1.
still
no
eye
deer
(things to do
when your
imaginary friends
refuse to talk
to you)
Hannah Smith
Worderist.com

2.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
hello there!

3.
I’ve previously worked at both Distilled & Verve Search, on teams that
collectively secured over 22,000 pieces of linked coverage

4.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
creating things like this:

5.
A photo series in collaboration with people from 27 countries
“A fascinating glimpse into the lives of the people behind the camera,
and how ways of life vary around the world.”
~Ana Swanson, Washington Post

6.
A series of illustrations of the Modernist architecture we’ve lost
“A lovely tribute to lost mid-century gems”
~Christopher Zara, Fast Company

7.
What some of today’s most successful people would tell their younger selves
“An inspirational project”
~ Anna Papachristos, APLUS

8.
now I’m a creative content consultant :)
you can find out more about me at worderist.com

9.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
since going out on my own last year,
creative block is something I’ve been
asked about a lot

10.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
hence my talk today...

11.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
first up, what is creative block?

12.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
when you have no ideas
AND
no idea what to do next

13.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but what’s the opposite
of creative block?

14.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
when you’re in “flow”

15.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
what’s “flow”?

16.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
you know what to do
AND
you know how to do it
AND
you know you’re doing it well

17.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
you’re fully-immersed
AND
you’re enjoying what you’re doing

18.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
when work feels like play
AND
ideas come easily to you
(being in “flow”doesn’t feel like work, but you’re working really hard)

19.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
creative block
when you have no ideas
AND
no idea what to do next
“flow”
when work feels like play
AND
ideas come easily to you
how do you get from creative block to “flow”?

20.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
so, here’s the thing...

21.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
we often talk about creative block
as if it’s a specific, singular
concrete problem

22.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but, I think that the truth is...

23.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
creative block is a catch-all term
for a whole bunch of
very different problems

24.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
the net result of all those
problems is the same

25.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
you feel hopelessly stuck

26.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but if you want to unstick yourself
& get in “flow”

27.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
you need to figure out
what sort of creative block
you’re suffering from

28.
you don’t know what to do
AND/OR
you don’t know how to do it
AND/OR
you think you’re “bad” at this
AND/OR
you’re constantly interrupted
AND/OR
you’re not enjoying what you’re doing
is one (or more) of these things the problem?

29.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
let’s deal with them each in turn

30.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
#1
do you know what to do?

31.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
without a clear goal it can be tough
to figure out where to begin

32.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I often hear stuff like this:

33.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“constraints FUEL creativity!”

34.
this is sort
of true…
but it’s not
quite the
full story...

35.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
what fuels creativity
is striking a balance
between freedom & constraint

36.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
too many constraints limit possibilities
- there’s no space to play

37.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
too much freedom makes it hard to
figure out where to start

38.
we
need to
strike a
balance

39.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
i) in some instances the creative brief
is the problem

40.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
a brief with too many constraints
can cause problems

41.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“come up with creative ideas about
motorised window blinds”

42.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
that *might* be possible -
but it’s an incredibly restrictive brief

43.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
conversely, the absence of a brief,
or an overly open brief
can cause creative blocks

44.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“this client is open to anything,
you have complete creative freedom,
WOOP!”

45.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
*something inside me dies*

46.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
it’s actually very difficult to come up
with workable ideas about “anything”

47.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
because where on earth do you start?

48.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
what should a creative brief contain?

49.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
as a minimum, I think you need:
- 5-10 sites where the client or company want coverage
- a list of topics they absolutely won’t entertain

50.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
stuff that’s nice to have:
- topics they are keen to explore*
- a bit about who they’re seeking to attract**
- some examples of content they wish they’d made
*this often goes awry - instead of topics, I frequently see product or service offerings listed here
**this can also be problematic; lots of companies target very broad audiences - sometimes this is helpful, but often it’s not

51.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
so, creative briefs can cause blocks

52.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but sometimes the block is actually
in your head...

