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Stress can squash creativity, and I don’t need to tell you that we’re living in a pretty stressful time.
But the pressure’s on. 92% of the most successful B2B marketers say their organizations value creativity. So how can we foster innovative thinking and encourage new ideas? How do we unleash our creative selves? We turned to CMI Creative Director Joseph “JK” Kalinowski for answers. We asked JK and our community to reveal their creative secrets. What follows is a brief recap of our Twitter chat.
One quick note: If you need background music while you read, check out this playlist put together by CMI VP of Marketing Cathy McPhillips. She asked our community to share what songs got their creative juices flowing. Content marketers told us they found inspiration from every end of the musical spectrum, with artists ranging from the Jackson Five to Vance Joy and Prince to The Decemberists. Take a listen, tap into your creativity, and let the ideas flow.
A1: Great question! I believe that we’re all born creative. It depends where we place it in our brains. Some who claim to be “not creative” may have placed analytical thought in front of the subjective. The creative thought process is in there, just bring it forward. #CMWorld
— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) April 21, 2020
A1b: I also believe that everyone is creative in different ways. Take my wife who works with preschoolers on the autism spectrum. Although she claims to not be creative, she consistently figures out new ways to communicate and reach her students. #CMWorld
— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) April 21, 2020
A1. Everyone is creative. I believe this. I see it. I also believe it’s a muscle: creative discipline and process begets more creativity.. and it sharpens our ability to see new ideas. Creativity is a core muscle. Work it, baby!! Headband optional! #cmworld pic.twitter.com/Yyjy1R5Ky6
— Kathy Klotz-Guest (@kathyklotzguest) April 21, 2020
A1. I was born conceptually creative but not productively creative.
I’m very creative about connecting various concepts and thinking of new ways to do things.
But I’m not very productive at creating art.
#LiveCreatively #CMWorld— Tod Cordill (@todcordill) April 21, 2020
A1. I like what John Cleese said about creativity at #CMworld 2015: “Creativity is not a talent. It’s a way of operating.” Some of us may be more creatively inclined, but you have to practice. https://t.co/wXun40veDI
— Carmen Hill (@carmenhill) April 21, 2020
A1: People naturally excel in different areas, but so much of being creative comes down to risking mistakes and embracing the messy creative process. #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/0lXU5W4bFc
— Jess Dobson (@SheSpeaksSocial) April 21, 2020
A2: When ideas don’t click, the wall I create can seem huge. My solution is to simplify. When presented a great piece of content needing visual assets created that flusters me, I go back to the basics. What is the ultimate takeaway? I start there for foundational ideas. #CMWorld
— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) April 21, 2020
A2b: One of the keys to great creative is conversation. Talking through ideas make a world of difference. I rely on my team to help me take my ideas to the next level. #CMWorld
— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) April 21, 2020
A2: Working on a different project! Sometimes I’ll even switch my schedule around to accommodate how I’m feeling. So, if I’m not very creative, I’ll do other projects until I feel that spark again. #CMWorld
— Cosmitto (@CosmittoDigital) April 21, 2020
A2: A boxing class! #CMWorld https://t.co/2VvuZYevXi
— Bebby Siseido (@bebbysiseido) April 21, 2020
A2: Team work is a solution for us to generate innovative ideas. And sometimes we don’t need to be super creative in our work, there are some regulars. We need to summarize these rules, and turn it to be our ‘creative’ or unique ways. #CMWorld https://t.co/etgaWFfobJ
— Amelie (@Amelie_yuyu) April 21, 2020
A2: Failure is what drives me through the creative wall. Failure is the mother of all creativity. #CMWorld
— Wayne Hendry (@ideakid88) April 21, 2020
A2
When I slam into a creative wall, I disengage from the project do one of 3 things for an hour:1. watch a favorite movie
2. play a video game
3. tinker with LEGOInevitably, my brain drops a gear and refreshes, solution to the block in hand.#CMWorld pic.twitter.com/R6c7agXxwB
— Kylo Ren | Social Distance Expert (self-appointed) (@bhrome) April 21, 2020
A2: when I have a creative block it is great to get away for a walk or task that is totally different from what I was doing. I also have resources to reference as well…Peeps I follow, content to view and books/articles to reference. #CMWorld
— Bernie Fussenegger #Digital360Chat (@B2the7) April 21, 2020
A3: Sure…The @Adobe Creative Cloud is my best friend. I have been an Adobe client since the early 90s. I even ran the original Aldus Pagemaker, pre-Adobe Pagemaker & InDesign. Adobe CC is one of the main multi-tools in pretty much every designers’ toolbox. #CMWorld #Adobe
— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) April 21, 2020
A3b: I am also a huge fan of @creativemarket. It offers resources and inspiration for visual creators. Plus, they give away freebies on Mondays! #CMWorld
— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) April 21, 2020
A3c: I also look to my social feeds. I follow so many artists & creative brands that really help light the creative spark for me from time to time. Being a comic fan, I follow the work of the famous Marvel artist Jack Kirby on Instagram. His use of color is spectacular. #CMWorld
— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) April 21, 2020
A3: The most essential tool to me is having a small @Moleskine notebook and a pen with me at all times to capture what happens organically whenever it happens. Forcing it never seems to work for me. So just be prepared to capture it when it happens. #CMWorld
— Lane Anderson (@Lane_Anderson) April 21, 2020
A3: #CMWorld
Instagram has become one of my favorite places for inspiration and education. TikTok also has a surprisingly large number of creative tips and resources for everything from graphic design to writing. And I can’t forget about Pinterest and Skillshare!
