediately followed by his infamous streaking through the streets of Syracuse: an event that has gone down in mythological history as the ‘Eureka’ moment. 

Now, as much as I love a streaker, what really interests me in this story is where this moment of brilliance and creativity happened. Sure, the water spilled out of the bath giving him the solution to his problem, but I’d like to draw a slightly different lesson from this story.

And it is that this Eureka moment, like my walk, was not when he was trying desperately to find a creative solution, but it was in a moment of peace, where he let his mind breathe.

What is it about these often quieter moments, after periods of thinking, researching or experimenting? Why are these more often than not the moments of creativity, and not when you’re desperately trying to find a solution. What do they all have in common and is there anything we can build into our creative process?

I think it’s fair to say that these moments occur when simple, but not entirely mindless tasks are taking place.  They require some physical effort, but not too much. They are non-demanding, almost automatic. In Archimedes’ case this was taking a bath, for me, it was a walk, but for you it might be …

Having a nap
Driving to the store
Commuting
Running
Doing the washing up
Mowing the lawn

The list is endless, but what is important is that they take up some mental and physical capacity, just enough to distract you from thinking about your problem and to let the magic of your subconscious start to make connections when your conscious brain has been exhausted by. But make these breaks too demanding or related to your problem and it’s going to hinder this process.

Check out this clip from a great BBC documentary about creativity. You will see an experiment demonstrating that just the right level of mindlessness can increase your divergent and creative thinking.

BBC Documentary - watch from 47m30s to 52m45s

So how can we put this into practice…

Firstly build breaks into your creative process, especially after absorbing a lot of material.  You might be reading, interviewing, workshopping, writing, drawing, or making prototypes all day.

Whatever your creative endeavor might be, step away from it.

But remember this does not mean do nothing! Do something undemanding, both mentally and physically, give your conscious brain a much deserved break and let the subconscious do the heavy lifting.

…and who knows you might have a Eureka moment when you get into your next shower and find yourself streaking down the street much to your neighbours’ amusement!

Now, time for the name.

This is the ever entertaining, highly opinionated, political and legal minefield of naming your creation.  It’s a contact sport with many rules, most of which can and should be broken.

Sometimes the name game can go on forever, round after round, back and forth, tie break after tie break with no clear winner, only to end up against the ropes or exactly where you started.

Other times, it’s over in a flash, the winner is crowned before even entering the ring, it was a knockout in the first round…and occasionally it’s just rigged from the beginning, three rounds, the whole thing purely for entertainment purposes (you might have been in those workshops!).

Either way, the name game is today’s main event; what follows are some thoughts on why it’s important to fight for the right name and some tactics for landing a killer name blow.

Let's start by laying out why a name is important and what it should be doing for you, regardless of the subject matter.

Firstly, a name gives meaning to its subject, it should portray a feeling, either an emotion or a function of what you’re trying to communicate to others.  Secondly, you must consider how a name sounds when spoken (the tone), and finally how it looks when written.

These three elements make up the Holy Grail of any brand development, of which a name is a critical component.  I don’t care if you are naming a sub-range of a billion-dollar brand, a start-up business, a podcast/blog or a child (and very recently I added the latter to my résumé), the rules and the way to play the game are essentially the same.

When done well, a name combined with a great creation can stand alone, becoming a verb, “to google”, a noun “Kleenex” or an icon, “Beyoncé”.

There are many ways to attack the name game, but as with any creative process it’s good to align a few decision-making criteria up front. How detailed you’d like to get here is really down to you.

Make this as objective as possible, list them and use them to help you converge on your winning idea, also…if it’s a collaborative exercise, give everyone a veto card (this is especially important when naming children, use it wisely!).

The rules for the CREO name game were the following…

• It must communicate “creativity”

• It must be short, no more than 5 letters and only 2 syllables (easier to fit in thumbnails etc)

• It must be easy to pronounce (will need to say it on a podcast!)

• It should be either abstract or suggestive (it’s easier to find domains/social handles etc.)

There are also a number of different naming approaches & constructs that can help in the early divergent stage, the part where there is “no bad idea”, of which there are always plenty!

Adding some structure to this exercise can also help you be more divergent in your thinking, giving you a better opportunity of creating something unique.

Many agencies will have their bespoke process, but I think this great post, courtesy of Rob Meyerson, on https://howbrandsarebuilt.com/types-of-brand-names/ shows a simple table that covers the basis of naming approaches and constructs with some examples.  Take a moment to digest it…

At this point a dictionary, thesaurus and google translator are your best friends.  Get yourself a cup of coffee or something stronger and off you go.

With CREO, I was fortunate enough to land this blow in the early rounds of my internal fight, it ticked all the boxes of my criteria and I really liked that it means “I create” in Latin because as a classical language it alludes to the origins of the word, makes it feel slightly more philosophical and historical, which gives more meaning and context for me to explore what creativity is and how it makes us human.

Now, whether others see that or read into it is another question, but at least that’s my rationale.

