Creative Ignition

@jted
Jason Theodor
+1 416 662 0144
jason.theodor@gmail.com
medium.com/jason-theodor
linkedin.com/in/jasontheodor
CreativeIgnition
HowToJumpstartYourCreativePurpose

Jason Theodor Creative Ignition2
Introduction
Jason Theodor
Creative Director | Speaker | Writer | Geek
medium.com/@jted
@jted

CreativeDirector medium.com/jason-theodor

Speaker slideshare.com/jted

Writer medium.com/all-day-breakfast
How to Read Game of Thrones

Geek

WhatisaBrand?
Your brand is a kind of myth.
It has emotional content and all the
themes of a great story: mystery,
magic, adventure, intrigue, conﬂicts,
contradiction, paradox.
—Deepak Chopra

BrandPyramid
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
personality

Jason Theodor Creative Ignition
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
9
Externalelements
what
{

purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
10
Internalelements
how
{ personality

purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
11
PurposeStatement
Motivation is easy. Inspiration is hard.
Simon Sinek
why
}

fan’s desire
company's passion
Sharedpassion
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
why
}

AboriginalPeoplesTelevisionNetwork

BrandPyramid
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities

APTNCapabilities
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
World’s ﬁrst national
Aboriginal broadcaster Growing roster of  
Aboriginal talent
68%  
Aboriginal  
Employees
Programming 
in multiple 
Aboriginal 
languages

APTNArtifacts
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
Original
dramatic 
series
APTN  
national 
news  
bureau
Award-winning  
documentaries
Kids’ shows  
in Aboriginal  
languages
Mirror for  
communities

APTNPersonality
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
Authentic
Original
Engaging
—proud but not boastful 
—conﬁdent but not aloof 
—down-to-earth but not  
unsophisticated 
—ﬁrm but not aggressive 
—approachable but not needy 
—humourous but not silly 
—inclusive but not homogenous
personality

APTNValues
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
Sharing  
our people’s
journey
Celebrating  
our cultures
Honouring  
the wisdom  
of our elders
Inspiring  
our children

APTN’sPurpose
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
share the stories 
no one else can tell 
only we can tell

APTN’sPurpose 
(revised)
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
share the stories 
no one else can tell 
only we can tell

CBC’sPurpose
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
Everyone.
Every way.

CNN’sPurpose
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
Our purpose is to
create the ﬁnest
possible news product
and to present hard-
breaking, national, and
international news, as
it unfolds. We deliver
unparalleled per-
spectives across
multiple categories,
including political,
medical, ﬁnancial,
technology, enter-
tainment, and more.

BBC’sPurpose
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
To enrich
people's lives
with programmes
and services 
that inform,
educate and
entertain.

Apple’sPurpose
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
Make beautiful 
products that  
are simple and  
friendly to use

jted'sPurpose
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
We’ll get to  
that in just a
moment…

WhatisCreativity?
Creativity is the act of 
connecting things in 
unexpected ways.
—Jason Theodor

Definition

CoreElementsofCreativity

CreativePyramid
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities

purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
action
46
Foundational
{
what you are doing?

purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
47
Differential
how you are doing it?
deviation
{

purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
48
Transitional
why you are doing it?
connection
}

fan’s desire
your passion
Sharedpassion
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
connection
}

purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
50
JasonTheodor’sIgnitionStatement
unlock the world’s
creative potential
connection
}

CreativeIgnition
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities
action
{
deviation
{
connection
}
personality

Capabilities& 
Artifacts
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities

What do you do? 
In our society, we like to place value on a title or vocation.
I am a _______________.
53
CapabilitiesExercise
What can you do? 
List at least 10 skills & capabilities. Place them in 3 distinct piles.
Skills
I have been trained
as a __________.
Talents
I am good at
__________.
Passions
I love to  
__________.

What do you make? 
List all of the stuff you can make. Each capability or combination of
capabilities should give you at least one outcome.
I can make _______________.
54
ArtifactsExercise

Values&Personality
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities

ValuesExercise
How do you create? 
What are your values? These are things you do not like to
compromise. These are what inform the choices you make, how you
create, and who you do business with.
I believe that _______________.
I would never _______________.
The one code I live by is _______________.

PersonalityExercise
How are you perceived? 
List as many adjectives as you can that describe your personality or
your work. (eg. bold, elegant, frightening, aggressive, sweet)
Try to use single, expressive words (like “Turbulent” or “Uplifting).
Write as many as come to mind.
People think of me as _______________.
I would describe myself as _______________.

PersonalityExercise
If you could only pick three, which would they be? 
Group all similar words together. Pick or create the best descriptive
word to represent each group. Now put your list in order from the
strongest traits to the weakest.
My top three personality traits are:
1. __________,
2. __________, and
3. __________.

Who would play you in the movie of your life? 
Which person (alive, dead, or ﬁctional) best embodies your
personality, or the personality of your creations?
For example, if you described yourself with words like maternal, over-
achiever and real, you might pick Julie Bowen (Claire Dunphy from
Modern Family)
My creative self would best be played by _______________.
GuestCelebrityExercise

Purpose
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities

your fans’ desiresyour passions
PassionLeadstoPurposeExercise
What do you care about? 
Make a list of your passions. Which of these intersect with your
intended audience?
My passion is ______________________________.
My fans’ passion is ______________________________.
We share a passion for ______________________________.

PurposeExercises
Why do you feel compelled to create? 
Most people and most brands have never ﬁgured out their true
purpose, their intrinsic mission statement. But once they do, they can
use it as a lens to judge all future endeavours.
Will this take me closer or further away from my mission? Is this
central to my work, or is it a distraction?
Articulate your goal, your purpose, as succinctly as possible. Start
your statement with an action word.
Write the following statement at least 5 time with different answers:
I do what I do because I want to _______________.
My creative ignition is to
unlock the world’s creative potential
because I feel energized by
new ideas and possibilities

PurposeExercises
Fine-tuning 
Which statement is the closest to the real thing? Which one makes
you feel excited, and gives you energy? Which statement feels like a
life-long challenge that you want to take on?
Pick one of your purpose statements, and rework it to complete the
following sentence. (Hint: a great purpose often helps others.)
My life purpose is to ______________________________
because I feel energized by ______________________________.
Does this feel right? Change it around until it feels vitally important.

CreativeIgnition
purpose
values
:)
artifacts
capabilities

Fill in the following based on your previous answers:
Hi, my name is _______________, and I can_________________________.
name or nickname main capabilities
I’ve been described as __________, __________, and __________.
3 personality words
I make ____________________ for ____________________.
main artifacts type of fans
I believe that ______________________________.
main values
My mission is to _______________________________________________.
challenging, aspirational goal
65
YourCreativeIgnition

Andremember…

Jason Theodor
Creative Director | Speaker | Writer | Geek
medium.com/@jted
@jted
Thank-you!

Creative Ignition

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