Let's face it, the internet is now the playground for many if not all. We are inundated with information at levels we can't even fully comprehend anymore, and I think in a way that's okay. We're human, which means we must also accept our limitations because, contrary to what many believe, in my opinion, rediscovering ourselves from our shortcomings will further expand our ability to understand ourselves and work with better certainty on those flaws to improve. Now, translating all these ideas into the creative field, there's no better point to address than differentiation in creativity. But let's take it step by step! What exactly is creativity? What is its purpose? How does it benefit us? Can we control it? Can we exercise it? Is it part of us, and to what extent? How close is creativity to art, and is it possible to apply those creative nuances to our daily lives? Many questions, I know, but let's go at a brisk pace. I have no interest in overwhelming you; in fact, this topic fascinates me, so I'll try to illustrate it as directly and engagingly as possible.

Today, creativity could be schematized as follows: Creativity involves a complex interplay of cognitive processes, knowledge, skills, and motivation. Taking this framework into consideration, within the professional field, creativity is essential as it drives innovation, problem-solving, and the development of new products, services, or processes. In short, this is the mental adrenaline shot that allows us to explore new perspectives and arrive at unique solutions. Isn't that great?

Now, if we want to get more technical and better visualize this concept, we can sequence it as follows. The most well-known and exciting, in my opinion, is the Four P's of Creativity, which includes:

Person: Individual traits, such as openness to experience, nonconformity, and self-assurance, contribute to creative potential.

Process: The cognitive mechanisms through which creativity occurs, including divergent thinking and the ability to make novel connections.

Product: The outcome of creative work must be original and valuable.

Press: The environmental factors influencing creativity, such as organizational culture, resources, and leadership.

This framework, formulated by psychologist Mel Rhodes in an article titled "An Analysis of Creativity”, explains that each of the Four Ps has the potential to affect our capacity to think creatively, and we all react differently to the diverse stimuli linked to each one.

With all this as a foundation, we must ask ourselves a question: if we can explore and manifest creativity through our actions, does that make us unique? Or, on the contrary, does it put us all in the same boat? Here, we must write on the board the importance of accompanying those creative actions with a differentiating factor, and it is precisely where I want to focus and where we should all channel our most outstanding efforts.

*These characteristics are applied to a creative project using the bases proposed by Rhodes.*

It is the ultimate gateway to unlocking transformative client engagements, where strategic vision meets innovative solutions. Yet, this is not a simple feat – it demands a delicate balance of research, creativity, and persuasive storytelling.

As professionals in creativity fields, we are constantly challenged to elevate our proposal game, transcending the traditional template-driven approach and embracing a more dynamic, impactful, and client-centric methodology. The stakes are high, as these documents serve as our ambassadors, showcasing our strategic acumen, design expertise, and the transformative power we can wield on behalf of our clients. Because yes, no creative movement can expect to last long without substance behind it that gives it shape and consistency, and that's where storytelling plays a crucial role. As professionals, we are sometimes too immersed in form but not in the substance of the matter, and strategic thinking will assist us in this mission.

*These are the "stimuli" that this process offers us.*

In the following lines, we will deconstruct the process of our creative work and discuss how we can improve each aspect in our respective areas to enhance aspects such as persuasion with potential clients and critical projects, but above all, how to activate those skills that will allow us to solidify our creative scope and truly make it unique.

It's essential to add, and please take this as a disclaimer, that the real world presents a series of variables, disruptions, and bottlenecks that are difficult to predict. What you will read below is an approximation that aims to broaden your perspective on the matter, but do not take it as a default path to guaranteed success. So, consider these insights as a guide rather than a rulebook.

Foundational Skills: Critical and Designerly Thinking

No matter if your job is that of an art director, if you work organizing a library, you're a DJ at your local nightclub, or if you're in charge of the agenda of a large corporation. All of us, without exception, create something to a greater or lesser extent, and for this, it is essential to train our ability to "design it."

While critical thinking involves a rational, analytical approach, designer thinking is about creativity and intuition in design. Understanding these skills is fundamental to effectively visualizing and executing a client's creative strategy, no matter what scenario you or your project face.