(If you were wondering, some other options were CRE8, CREA, HUU, MAYK, CRYATE, KREATE, KREO, KREA…)

As for the way CREO looks and the tone, well, it’s a fairly symmetrical word and visually pretty balanced which lends itself well to being designed. The tone is quite soft, thoughtful, maybe a bit mysterious?  “CRE’OOOh…the magic of creativity!”

I could keep going, but you get the idea; build meaning into your name without overcomplicating it. This is a trap that creatives can fall into, and I guarantee your client, stakeholder or partner will have glazed over by point 3 of your rationale, so don’t overdo it!

Now even though very few people have the patience to read that deeply into your name, do not underestimate the importance of taking the time to thrash out the meaning for yourself or your team.

Those details matter and being able to explain them simply takes time. These simple explanations will drive engagement, they show you care about details and it can help align others to your creation. Just know your audience!

Finally, the most important thing you can do in naming anything is to go wide quickly and then beat those options to death. 

Run them through your criteria, aggressively cull and then live with the top 5. Test them out on friends (you can always ignore their answers), say them out loud as much you can, write them down and design them into every context or iteration they might exist in.

Don’t forget to check if it means something inappropriate in another language (made that mistake!) and of course if you happen to be naming your newest family member, please, for their sake, think of all the ways you could bully them if you were a little sh*t in the playground.

The tricky thing with naming is there are lots of rules and tactics, but really there isn’t a right or a wrong answer. However, if you do swing a haymaker and connect, having a distinctive, unique and eventually iconic name can make all the difference: that is, after all, the aim of the game.

I have no doubt most of this will be ignored, perhaps if I’m lucky, critiqued and occasionally be insightful for some passing reader in the ether.

Regardless, the point was to start, which I did, and it was supposed to be small, so that I’d actually do it.  Now it is about driving forward and making progress on the creative journey.  But in the creative process it’s critical to know which direction to drive in.

This post will therefore focus on explaining my vision and goals for CREO and during that process we’ll also discuss how to THINK BIG and start small.

Of course I need to follow through on my boast last week that I have a clear vision for CREO and describe what I want to create and why I want to create it.

I need to prove the potential enormity of this idea, to show I can THINK BIG, to shoot for the moon whilst also bring it crashing back down to Earth with a sense of reality and some achievable objectives.

But, before I do that,  I’d like to take a slight detour with you.

You may have noticed last time (hint: go read it!) that I’m a fan of passive aggressively attacking unnecessary complication in language and communication.  This is because I believe clarity of thought combined with simplicity of communication is more useful to a creative process than almost anything else.

This is especially important when collaborating but should not underestimated when working individually.  The clarity of an idea and the direction of travel (even if it’s ultimately wrong) give you inspiration and purpose.  To be concise, they reduce distractions and make your creative process more targeted and efficient.

To shoot for the moon it is necessary to build a launchpad and there is a fine art to defining the parameters of that pad.  Make it all too big and you’ll never take off; too small, you’ll be constrained by the gravitational pull of nothing new or useful.

However, get the launchpad the right size and calculate the necessary steps to bend the laws of physics then not only will you have lift off, you may well be on your way to the moon.

This interstellar journey is the art of inspiration balanced with progression, the story of THINK BIG, start small.

So…what do I want to create?

The vision for CREO is an exploration of creativity, simple as that.

The aim, to have conversations that..

• Interrogate what it means to be creative.

• Learn what it takes to be creative.

• Understand how it makes us human.

The goal, to understand why some people are more creative than others and capture the ‘tricks of the trade’ to help us all be more creative.

Why creativity?

To explore creativity, there are many different angles.

Everyone has a point of view on it, even if you didn’t ask them! That’s because everyone is creative, it’s part of what makes us human.

Whether it’s launching rockets into space, decorating your home or cooking a meal for a friend:  these are all creative.  They solve a problem, they are novel and they are useful (however, we will get into the details of defining the nuances of creativity at a later date).

So, there are endless paths to investigate, with an infinite number of people to talk to, the good, the bad and the ugly of creativity gives me plenty of conversational scope.

Creativity is universal and if made approachable, digestible and even entertaining, the subject can really apply to anyone. With the obligatory layer of being purpose driven and helping people unleash their creativity, this space is a big total addressable market.

Now if you can “take 1% market share” that should be good enough to get some funding.

THINK BIG ✅

I personally love the “think big” part of being creative, letting the mind run wild is entertaining.  But to start small, well, that’s often more challenging, it’s about setting objectives, having a simple plan and being disciplined enough to show up consistently.

So I’ve decided the best way for me to approach this is to have some objectives for the year that will help me towards my vision and goal of helping others unleash their creativity.

2023 Objectives:

1. Post on the blog once a week.  That’s 52 posts in a year.  Part of me thinks that sounds a little ambitious, what could I possibly have to say once a week?  But being creative isn’t just about having a moment of brilliance, in fact it rarely is. It’s about trying lots of things, iterating, learning what works and doesn’t work in the real world.  It’s about practicing and crafting your skill over time.  Too often (and I’m speaking to myself more than anyone) we sit back with a grand vision and don’t take the first step, let alone the thousands of smaller steps needed to come up with something unique and special.  So, I’ll commit to writing 52 things about creativity in 2023.

