‘Any activity becomes creative when the doer cares about doing it right or better.’  John Updike

‘If it doesn’t sell, it isn’t creative.’ David Ogilvy

There are many ways of producing creative work. If you have the type of brain that, when you look at something, you imagine a better, clearer or simply different solution then you’re a creative of some kind. Mr Updike has that part exactly right.

But what to do with this stream of clever ideas? Bore your friends and family on Facebook with an endless stream of creative consciousness? Silently gnaw away at your creative projects? I wouldn’t go quite as far as Mr Ogilvy in saying that if you can’t commercialise a creative idea then it isn’t creative, but I’ve been working in the field of ideas long enough to know that ‘clever’ for its own sake should never leave the war room. Creative should be wrapped in a package, be a part of plan and address a clearly defined need or problem. Otherwise it’s just a pretty thing, and the road is littered with bright ideas too easily squashed by The Next Big Thing to come along.

To find out how I can help solve your creative puzzles, please contact me.