Let me share with you a couple of clips that will significantly expand on this point:

Read between the lines and “Brief everything”

Comprehensive Briefing:

Initiating any project should involve obtaining a detailed written brief. This is a blueprint for absolutely everything, outlining project requirements, interpretations, and execution strategies. It's crucial to access the entire company's relevant stuff, brand guidelines, executives' commentaries, and team opinions during this phase for accurate representation.

*These elements apply to all types of Briefs in the same way each project includes its own nuances.*

Foundational steps also include delving into the brand's background through official collateral channels, understanding its target audience(s), and evaluating competitor strategies alongside the client's budget. This comprehensive approach helps to create more refined and efficient recommendations.

Importance of Information

Whether you work independently, through an agency, or as part of an in-house team, information is that tiny fragment of every story that can give you the power to be omnipresent, so please use it. Feed on as much information as possible to build creative ideas with support and meaning.

Omitting key details like the specific target audience can significantly impact the proposal's success. Understanding the audience's demographics, preferences, and behaviors helps tailor designs to resonate effectively. With this vital information, the proposal may reach the mark and engage the intended audience effectively.

Design Thinking and Systems Design

While I have philosophical reservations regarding the global implications of the famous Design Thinking, I do consider that this non-linear practice that involves an iterative process is ideal for understanding users, challenging assumptions, redefining problems, and creating, once again, innovative solutions to prototype and test, all with a human-centered focus. That said, the other side of the coin features Systems Design (SD), a tool that focuses on the comprehensive architecture of a project.

“The performance of a system obviously depends on the performance of its parts, but an important, if not the most important, aspect of a part’s performance is how it interacts with other parts to affect the performance of the whole.”

— Russel Ackoff

The entire step-by-step route ensures all elements work harmoniously to meet the brief's objectives.

Additional note:

Jen’s critique is aimed at how Design Thinking is often commercialized and packaged, which can lead to a superficial application that doesn’t necessarily lead to effective or innovative solutions. A provocative but also smart way to challenge the status quo about this.

Evaluate the situation and underline the drawbacks

Studying the background and acting accordingly from a creative standpoint is the best-case scenario, but we must recognize what we are facing. Every company and project carries various challenges on its shoulders, but believe me, all of them have a solution that requires different levels of commitment from us. Framing these problems will help us work on them through small tasks.

Being assertive and intelligent in this involves a few fundamental principles:

Clear Definition: Assertively articulate the problem by breaking it into its fundamental components. This helps in understanding the core issue without ambiguity.
Open-minded Exploration: Employ intelligent, divergent thinking to explore various possibilities. This means considering even unconventional ideas that may initially seem irrelevant.
Critical Evaluation: Use convergent thinking to critically assess each idea's feasibility and potential impact, filtering out less effective solutions.
Knowledge Integration: Intelligently integrate diverse knowledge and perspectives to enhance solution creativity. This can involve cross-disciplinary thinking and collaboration.
Iterative Refinement: Be assertive in iterating on ideas, refining them through feedback and improvement cycles until the most creative and effective solution is found.
Effective Communication: Communicate the proposed solutions clearly and confidently, ensuring all stakeholders understand and appreciate them.

Create the magic

I won't tire of saying it, but creativity is not magic; it's a valuable and learnable skill that can significantly benefit various aspects of work, including leadership, marketing, sales, project management, and, of course, teamwork. And since I mentioned the word "teamwork" and, of course, we all know that there's an aspect of social connections both externally and internally in this, there's an interesting detail about creativity—it's also associated with positive affect, which can serve as both an antecedent and a consequence of creative thought and the creative process. Positive affect can enhance creativity, and innovative thought events can lead to positive affect.

A preliminary theory of the affect-creativity cycle in organizations includes these links and proposes mechanisms by which they may operate. According to a study published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, cultivating a positive work environment that encourages creative expression can lead to a mutually reinforcing cycle of innovative ideas and heightened employee morale.

Why not apply these parameters to our own life project as well?

To infuse creativity into a project, it is essential to cultivate a workspace that values diversity of thought, encourages risk-taking, and views failures as learning opportunities. This involves embracing a growth mindset, where challenges are seen as chances to improve and innovate. A creative project environment should also provide clear goals and cross-functional collaboration, allowing for exchanging ideas from various domains. Resources must be allocated to explore and implement innovative solutions, and a rapid prototyping culture should be encouraged to test and validate concepts quickly. Lastly, a continuous feedback loop involving stakeholders and end-users is crucial for refining and improving the innovation process.