2. A Daily tweet, a quote, a question or a thought. This is going to be a methodical exercise in building routine, of getting something out into the world daily and learning how to garner some subscribers.  Though this is something I’ll need to learn more about. For now the focus is on building a new muscle, to be disciplined and consistent.

3. Plan for a pod and create a 10 part series.  So a podcast, if you find a good niche it’s still a fairly unsaturated market, he says hopefully.  Why 10 parts?  It might be too much, but my current thinking is to give myself some constraints will help me focus on a theme within creativity and ultimately learn the process of recording and editing a podcast.

start small ✅

So these are my objectives, a fairly simple plan, with some small steps to start, which I probably vastly underestimate.  But if I’m to create something of value for myself and hopefully others I need to think big, point myself in a direction that inspires me, with achievable steps to help me progress.

Next stop, the moon!

A phrase, especially when demanded of you flippantly by someone lacking a clear point of view or guiding words of wisdom on which direction you should be facing, let alone heading in, can be construed as extremely condescending.

Yet as much as I despise the phrase, the most important part in any creative process is there, front and centre.  It’s so important some overpriced consulting firm crafted a phrase in order to invoice millions of dollars to some unsuspecting executives by conjugating it for the sake of alliteration.

The verb in question, you guessed it, to start.

That word is key, in theory so simple, yet in practice far more challenging.  I myself have fallen victim to theoretical paralysis more times than I’d like to admit, starting this blog & procrastinating on a podcast being a prime example.

But why is it so intimidating to start something, especially the creative process. 

Staring into the white abyss of a blank piece of paper is beyond intimidating,  so you have to pick something and just go with it, see where it takes you.   

For me and this post?  I’m going to start with the word itself, the origin of this verb, and attempt to pull some interpretation from it that can keep you hooked for another few paragraphs.  So here goes...

The Old English “sterten”, is to rush out or leap, it’s related to the Dutch “storten”, to push and the German “sturzen”, to fall headlong or to fling. All these derive from a sudden initiation of movement, quite an abrupt way of setting out on a journey and the starting a process.

It’s impossible not to notice the slightly aggressive yet ambiguous nature of this etymology and yet to start a creative process is ultimately a leap of faith into the unknown, with high hopes that the journey to the promised land, full of milk and honey will be smooth sailing.  Sounds easy, possibly even pleasant…said no creative before, and if they did, it’s post rationalising a journey for a funding pitch or they’re in downright denial!

In my mind a true creative has a clear vision on the destination, but embraces the ambiguity of the journey, has the humility to learn and adapt, makes necessary changes but has the tenacity & strength to fight the lazy compromises that are detrimental to executing and delivering a vision.

This leads me to my leap of faith, the beginning of this creative process, my journey to the promised land of content creation, with high hopes of clicks & money, but no true understanding of what obstacles I’ll need to overcome. Yet thankfully I have a clear vision and a simple plan (which I’ll lay out in another post).  There must be method to the madness, something I’ll explore a lot moving forward, in fact that will also be in the next post,  that other classic innovation phrase, “think big, start small”, the ability to zoom out and zoom in.

But first why start a blog at all?  Supposedly it’s good for you to journal?  Get your deepest most meaningful thoughts out into the world, or at least out of your head.  Although my ultimate ambition is to start a podcast, I want to fling myself headlong into organising some thoughts in words and commit some ideas to “paper” to later explore verbally, perhaps with some hedonistic monologues and certainly with various friends and associates from the creative industry.

I guess the practical side of my brain sees it as a way to explore some thoughts with a lower barrier to entry.  The more intuitive side of my brain thinks I might enjoy writing and using words to express my thoughts on a page.  But rather than just thinking about creating a blog, I’ve finally decided to take the plunge and start.  I’m by no means a professional writer, in fact I really didn’t enjoy writing at school, it’s partly why I decided to go into the world of design where I can communicate ideas with drawing & visuals…minimal use of boring words, less writing, great, I’ve found my niche!

But as I’ve got older, matured and debatably wiser, I’ve come to understand the importance of both written & spoken words in communicating creative ideas.  The story that accompanies your idea and the way it is articulated will make or break how far it can go and is a skill often overlooked in design education.

So I’ve decided that I have some thoughts to share and more importantly a learning journey to go on, something I hope others will benefit from, but ultimately it will be a selfish endeavour!

Now to attempt to finish something that is all about a start.

To start is hard, the etymology of the word adds a level of fear and uncertainty to the meaning, but ultimately if you never take that plunge, creativity will not happen, it does not manifest itself, as hard as I’ve tried.  It takes work, it takes iteration and of course it takes courage.

So in the spirit practicing what you preach, it’s time for me to fling some semi-cohesive sh*t at the wall and see what sticks.

evolve into a podcast.

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