Inspiration – the Fuel of My Creativity

I’ve worked in SEO for over three years and while the search landscape has changed so much in just that short amount of time, there is one aspect of my roles that has been continuous throughout and that’s having an element of creativity in everything I do.

This is my third week here at tug and my first role agency side (!!) and I’m happy to know that creativity will still be a big part of what I do. However, being creative and trying to think “outside of the box”  can be hard work and at times it can be so frustrating but there are a few techniques that I use all the time to help get those creative thoughts flowing. I think it’s so important to always read, watch and enjoy everything going on in the world that you will find it hard not to be inspired and entertained. This then leads into you being way more creative when you really need to be. Here are my top three sources of inspiration.

Be inspired offline

Working in the world of online sometimes means I get completely sucked into everything digital. I rarely get the time to take a step back and remember there is online marketing’s older and sometimes wiser brother, offline marketing. It’s true that many of the big magazine companies have a presence in both but there are hundreds of niche magazines that are only available offline. These are full of amazing ideas and are a great source of inspiration. If I come across a story I really enjoy, I take a photo of the headline and email it to my Evernote account for future reference. By having this handy reminder I get to take ideas online and adapt them to what I do.

Keep Learning

I love TED talks. This is a platform I have only come across in the past year or so but it’s one of the best “you have to watch this” recommendations someone has ever given me. If you’re not already familiar with the site, TED’s philosophy is Ideas Worth Sharing and it’s home to thousands of talks by people from all walks of life sharing their ideas.

It was in fact my dad and sister talking about how amazing the “A Stroke of Insight” talk by Jill Bolte was one of the best talks they’d ever seen that made me head to the site. I’ve since listened to a ton of other talks and I’ve got the app so whenever I get a spare 15 minutes or on my way to work, I love listening to new people talk. It can be so inspirational simply listening to someone talk about something they are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about. They get you thinking and that’s essential for creativity!

Brainstorming

You know when you sometimes stare at a word sometimes it becomes just a bunch of letters and loses its meaning? Well I get that a lot. But with ideas. Sometime I look at a piece of content or an idea for so long that it means nothing anymore. This is why I love sharing my ideas with anyone that will listen because they always see things from a different perspective. This is especially useful if you’re trying to explain something. Sometimes I forget that not everyone knows all the jargon I use and wouldn’t understand a word of my notes. It’s important to put myself in the mind of the audience this can also help you see things from a different (and sometimes better) point of view. Stepping back from the situation and assessing how others might see your work is so simple yet often overlooked!

So what do you think? What tips do you have for staying creative in your work?