V-Insider: How to Generate Creative Ideas and Drive Them to Completion
In a world where the volume of content vying for our attention is nothing short of overwhelming, creativity is fundamental. So how do you generate creative ideas and drive them to completion?
From an outside perspective, creative achievements can often look as though they were plucked from thin air. It’s often cited, for example, that Paul McCartney wrote the song Yesterday in his sleep. Only that’s not true, is it?
We chat to Sophie Bordiehn, star motion graphics designer, about her top tips for reaching your creative potential.
Hi Sophie! What drew you to a creative career?
I started ballet dancing when I was three years old. Years later, as a teenager, I realised that the thing I loved most about dancing was the creative element of it, coming up with new routines. I was able to take what I learned from dance: punctuality, keeping things clean, working with deadlines etc. and apply them to my creative ambitions.
I’d always been very creative. I was very much into arts and crafts. Within the arts, I was drawn to graphics and design because you can always refine and make your work better. Whether you’re working for yourself or a client, the process of learning, improving and being adaptable captured my imagination.
What’s the most important thing you’ve learned about creative people?
Creativity isn’t something that you’re either born with, or you’re not. It’s something that you can learn and work on. You can develop the right kind of skills to bring your ideas to life.
The general idea about creatives, is that they just sit there, and all of a sudden they have a lightbulb moment, and an idea comes into their head. That’s never the case. Most great works of art, for example, or most great ingenious product developments, come from a lot of thought and effort.
Exploration is key to creativity. Creative excellence is a journey. Behind most of the creative geniuses of our time are friends, family, feedback givers, ideas bouncers. All who play their part in allowing someone to push their creative boundaries and maximise their potential.
Any tips on where to start with creative exploration?
Often, when people sit down to think of ideas, they believe that they’ve got to come up with something new, original, a world-first even. There is merit in the shiny, of course, but more often than not people are drawn to things familiar to them. Therefore, to significantly increase your chances of success, creativity is really about striking a balance between familiarity and novelty.
The truth is, you’re never going to come up with something completely original. You’ve always got to subconsciously mix stuff that you’ve seen or heard before. Especially in our industry, where you’re exposed to so much creativity: visual, sound, scents, the list is endless. It’s a great skill to take something unrelated to your industry and apply the idea or lessons to your work.
Where should emerging creatives focus their energy if they’re looking to progress their skills?
The best way to keep evolving, and to keep on top of your creative wellbeing, is to keep learning new things. As soon as you stop learning things you’ll stagnate in this industry. On my way to work, I’ll listen to audiobooks or podcasts, the kind of things that revolve around learning. Identify where you want to improve, then listen to people who are talking about their own relatable experiences. To quote Eleanor Roosevelt, “learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.”
You can’t just sit there and wait for ideas to come to you. Go for a walk, look at your environment, research things that are only tangibly related, until you thread everything together and things start to make sense in your head. You have to be actively looking for things that you can put together and work with.
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