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How To Be Creative on Demand – Yes, We Can. And So Can You!

Natalie Ediger, January 24, 2019· Cleverclip

“But how do you do that, just being so creative, all day long and at the push of a button?” This is a question that is often asked to members of our creative team by acquaintances, friends, colleagues or partners. So how exactly do they do that, this being creative on demand?

A craft like any other

Creativity is most rarely a spontaneous visit to his muse, a sudden inspiration or genius ideas that appear out of nowhere. Creativity is craftsmanship. And craft can be learned.

Very important: There are no bad ideas. We at Cleverclip swear by writing down everything that comes to our mind at the beginning. Because even if the thought seems so stupid to us, for another person involved exactly this one word, this one sketch, can be the impulse for his really good idea. Omitting evaluations, positive or negative, can be incredibly helpful in the creative process.

Because we believe that everyone can be creative, we do not spare project managers during the idea development phase. All those involved play their part. If it’s resinous, there are different ways to lure the ideas out. Variety, for example. The white sheet remains empty? Maybe talking to your colleague will help? Maybe it will be easier on the keyboard? Or, completely away from spoken and written language. Pictures have to be here! Whether homemade sketches or a Google search. There are plenty of possibilities: leaf through old magazines, browse video databases or take a look at Instagram. But at the last point caution is advised, more about that now.

A little order won’t do any harm

Especially “creative people” are often not fans of structure and order. But especially if you are still learning the craft of creativity, it can help you to proceed in a somewhat structured way.
For example, you can find your idea step by step. First of all you have to research the topic, then you have to collect loose ideas (we remember: there are no stupid ideas!), then you can sort them out. The classification according to different criteria further narrows down the whole. If you now have an overview, new combinations can be created from the existing things. And suddenly it is there, the perfect idea.

Criteria, according to which one can arrange his thoughts and aspects, which one should not neglect are for instance: Main statements, target groups, but the common thread – for commercial projects – of course also the existing budget.

Goodbye Digital World!

Yes, even with Cleverclip, or maybe just with us – where everything else works digitally – sometimes it helps to take a little digital detox cure. Looking for inspiration on Facebook or Instagram doesn’t always work, rarely even. The brain is turned off and we scroll passively through the feeds. So instead of gathering new impressions and perhaps creating unforeseen connections, we fall into a cloudy zombie state that is all too well known from social media.

So: smartphone off, tablet aside, laptop away. And now what? That’s different for everyone, of course. Maybe a short walk, a round of sports or a fresh shower. Letting the thoughts run wild can help them find their way to us in the first place. And then they can be exhausted! And what is it now, the moral of history? The muse, she does not kiss us. We have to kiss her – and that is also possible at the push of a button.