53.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
ii) mindset problems

54.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
sometimes we see limits
that aren’t really there…

55.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
in the past I’ve been asked to:

56.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“come up with creative ideas for a
company that sells contact lenses”

57.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“come up with creative ideas for
a vpn provider”

58.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“come up with creative ideas for a
mattress review company”

59.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
on dark days, when I see only limits,
this is what I hear:

60.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“come up with creative ideas
about contact lenses”

61.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“come up with creative ideas
about vpns”

62.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“come up with creative ideas
about mattress reviews”

63.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but that’s not actually
what I’ve been asked to do

64.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
& thinking like that limits
me unnecessarily

65.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“come up with creative ideas for a
company that sells contact lenses”

66.
contact lenses sight
vision
optical illusions
spot the ‘x’ puzzles
seeing jesus on a slice of toast
change blindness
colour blindness
how do people see the world?
optics
think ‘bigger’

67.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“come up with creative ideas for
a vpn provider”

68.
privacy / data security
to bypass censorship
to access content (TV / music / gaming)
to get the best deals (money saving)
what do people use VPNs for?
rather than thinking about the product or service, think about why people use it

69.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“come up with creative ideas for a
mattress review company”

70.
mattress bed
sex
sleep conditions
sleep problems
what happens if you don’t get enough sleep?
dreams / nightmares
babies / children / parents
relationships
sleep
snoring
pets
hygiene bed bugs
allergies
what’s connected to the product or service?

71.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
conversely...

72.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
sometimes the problem for me, is not
that I’m seeing only limits

73.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
the problem is I have too much freedom

74.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
some of my clients have been
open to creating content
around a huge array of topics:

75.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I’ve had travel clients which are cool
with creating content around:
history, culture, language,
sport, food, drink, books, movies,
TV & more

76.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
sometimes I find myself flitting
from one topic to another, to another,
to another, to another, to another...

77.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but not actually getting any
concrete ideas down

78.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
the range of possibilities
cause me to lack focus

79.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
so I set my own constraints
& focus on just one topic area
(I set a timer on my phone for 15 minutes - if I find myself thinking about another
topic I’ll jot down a quick note, but I won’t allow myself to disappear down an
unrelated rabbit hole during that time period)

80.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
constraints do NOT fuel creativity

81.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but neither does unlimited freedom

82.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
what fuels creativity
is striking a balance
between freedom & constraint

83.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“You have to set up the narrow parameters that you
work in, and then within those, give yourself just
enough room to be free and play.”
~ Trey Speegle,
mixed-media artist

84.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
some of this stuff can be solved for
with a balanced brief

85.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but some of this stuff
you have to solve yourself
by altering either your mindset,
or your approach

86.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
#2
do you know how to do it?

87.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
there are a bunch of myths
about creativity

88.
many
people
believe
that ideas
just come
to you

89.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
creativity is not the ability
to conjure ideas out of thin air

90.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
it’s part process
&
part practice

91.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I think it’s really important to figure out a
creative process that works for you

92.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
& then continually practice,
and refine that process

93.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I can’t tell you what will work for you

94.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but I can share what works for me
right now
(through practice my process has evolved over time, and I fully expect it to further evolve in the future)

95.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
for me, it’s a 3 stage process

96.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
inspiration, generation, & validation

97.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
inspiration
what’s out there?
what excites me?
what sparks my curiosity?

98.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
Specific to the client or company sector…
- What are journalists are writing about?
- Why are they writing that stuff?
- What seems to be shared a lot?
- Why is that being shared?
- What’s resonating?
- What are competitors doing?
- What seems to be working?
- Why is that working?
- Data sources
- What’s publicly available?

