At the heart of it all is the idea that the integration of technological, social, and economical requirements, biological necessities, and the psychological effects of materials, shape, color, volume, and space shapes our understanding of the world, as László Moholy-Nagy famously stated. My creative process is like a recipe, where each ingredient is important on its own, but it's the combination that creates something truly special. Discover, Contemplate, Clarify, and Execute are the four key cornerstones that form the foundation of my approach. By utilizing these cornerstones and embracing this philosophy, I'm able to deliver impactful solutions.
CORNERSTONE ONE - DISCOVER
Imagine for a moment that the world around us is like a giant puzzle, with countless pieces that fit together to shape our understanding of reality. Each piece represents a different aspect of our lives, from technology and social trends to economic forces and biological necessities. And like any puzzle, if we want to see the bigger picture, we need to start by understanding how all these pieces fit together.
That's where my creative process begins – with research. Through a series of questions and innovative research techniques, I aim to uncover the hidden truths and pinpoint unique opportunities that will help shape our understanding of a brand, a product, or an idea.
But research is much more than just asking questions. It's about understanding the bigger picture - the megatrends that are shaping our world, the competitive landscape, and the needs and desires of the people who use different products or services. By conducting a mix of primary and secondary research, we can build a healthy context for the development of future work, ensuring that everything we create is grounded in real-world insights.
One of the most exciting aspects of research is the ability to forecast and highlight relevant trends. While many companies see change as a risk, I see it as an opportunity. By positioning brands in terms of what they stand for now and in the future, we can establish a great foundation that will help them thrive in a constantly evolving landscape.
So, whether it's long-term development or the global environment, I take a comprehensive approach to research, analyzing every piece of the puzzle to uncover the insights that will drive our creative solutions forward. Because when we understand how all the pieces fit together, we can create something truly unique and impactful.
CORNERSTONE TWO - CONTEMPLATE
As we learned in the first cornerstone, there's more to creativity than just sitting down and brainstorming. It's about cultivating a mindset that allows for both divergent and convergent thinking to happen.
Divergent thinking is all about opening your mind and smashing bits of information together to come up with surprising connections. It's like taking a step back from the problem and allowing your mind to wander, letting it contemplate and work the problem through. It's the magic of creativity and innovation that allows us to generate many ideas and, more importantly, better ideas.
But we can't forget about convergent thinking either. This is where we use our brain's executive functions to organize chaos into something logical. It's where we filter through the many ideas to find the one that fits the problem at hand.
Now, here's the secret - you can't do both at the same time! There's a shift that needs to happen between these two ways of thinking, like a bridge between the magic of divergent imaginative thinking to the science of convergent logical thinking. And it's this shift that allows us to cultivate a mindset that allows for creative and innovative solutions to emerge.
So, let's take a moment to contemplate, to allow our minds to wander, and to let the magic of divergent thinking happen. And then, when the time is right, we can shift to our convergent thinking and filter through the many ideas to find the perfect solution to the problem at hand. It's this balance of both ways of thinking that allows for creativity and innovation to flourish.
CORNERSTONE THREE - CLARIFY
After conducting thorough research and developing a well-crafted mindset, we enter the third cornerstone, where the magic happens - the moment of clarity. This is where the dots connect, and everything falls into place, allowing for the creative solution to come to life.
Contrary to popular belief, this moment of clarity doesn't have to be a dramatic epiphany. Sometimes, it's a quiet whisper that gradually grows louder until it becomes the spark that ignites the fire. It's like finding the last piece of a puzzle, completing the picture that was once just a scattered mess.
In my experience, this moment of clarity often strikes when we least expect it. It could be during a simple conversation with a friend, a morning jog, or even when we're just relaxing on the couch. It's important to let our subconscious take over and allow it the space to churn out new ideas and connections.
But here's the thing: this moment of clarity isn't just a stroke of luck. It's the culmination of hard work, dedication, and passion for the creative process. It's the reward for the time we invested in research and contemplation, allowing us to clarify our vision and bring it to life.
In essence, the moment of clarity is a reflection of our commitment to creativity and our ability to harness it to create something truly unique and impactful.
CORNERSTONE FOUR - EXECUTE
Bringing a creative project to life is like embarking on a journey. You have your starting point, your destination, and the route you plan to take. But as with any journey, there are bound to be obstacles and unexpected twists and turns along the way. The key to success lies in being able to adapt and pivot when necessary, and to recognize that mistakes and failures are all part of the learning process.
To achieve successful execution, it's important to stay focused on the big picture while also being willing to adjust course as needed. This means testing different solutions, gathering feedback, and being open to change and modification. But it also means recognizing that perfectionism can be a roadblock, leading to overthinking and burnout. Instead, we should embrace experimentation and mistakes as part of the process, and be flexible in our approach.
The fourth cornerstone of my creative process is all about planning and executing with purpose. It's about using all the tools available to get strategic value across, promoting the creative process and encouraging people to take the initiative and break established norms. It's about defining clear roles and accountabilities, and establishing guidelines, standards, and expectations for each project.
At the end of the day, execution is where the magic happens. It's where ideas become reality, and where creativity meets action. And with the right mindset and approach, it's where success can truly be achieved.