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Still No Eye Deer (or things to do when your imaginary friends refuse to talk to you)
Do you struggle to come up with ideas? Almost everyone experiences the feeling of being "stuck" from time to time, but how do you get yourself unstuck?
Hannah explores various types of creative sticking points, and share tips on how to overcome them.
Do you struggle to come up with ideas? Almost everyone experiences the feeling of being "stuck" from time to time, but how do you get yourself unstuck?
Hannah explores various types of creative sticking points, and share tips on how to overcome them.
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”
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:
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...
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?
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
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?
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
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
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
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?
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
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:
213.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I have no ideas
AND
no idea what to do next
AND
no time to do anything
214.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
my mind is stuck in an
interminable loop...
215.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
“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…”
216.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I’m not able to think clearly,
& play is the furthest thing from my mind
217.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
& if I remain stuck in this mindset
it’s extremely unlikely that I’ll
come up with anything workable
218.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
so I try to flip my mindset
219.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
here’s some things I do:
220.
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#1 sit with the feeling
221.
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someone once told me that a feeling
lasts for a maximum of one minute,
unless you feed it
222.
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stuff like this:
223.
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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…”
236.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
get away from your desk &
go outside for 10 minutes
237.
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sometimes I find just getting up and
moving is enough to shake off a
negative mindset like this
238.
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once you’ve done one
(or more) of those things
239.
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force yourself to play
240.
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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)
241.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
I find that spending a few minutes doing
something like that
often puts me back in “flow”
242.
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#3 are you feeling a more general sense
of discontent?
243.
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is this work just not satisfying you
in the way you thought it would?
244.
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I can definitely relate
245.
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solution: make things just for you
246.
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it took me a long time to realise that I
needed to make things for myself
247.
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that having a creative job
was not enough
248.
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client-work is often fulfilling
249.
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but there are frequently compromises
that have to be made
250.
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& rarely is it the case that I get to
make whatever I want
251.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
so now I make stuff just for me
252.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
this stuff is deliberately not
a side-hustle
253.
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it’s stuff that I’m extremely unlikely
to be able to
monetise effectively
254.
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& that’s the point
255.
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it’s an outlet that exists only for me
256.
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I’d strongly encourage you to consider
whether or not this is something
you need too
257.
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it’s almost time to wrap this thing up...
258.
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next time you’re feeling blocked
259.
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:
260.
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?
262.
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
263.
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
279.
@hannah_bo_bannaWorderist.com
thoughts, feelings, questions?
AMA :)
Hannah Smith
Creative Content Consultant
wanna hire me?
drop me an email - hannah@worderist.com
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