99.
buzzsumo, ahrefs, pinterest, google

100.
I’ll also look at my own swipe file...

101.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
generation
(or making connections)

102.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
Specific to the client or company sector…
- What can we do which will feed into what journalists are writing about?
- What could we do around the most resonant topics?
- Is there something a competitor has done which we could do better?
- Or do differently?
- Is there anything we could do with a public data source?
- Is there a way we could get data that isn’t readily available right now?

103.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
Broader stuff…
- Is there a topic which resonates with me, which I could explore within this
space?
- Is there something that’s been created in a totally unrelated field which I
could apply here?

104.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
validation
is this possible?
does this make sense?
what’s new or different?

105.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
Specific to an idea I’ve generated…
- Is this possible?
- Has this been done before?
- What’s new or different?
- What evidence do I have that this will resonate?
- Is this right for the client or company?
- Is this on-brief?

106.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but that process isn’t always
strictly linear

107.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
sometimes I jump quickly back and forth
between inspiration & generation

108.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
sometimes I’ll jump from
inspiration to generation to validation
for a single idea

109.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
other times I’ll just seek inspiration
& leave generation for another day

110.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
sometimes I’ll generate 20 ideas
before validating anything

111.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
sometimes, the process of generation
will lead me to seek further inspiration

112.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
sometimes when I’m validating one
idea, it’ll spark a totally new one

113.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I need to let myself play
in each of these spaces
in whatever capacity seems to be working for me that day

114.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I can jump around however I want

115.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but I still need to be mindful
of potential blocks

116.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
too much inspiration:
I can get overwhelmed, unfocused
& ultimately blocked

117.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
generation without inspiration
often leads to a block
(because there’s not enough there for me to make connections)

118.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
validation when I’m in the wrong
mindset can lead to blocks
(I reject all of my ideas)

119.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
having a process won’t
solve all your problems

120.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but it helps

121.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
& in my experience following a process
yields more reliable results
than sitting around trying to
conjure ideas out of thin air

122.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
#3 do you think you’re “bad” at this?

123.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
in this industry,
we share our most successful
content pieces

124.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
the trouble is, because we only share our successes
we are inadvertently
presenting a skewed version of reality

125.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
you only see other people’s
‘good’ ideas

126.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
their ‘bad’ ideas
are invisible
(partly because they’re not shared, but mainly
because they don’t get coverage)

127.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
as a result, I hear stuff like this a lot:

128.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
people tell me that when they compare their own work to that of others,
they feel like they’re coming up short...
that other people are ‘better’
at this than they are

129.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
it’s important to remember
that you are not comparing
yourself or your work to reality

130.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
you are comparing your
whole body of work
(i.e. all the successes and failures)
to only the most successful
work of others

131.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
the pieces I’ve shared are outliers:
they probably represent less than 10%
of the work I’ve done

132.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
more on this here:
https://worderist.com/2019/09/09/skewing-reality/

133.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
nevertheless,
if you do find yourself in a place like this
(you’re thinking you’re ‘bad’ at this)

134.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
#1
build yourself up

135.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
remind yourself of successful work
you’ve done before

136.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
we have a tendency to remember
failure & forget success

137.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
then...

138.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
#2
spend 5 minutes coming up with the
worst ideas you possibly can

139.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
can you flip them into something good?

140.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
or

141.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
#3
do a creative exercise

142.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
#4 are you being constantly
interrupted?

143.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
constant interruptions break
your “flow”

144.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
[when you’re interrupted]
“...it takes an average of 23 minutes
to get back to the task”
~Gloria Mark, Professor at the University of California

145.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
don’t allow yourself to be interrupted

146.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
& don’t interrupt yourself

147.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
close your email

148.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
close your social media accounts

149.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
close slack
(or whatever poisonous communication / project management tool you use)

150.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
disable all notifications

151.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
put your phone on flight mode

152.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
if you work somewhere where you’re
constantly interrupted leave that space
(I’m not suggesting you quit your job, but go work in a cafe, a library, from home
- anywhere where you can limit those interruptions)

153.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
#5 you’re not enjoying what
you’re doing

154.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
this is a really tough one
to unpick

155.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
here are some
things I’ve struggled with:

156.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
#1 are you working in a way
that doesn’t work for you?

