Everyone's a Creative: Keys for Having Good Ideas

We can learn from having good ideas, or at least we can have fun. Discover these keys for awakening your creativity

Despite what many might think, creativity is something we are all born with. It doesn’t come from some god-given talent and it’s, without a doubt, something we can cultivate and exercise so it continues to flourish and work at full capacity.

In the words of graphic designer and creative director Juan Carlos Fernández Espinosa (@jc_ideograma): "[Creativity] is developed like a muscle, it can be trained like a pet, and harvested like a well cultivated field.”

Keys to staying creative:

Good ideas don’t fall from the sky, nor do they come from a selected few. Staying creative is something we can actively practice following these tips.

Seek great sources of inspiration

Being creative is, above all, to think differently. That’s why it’s crucial not to look at things like everyone else does and to search for inspiration where others don’t find it. Nowadays, thanks mostly to the internet, there are infinite resources we can turn to in order to feed our imagination.

Your brain will organize the ideas, but you should feed it with the best you can find. You’ve just got to know where to look, do it with a critical mind, and with full focus.

Don’t be afraid of failure

The creative path isn’t only upwards. Creativity is also failing, that will mean you’re taking real risks.
Often, to get to the best idea, it’s necessary to let them flow. Although this might mean putting some ideas on paper that you know aren’t going to triumph, it’s from there that your winning ideas will come from.

A constant flow of imagination is necessary and that’s why you should always take notes whenever and wherever you can. Many ideas that don’t work in your mind, can be the impetus for an idea that will work in practice.

Take distance

You have to nourish yourself with universal concepts, but designers are code makers and should be able translate their references for anyone to understand.

Start from a general concept–choose what you like, what inspires you, and what you think will satisfy the client–and start realizing each idea until you’re also satisfied. From there, you can grow progressively.

And remember that, as the phrase historically attributed to Albert Einstein says, "creativity is intelligence having fun": we must allow ourselves to reshape our minds to arrive at great ideas.

You may also like:

- The Sketchbook: an Archive of Your Creative Processes
- How to Ignite an Idea for a Foldable Picture Book
- Brainstorming for Narrative Photography