Keys To Becoming A More Bright, Creative Person

Once upon a time when I was employed by Cole & Weber, an Ogilvy-owned, Seattle-based agency, the firm's president, Hal Newsom, suddenly invited the creative directors at each office to fly to headquarters. No reason or explanation was given.

Hal, since deceased, was a bright guy --the epitomy of a "renaissance man." He ran marathons, climbed major mountains, biked and boated, among other activities. He was also a well-respected creative director -- as witnessed by the fact that he was included in The Wall Street Journal's series of ads featuring national creative leaders.

We arrived in the Seattle office, and gathered in the third floor conference room where Hal said he had something very important to discuss with us. He handed out a list, talked about how valuable it was to our professional progress, then essentially said we were free to fly back home. The expense of our travel was a minor issue to him compared to the importance of that document. I have found the list to be full of unique truths and insights, and have used it to train my creative staffs through the years. It came under the headline above. Here's what it said (slightly edited):

1. Study the pictures in National Geographic as closely as you would those in Sports Illustrated or Cosmopolitan.
2. Spend as many hours with the educational channel as you do with Monday Night Football, The Sopranos or Seinfeld reruns.
3. Talk to as many liberals as you do conservatives.
4. See an Oriental art exhibit, Woody Allen movie, Billy Graham revival, a ballroom dance, a high school stomp, the 6th grade Christmas party, a jury trial.
5. Take in a symphony, a jam session, a light show, the Repertory Dance Theater.
6. Spend a whole afternoon at the track, a day in the woods, a weekend building something. A whole week working your tail off.
7. Get involved in a cause, a purpose, a controversial issue, and fight like the devil to win.
8. Work up a sweat. Jog. Play tennis. Ride a dirt bike. Play handball. Racquetball. Or dig a ditch.
9. Visit skid row, take a garden tour of the best homes in the city. Eat at the Golden Arches some Saturday afternoon, have dinner at "the place" in town some Saturday night.
10. Get acquainted with a four-year-old, a grandma, a street bum, a corporate officer, a high school dropout.
11. Go to the Greyhound bus terminal and take a seat. Watch. Listen and make a mental note of everything your eyes and ears take in.
12. Spend a Saturday morning tuned in to what's happening on the radio. Listen to the Farm Report, the opera from Chicago, an acid rock station, middle-of-the-road music, news.
13. Have a close friend. A wife. A husband. Someone you can confide in. Someone who will listen to you. Someone who needs to be listened to.
14. Read everything you can get your hands on. The in-flight magazine, the newspaper, the Sunday New York Times, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Indoor Gardening, Outdoor Life, Road and Track, Better Home and Gardens, Sea, Ski, Squint, Squat, The Second Deadly Sin, The Bible, the Sears catalog, the billboards, the menu, matchbooks, the writings on the wall in the restrooms.
15. Let your emotions go. Laugh. Cry. Get angry. And permit yourself to be sad every now and then.
16. Think of your mind as a computer. It's being fed information constantly. Don't put the intake button in neutral and most importantly, don't ever push the OFF button.

Enhancing the Creative Mind-set

Key steps to a creative mind-set, courtesy of an article from Scientific American:

WONDERMENT. Try to retain a spirit of discovery, a childlike curiosity about the world. And question understandings that others consider obvious.

MOTIVATION. As soon as a spark of interest arises in something, follow it.

INTELLECTUAL COURAGE. Strive to think outside accepted principles and habitual perspectives such as “we’ve always done it that way.”

RELAXATION. Take the time to daydream and ponder, because that is often when the best ideas arise. Look for ways to relax and consciously put them into practice.

That last point is particularly important, in my opinion. After persistently attacking a creative assignment, I’ve found that I have to escape the project for a while. Creativity doesn’t prosper under pressure. The time I spend at home -- after family activities are concluded -- sitting in the recliner with a tablet of paper seems to foster the best results. A park bench also works wonders. As does a road trip , or a stroll around the nearby park.

In my next post, I'll publish a beloved list of insights from an advertising giant that describes how to "stay fresh."