157.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
time

158.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
do you know how long it takes you to
come up with a set of ideas?

159.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
you really need to know

160.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
if you don’t know, you can’t schedule
your time effectively

161.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
use toggl (or similar) to track your time
over several rounds of ideation

162.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
figure out how long it typically takes you

163.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
over time, I’ve figured out that it takes
me around 17 hours
for each round of ideation

164.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
in 17 hours I can come up
with 4-6 workable ideas

165.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
sometimes I’m faster,
sometimes I’m slower

166.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but if I give myself less than 17 hours
my output isn’t as good
(that might mean fewer ideas, or lower quality ideas)

167.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
the other thing I’ve noticed,
is that when I do the work
seems to be important

168.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I do my best work between
6am - 9:30am

169.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
so if I’m coming up with a set of ideas
I try to schedule that work over 5 days
between 6am - 9:30am

170.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
space

171.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
your brain is amazing

172.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
it goes on working without you
realising it

173.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
you might have experienced
this yourself

174.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
an idea that seemingly comes to you
out of nowhere

175.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
when you’re in the shower

176.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
or when you’re out for a walk

177.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
or cooking dinner

178.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
you weren’t trying to come up
with an idea

179.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
or even consciously thinking about it

180.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
it just “appeared”

181.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I think you can game the system a little

182.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
when I do creative work like ideation in
small bursts over five days

183.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I have way more of these instances
when ideas “appear”

184.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
if I concentrate those 17 hours of work
over just 2 days

185.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
most of the time,
none of those ideas
just “appear”

186.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I suspect it’s because I’m not giving
myself enough space

187.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
try changing up your routine a little

188.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
see if more ideas just “appear”

189.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
solo vs team working

190.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I don’t play nicely with others

191.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I am a solitary person

192.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I do my best work alone

193.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
that’s not true for everyone -
some people work best in team

194.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
to come up with ideas
they need other people to bounce off

195.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
it’s important to figure out not just when
you do your best work, but how

196.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
possibly you’ll work best with a
combination e.g.
inspiration - on your own
generation - with others

197.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
or
inspiration - on your own
generation - on your own
validation - with others

198.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
again, I think it’s important to
figure this stuff out so you can
schedule your work appropriately

199.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but, maybe this isn’t the problem...

200.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
#2 is pressure the problem?

201.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
coming up with creative ideas
in a commercial environment
is high pressure

202.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
there are deadlines

203.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
people are relying on you to deliver

204.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
your job, or other people’s jobs
might actually be on the line

205.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
that is a really heavy load to carry

206.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I’m increasingly of the belief that
my best work happens when
I’m playing

207.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
for me, “flow” is not so much about
work feeling like play

208.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“flow” happens only when
I’m able to play

209.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
when I’m relaxed, open, & curious

210.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
but it’s very difficult for me to feel
relaxed, open, or curious
when I feel under pressure

211.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I frequently find deadlines paralysing

212.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
as I approach a deadline,
this often happens:

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I have no ideas
AND
no idea what to do next
AND
no time to do anything

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my mind is stuck in an
interminable loop...

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“there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time,
there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time,
there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time,
there’s no time, there’s no time,
there’s no time…”

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I’m not able to think clearly,
& play is the furthest thing from my mind

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& if I remain stuck in this mindset
it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll
come up with anything workable

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so I try to flip my mindset

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here’s some things I do:

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#1 sit with the feeling

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someone once told me that a feeling
lasts for a maximum of one minute,
unless you feed it

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stuff like this:

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“there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time,
there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time,
there’s no time, there’s no time, there’s no time,
there’s no time, there’s no time,
there’s no time…”

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feeds negative feelings

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take a minute to sit with the
negative feeling,
but don’t feed it - just accept it

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you may find it will quickly pass

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#2 write it out

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give yourself two minutes
to write down all of the
things that will happen if you don’t
deliver those ideas

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now read those things back

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if you’ve gone hard on this exercise & imagined the apocalypse
ask yourself:
is that really what’s going to happen?