— Click Control Marketing (@ClkContrl) April 21, 2020
A3: When I’m trying to break through my next barrier, I do a brain exercise. I read something that is not related to the current project, usually a different industry, & dive into the jargon and problems. I brainstorm how I might make the content better. A warmup. #CMWorld
— Rachel Wendte (@rkwendte) April 21, 2020
A3: I am eager to hear everyone else’s thoughts, but for me, I like to have my journal handy. Sometimes it just helps to sketch things out, get out of the digital space. #CMWorld https://t.co/75REgdhxxR
— Andi Robinson (@hijinxmarketing) April 21, 2020
A6: No matter the industry, coming up w/creative ways of grabbing & holding a customer/potential customer’s attention is the root of pretty much every industry. Being able to look outside our industry to see how others are being creative is clutch. Ideas spur new ideas. #CMWorld https://t.co/j2LY0Iz5ME
— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) April 21, 2020
A6b: I think a lot about one era of art history that I adore, the Post-Impressionist years. Although many of them Van Gogh, Gauguin & Cézanne had unique styles, their overarching use of color/shapes/subject matter were similar. Their creativity thrived off of each other. #CMWorld
— Joseph Kalinowski (@jkkalinowski) April 21, 2020
“Is there such a thing as an original idea?”
We all think there is!
But probably not…
A6 #CMWorld
— Deborah Finkelstein (@SpeechCatalyst) April 21, 2020
A6: There’s nothing new under the sun.
There are creative ways to synthesize “old” information and ideas for “new” approaches to problems.#CMWorld
— Chris Craft (@CraftWrites) April 21, 2020
A6 #CMWorld
If you are not looking outwards then you are missing the trick.
Creativity/ideas always build on an original ideas. But it is important to add your own creative signature to make your campaign stand out and work for your business.— MarketingFromHome (@Smita_DigiMarke) April 21, 2020
A6: Yes – it’s something that my first year psychology professor said. “No one has ever experienced today just as you have.” It makes for unique experiences. #cmworld
— Jennifer Baker | Social Media Trainer (@JenniferBakerCo) April 21, 2020
A6.
I think a lot of ‘new ideas’ are actually innovative new ways of doing something.
James Dyson revolutionised the way we created vacuum cleaners but the vacuum wasn’t a nee idea.
I think new creative ‘improvements’ of old ideas may be what we see most often.#CMWorld https://t.co/8iG1PcLxoL
— 🎨 Nicky Pasquier (Virtuoso Assistant) 📸 (@VirtuosoAssist) April 21, 2020
A6. I think everyone learns from each other. I’m sure there are original ideas out there, but most ideas are branched off pre-established concepts. #CMWorld
— Pat Cooper (@patbcooper) April 21, 2020
We ended the hour by asking our community about the people who inspire them. JK was mentioned more than once. Here are a few reasons why that comes as no surprise to us here at CMI:
What are you doing to inspire your team to get creative? Let us know in the comments below.
You don’t need to search far for creative content. Visit CMI’s YouTube channel to watch our most popular keynotes and sessions from last year’s event.
