Recently a reporter, interviewing me about radio advertising, asked me for some quick “sidebar” tips on “how to be creative.” Here are three.
These apply apply equally to radio personalities and producers, as well as radio copywriters.
1. Whenever you get even the germ of an idea, write it down. You don’t need to know how you’ll use that idea; you’ll have plenty of time to figure that out later.
But most people won’t bother to put an idea to paper unless they already know exactly how they’ll use it. Big mistake.
2. Don’t try to be creative. Focus on solving a problem. Creativity should not be the goal; it should be the means to an end.
3. When all else fails, go somewhere you’ve never been before. Anywhere, as long as it’s unfamiliar to you.
As you react to new stimuli, you will be forced to think differently…which is a great shortcut to creative solutions.
There’s an old saying in psychology circles:
“If you keep doing what you always do, you’ll keep getting what you always get. So if you want to get something new, do something different.”
That’s more than just a catchy pop psychology mantra. It’s true. If you want today’s journey to be completely different from yesterday’s, all you need to do is begin it from a different place.