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probably not, right?

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if your list is less than apocalyptic...
hopefully it’ll give you some perspective

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just a gentle reminder:

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we’re not working in
a life or death environment
(even though it might feel like it sometimes)

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#3 go outside

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get away from your desk &
go outside for 10 minutes

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sometimes I find just getting up and
moving is enough to shake off a
negative mindset like this

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once you’ve done one
(or more) of those things

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force yourself to play

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often I find a completely unrelated
creative exercise works better
(than a creative exercise directly related to whatever I’m working on)

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I find that spending a few minutes doing
something like that
often puts me back in “flow”

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#3 are you feeling a more general sense
of discontent?

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is this work just not satisfying you
in the way you thought it would?

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I can definitely relate

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solution: make things just for you

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it took me a long time to realise that I
needed to make things for myself

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that having a creative job
was not enough

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client-work is often fulfilling

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but there are frequently compromises
that have to be made

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& rarely is it the case that I get to
make whatever I want

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so now I make stuff just for me

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this stuff is deliberately not
a side-hustle

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it’s stuff that I’m extremely unlikely
to be able to
monetise effectively

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& that’s the point

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it’s an outlet that exists only for me

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I’d strongly encourage you to consider
whether or not this is something
you need too

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it’s almost time to wrap this thing up...

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next time you’re feeling blocked

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you don’t know what to do
AND/OR
you don’t know how to do it
AND/OR
you think you’re “bad” at this
AND/OR
you’re constantly interrupted
AND/OR
you’re not enjoying what you’re doing
ask yourself if one (or more) of these things is the problem:

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internal blocks
self-inflicted constraints
(seeing limits which aren’t there)
OR
too many possibilities;
not enough focus
external blocks
brief is too constrained
OR
brief is too open
do you know what to do?
constraints don’t fuel creativity; but neither does unbounded freedom...
we need balance

261.
inspiration
what’s out there?
what excites me?
what sparks my curiosity?
do you know how to do it?
creativity is not the ability to conjure ideas out of thin air…
it’s process & practice
generation
making connections
validation
is this possible?
does this make sense?
what’s new or different?

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other people’s ‘bad’ ideas are
invisible
you are not comparing yourself or
your work to reality
do you think you’re ‘bad’ at this?
remember: you only see other people’s ‘good’ ideas

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shut down *all* interruptions
close email, slack, social media,
etc
put your phone on flight mode
work somewhere else if you
need to
are you constantly interrupted (or interrupting yourself)?
when you’re interrupted, it takes an average of 23 minutes to get back on track

264.
are you trying to work in a way
that doesn’t work for you?
time
space
solo vs team work
are you not enjoying what you’re doing?
to do good creative work, you need to be in a good place
is pressure the problem?
remember:
we’re not working in a life or
death environment
is your work not satisfying you in
the way you thought it would?
make things just for you

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final thoughts

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I am definitely not at the point where
I’m consistently in “flow”

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I have days when
work feels like play
& ideas come easily

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but I also have days when creative work
feels like pushing water up a hill

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an endless soul-crushing grind

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even though
I know what I need to do
to get in “flow”

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I can’t always get there

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but I think that something
“good” is happening

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even on those “bad” days

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because it’s often the case
that the following day...

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when I review what
I’ve done

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I can see tonnes of possibilities

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& a “good” day
(where work feels like play & ideas come easily)
often follows a “bad” one

278.
good luck out there x

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thoughts, feelings, questions?
AMA :)
Hannah Smith
Creative Content Consultant
wanna hire me?
drop me an email - hannah@worderist.com