Working in a creative field like Marketing I am always interested in anything on the topic of psychology, why people do what they do, and what drives our thinking. You have to understand people to be a good marketeer. If you don't understand why people do things you can't really consider what process they are following and how you can be a part of that and help them get what they want first time.
The Creative Brain
So when I saw there was a documentary on Netflix called The Creative Brain the description for it caught my eye :
'Neuroscientist David Eagleman taps into the creative process of various innovators while exploring brain-bending, risk-taking ways to spark creativity'
Would that draw you in?
At 52 minutes long this wasn't a massive time commitment so I watched it, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to think about how our minds work and how creativity can be nurtured purposefully.
The film features so many interesting people, each of which would easily supply the material for a whole other documentary.
The brain science behind creativity is explained simply. The prefrontal cortex allows us to imagine things that don't yet exist, meaning we are all wired for creativity.
The documentary features interviews from people like Nathan Myhrvold who says ' It is always easier to be a critic than a creator.' He tells us how he surrounds himself with the most inputs that he can. It is experiences that sharpen the brain, the inputs collide to create new ideas.
Every experience you have is input for the brain to be creative with.
How to help your brain creativity
Some tips that I will pass along to you without being spoilers I hope
1. Phil Tippit who is an award winning creative, having worked on Jurassic Park as well as other monster movies, uses an 'ideas generator.' For him this is boxes of things like monster models, pictures, etc he uses them to create new ideas by putting together elements of existing ones. Could you curate a book that has photos that inspire you in it?
2. Robert Glassper - a Jazz Musician talks about how Jazz is a Mutt, endlessly reinventing itself, consisting of lots of different elements brought together from creativity. He says, being original is not about creating something from nothing.
Could you look at what you already offer product or service wise and add a small element to produce a new entity?
3. Michael Chabon winner of the Pulitzer prize for his novels, believes that what we create in life is unique because our life experiences are unique. He talks about the need to get out into the world to experience the best chance of being inspired.
Can you take Michael's tip and take yourself somewhere different this week, whether its to a new show, an art exhibition, a playground, or the zoo!
I really hope you will go and watch this documentary, it's a great use of 52 minutes and I bet you'll be inspired
Thanks for reading
Shona
Would you like more help with your marketing? My new book is out now
If you would like a book of 100 Marketing Tips written just for small business owners then do have a look here. I wrote this book to be easy to read cover to cover or to be kept as a reference to dip in and out of!
About Me
Shona Chambers Marketing is a Marketing Agency based in SE London.
Specialising in helping Small Business Owners and Freelancers with their Marketing.