Creative thinking needs reflection and time

I was asked to read a colleagues post on the re-branding of the Twitter home page the other day and to provide an opinion.

After reading the post, I was left thinking how well written it was and how it had all the right elements of becoming a successful and popular post.

At the time I was very busy with my work and had been struggling to dedicate the time I like to my blog. The writing ideas had dried up and the drafts prepared in my publish queue were looking tired and old.

After some time off, I usually publish at least twice a week, the ideas have slowly started returning.

Taking some time out and allowing your brain to slow down a little from the usual manic idea generating and production managing mayhem that can take hold of the creative energies, allows for some much needed reflection.

From this reflection I find the order starts to return and ideas start to flow more naturally once more rather than the forced process that often happens under stressed situations.

Ideas generated under stressful situations are never as good as ideas that are allowed time to formulate and develop properly. These ideas can lead to new digital campaigns or just new copy for a blog.

This weekend just gone a took time out with my family and friends to attend the Big Chill festival as mentioned on my Posterous. It was a great opportunity for my mind to revisit old times with a good supply of music, great conversation and a generally relaxed atmosphere in great weather.

I came back some what exhausted from the lack of sleep, induced from trying to balance seeing as many of the artists as possible and then early rises with my two year old daughter, but strangely refreshed and revitalised.

Now that I'm slowly recovering from the sleep deprivation the ideas are slowly bubbling away again and its giving me the ability to write once more and suggest ideas to clients and staff.

So, next time your stuck for what to do next, how to write a piece of copy or where to turn for creativity, instead of forcing the situation take a step back.

It can't always been done in such style as a weekend trip to a festival, but even a walk around the block can be enough time to reorder your thoughts and refocus your attentions properly with a little reflection.

We all need a break from our work sometimes in order to give the best when demanded, recognising when you need to do it is what takes time to learn.


Related reading:

Universal translation- The global communication mashup - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2009/04/universal-translation-global.html

Thinking "inside the box" - Not always as easy as it sounds - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2009/03/thinking-inside-box-not-always-as-easy.html

Passion - What value does it bring? - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2009/03/passion-what-value-does-it-bring.html

Quality, not quantity - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2009/02/quality-not-quantity.html

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