20 Tips on Igniting Your Creativity

20 Tips on Igniting Your Creativity

Creativity. It’s the lifeblood of public relations. Yet often that” golden idea” eludes us. What do you do to transform dull into delightful—predictable into a panacea? Below are a few suggestions--some you likely know well. Either way, these tips should help move your creative thinking from mundane to marvelous, or ho-hum to "ah-ha."

How to spark creativity (especially in the brainstorming and pre-brainstorming phases):

1.       Banish “wrong” from your mind.
2.       Think creatively—not critically.
3.       Be curious—ask questions.
4.       Be observant.
5.       Be open and flexible.
6.       Look for many answers to a problem—not just one.
7.       Defy logic.
8.       Defy rules.
9.       Be impractical.
10.   Switch out daily habits.
11.   Embrace ambiguity.
12.   Develop new interests.
13.   Visit an art gallery you haven’t seen before,
14.   Attend a play.
15.   Attend a concert.
16.   Challenge your tastes: switch out your classical music time for rock or country, or vice versa.
17.   Be impractical.
18.   Be playful.
19.   Visit a local place you haven’t been to before.
20.   Plan a trip or vacation.

Finally, consider Guy Kawasaki’s advice: 

Don’t worry; be crappy. Lots of things made the first Mac in 1984 a piece of crap—but it was a revolutionary piece of crap.

What will you do to ignite creativity?

(Margie’s firm, Simon & Associates Public Relations www.simonspr.com specializes in award-winning writing, media relations and case studies. Simon’s case studies and successful media placements have become the focal point for many a client’s marketing campaign and have helped clients achieve double-digit sales growth.)