As a creative agency, a question I encounter frequently is: How do you find good ideas?
Whether you're working in a creative agency, managing a brand team, navigating freelance waters, or simply a creative enthusiast seeking to exercise your imaginative faculties, allow me to share 3 invaluable tips and tools to aid you not only in discovering good ideas but in doing so consistently:
1. Engage with quality content intentionally
It's a seemingly straightforward notion, yet one we don't do enough in practice. Mindlessly scrolling through Facebook videos or YouTube shorts won't suffice. Dedicate a focused 10-15 minutes daily to immerse yourself in content, but with a deliberate purpose:
- Dissect the underlying concept.
- Identify standout frames or moments that resonate with you.
Some recommended platforms include:
- Vimeo Staff Picks
- Ads of the World
- Nowness
By initiating your journey with these three, you'll uncover a tons of inspiration for your projects.
2. Curate your own pool of inspiration
Capture screenshots of intriguing visuals, note down impressive design elements, bookmark captivating transitions or hooks—anything that captures your attention merits inclusion. This collection serves as your creative arsenal, it is comparable to accruing wealth in monetary terms. Whenever you encounter a creative block, this pool becomes your source of ideas.
The golden rule here is to consistently accumulate more 'earnings' than 'expenses'—in other words, maintain a surplus of inspirations over your immediate needs.
Below is a glimpse of one such 'inspiration board' of mine.
3. Embrace discipline
The birth of ideas doesn't just rely on being inspired, it also needs discipline and sticking to it. Sometimes, great ideas pop up when you're alone in nature, but more often than not, they are the culmination of prior groundwork—your subconscious working behind the scenes.
This is another topic in and of itself, a discussion on another day. For now, let’s get our creative juice flowing.