Tracy Collins’ 10 Tips for Cultivating Creativity, SND Quickcourse #2

As a visual people or editors, creativity is something that is not only required, it’s demanded. And under these high-pressure situations, we need to come up with great ideas all the time. So it only made sense for Tracy Collins , deputy managing editor of The Arizona Republic, to dedicate a good hour or so at the SND Design Quickcourse about being a creativity rockstar. Here are his 10 tips (with some descriptions summarized by me):

1. Be an enemy of the ordinary:
   be unforgettable, be simple, be provacative, be surprising.
2. Make brainstorming work:
   have regular idea sessions and put them down on paper (sketch).
3. Don’t be afraid to form a creative rat pack:
   develop a group with a fearless, supportive, and proactive atmosphere.
4. Make brainstorming cross-departmental:
   don’t let ideas be dismissed because they of where they were developed; work together.
5. Keep brainstorming sessions loose:
   try word association games and once comfortable, setting up a small “fine” or punishment (chocolate or 50 cents) system for those shooting down ideas without presenting alternative ones.
6. Develop a brainstorming farm team:
   before inviting people to the “big table” of brainstorming, have them “practice” with other creative projects so when they do join the table, they will be offer some good stuff.
7. Dissect ideas that work:
   because what “works” is subjective and at times unclear in a group setting, help everyone understand through gentle critique and discussing ways to fine tune ideas.
8. Don’t try to sell edgy ideas with words only:
   use sketches or rough design to sell concepts. A visual person can be sold through words (they can “see” what you’re talking about) while a word person needs to see the visuals. Strange but true.
9. Create a creative atmosphere:
   some need total quiet, others need a hectic atmosphere. Create one of those or an in-between for yourself.

10.   Find your special place:
    sometimes escaping usual distractions can lead to the best ideas. Take a moment, get away, and get your creative juices going.

Some other notes on creativity I took from Tracy’s presentation:

• Don’t always throw away the first idea–you should refine it because usually the first is the best.
• Think: how would a kid draw it?
• Think of unique approaches to overdone ideas.
• “When your mind operates above your competition, that’s when you know to trust your instincts.” -Rodrigo Sanchez of El Mundo’s Metropoli
• Remember: all ideas are game!

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