Frameworks for Cultivating Creativity in Projects:

Creativity 4.0 Framework: This framework, developed by a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge, deconstructs the design process into steps, activities, and creativity factors. It maps out the influences and opportunities that can enable or inhibit the creative aspects of the design process, providing a deep understanding of how digital transitions influence creativity and how to support creative expression within the design process.

The Creativity Diamond: The Creativity Diamond, proposed by design theorist Tim Brown, is a tool consisting of a divergent phase associated with developing many distinctive ideas and a convergent phase associated with refining ideas. It embodies the principle that the quantity of ideas breeds quality through selection and that a range of creativity tools can provoke additional ideas to augment our innate creativity.

3-18 Creativity Skills Progression Framework: This framework, developed by the UK's National Curriculum, outlines the progression of creativity skills. It focuses on understanding and defining problems, crafting and presenting solutions, demonstrating initiative, and evaluating the impact and success of solutions. It emphasizes the importance of discipline, persistence, resilience, and the identification and implementation of the following steps, underscoring the notion that creativity is not just about spontaneity but also about methodical problem-solving.

Adopt the Project

Every project acts to some extent like an impossible mission that holds everything to make it possible, but how is this? Focus, decision-making, and, above all, assimilation. We must fully embrace every project and be aware of the details. It begins with a deep understanding of the client's needs, followed by the strategic layout of ideas and solutions.

This process includes:

Strategic Segmentation: Organize the project into clear, logical segments that guide the client through your thought process and proposed solutions. Nobody is born knowing, and clients often lack flexible thinking. Your duty as a professional is to address these tiny details and accurately illustrate the project's destination in your hands.
Innovative Problem Solving: You need more than just knowing and understanding the theory; it's essential to train yourself to execute it at your own pace but with surgical precision. Utilize both DT and SD to propose innovative solutions that are creative but also feasible and effective.

Execution and Delivery

Remember that strategy is not synonymous with a plan and that creativity, as we've seen before, doesn't just happen by magic. It needs to be trained and exercised; it's an almost artistic process that evolves through mistakes. However, when our experience comes into play, we should be able to shape those mistakes into future successes.

The Strategic Imperative

Read the full article here.

The final step is the execution of the project, where ideas are transformed into actionable stages. This involves detailed planning, from the initial concept to the final rollout, ensuring every aspect is geared towards achieving the client's objectives.

Final words

Putting your hands in a compelling, creative, strategic project is akin to conducting a symphony, where every note must be in perfect harmony. It requires a blend of analytical rigor and creative flair to deliver a strategy that resonates deeply with the client and their audience. In essence, this kind of journey is continuous and ever-evolving, much like the dynamic landscape of the entire creative industry.

This is not an easy task, but to navigate this ship, one must possess a steadfast commitment to excellence, a deep understanding of key principles, and a profound self-awareness (This could be the most demanding and complex part to handle). With these elements in place, you are well-equipped to handle a unique project with a real creative taste.

Just don't forget these pillars:

Analytical Rigor: Effective, strategic, creative thinking is built upon a substantial amount of research. This practice allows you to uncover insights to inform and elevate your creative decisions.

Visionary Flair: While analytical rigor is crucial, the artful blending of creative elements brings a strategy to life.

Continuous Evolution: This is a world in motion, so a static creative strategy has a limited shelf life. Embracing a mindset of constant improvement, learning, and adaptation is essential to ensuring your proposals remain relevant and impactful over time.

Commitment to Excellence: Composing a genuinely exceptional creative strategy requires dedication to honing your skills, challenging yourself, and striving for continuous improvement. This dedication separates the good from the great in our industry.

Self-Awareness: Understanding your own strengths, weaknesses, and limitations is vital. This self-knowledge allows you to leverage your unique talents and collaborate effectively with others to create a sea of ideas.

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Let's chat about your project! Reach out, and we can start crafting your brand together. How about a quick virtual meet-up to get things rolling?

The Alchemy of Inspiration: How to Build a Truly Creative Project