#CreativeSpark Archives

Creatively-designed, marketing nonsense

creative marketing, jim connolly — Image credit: Gemini

Someone asked me earlier about the role of creativity in marketing. In short, it’s creativity that crafts the message and image. And it has the power to convince intelligent people to do, or believe, some bizarre things.

How? By making them seem like logical and attractive decisions.

Here are 3 common examples, which may come in handy if you want to explain this to someone.

Drinking from jars

In recent years, it’s become fashionable to drink out of jars. Even though the rim of the jars is less comfortable and less secure to drink from, than a purpose-built, regular glass. Thanks to marketing on sites like Instagram and TikTok, it’s fashionable now. And fashion often outweighs common sense.

Making identical commodities feel different

Long before marketing convinced millions of us to drink from jars, major oil companies managed to convince the public that THEIR chemically-identical fuel, is somehow superior. Despite it often coming from the same refineries.

Junk food in the morning

Marketing has positioned ultra-processed, sugary breakfast cereal as a healthy way to start the day.

It’s all creatively-designed marketing nonsense. And it generates billions and billions in sales every year.

Creative productivity: Inputs and outputs

creative thinking, input output, creative productivity, creative sparks

Because my brain is weird, the first time I think of an answer, is often when I hear myself answering someone. It comes out of my mouth and that’s the first I know about it.

It happened moments ago. And it gave me a creative spark to share with you. Here’s what happened.

A friend told me that he’s struggling with his creativity. Both in quality and quantity. He then asked me how to improve his creative output.

I then heard myself say, ‘To improve your creative output, improve your creative inputs’.

Fresh feedback from interesting, people, surroundings, conversations, observations and such, are food for the brain. AKA bread for the head. If we make it a habit to regularly connect with different inputs, our minds get to create new points of focus. We’re then better equipped to make the connections that fuel the creative sparks we need.

The next time you’re waiting a little too long for the muse to show up, give it a try.

Uniformed creativity? Looks like it.

creatives, creative thinking, art studio

I’ve seen many art studios and met even more artists, over the years.

While walking this morning, I was sparked by something I’d never given any thought to before.

Why do so many artists look like artists and work from such similar looking studios?

Whilst those who work in the same medium will obviously need similar tools, the way the actual studio looks can be whatever the artist wants it to be. Yet so many choose the same, this is what an artists studio is supposed to look like, look. There are exceptions to this. But that’s the thing, they are exceptions.

If you were to have a random group of 50 people, all dressed in their typical, daily clothing, and only 1 of them was an artist, you’d know who the artist was. It’s the 1 who’s dressed, and styled, like an artist. There are exceptions to this. But that’s the thing, they are exceptions.

Let’s compare the above, to artists who primarily work as dancers, authors or actors, etc. You’d struggle to pick them out from a crowd.

Then, I realised that even the best-known, most respected and valued artists do exactly the same. They look like artists and work in what an artist’s studio is expected to look like.

It’s clearly no barrier to talent.

But uniformed creativity feels like an oxymoron.

Creative thinking exercises

If you work in PR or branding, and you’re looking for a new tagline, I came up with this one earlier.

‘We help businesses dress for the reputation they want’.

This creative spark didn’t come from working on a project. It was my best answer to a creative thinking exercise I gave myself. As of Friday 17 October 2025, when I looked for it on the major search engines, in speech marks, there were zero matches.

I’ve always set creative challenges like this for myself. I tend to do it when I’m early for something.

Too little time for me to create meaningful work.
But enough time to respond to a creative challenge.

If you’re trying to spend less time doom scrolling, why not use some of that time sharpening your creativity?

Draw something.

Write something.

It’s the process of creating that matters. Not whatever you happen to draw or write.

Give it a try and see what happens.

Use your age as a superpower

creative spark, too old, creative thinking

Today’s creative spark is about using your age, at any age, as a source of power and a springboard to live your best life, and/or do your best work.

Let’s go!

When I started the business I currently own and run, I was just 29-years old. Not only that, I looked like I was in my early 20s. It was tricky to get people who were in their 40’s and 50’s, to hire a guy who looked half their age, for my expert advice.

So, I decided to use my youth as a major plus. I told myself that youth was like a superpower, which brought boundless energy and ambition. It worked. My newfound confidence attracted people who valued that kind of vigour and relentless positivity.

This month, I celebrated my 60th birthday.

In my profession as a creative problem solver, 60 is a golden age. It’s when you have the experience, the knowledge, the connections, the track record and the reputation to make it easy to hire you.

I’m looking forward to my 60s and all the new opportunities this will bring. A lot of this is down to my mindset. Many people I’ve known have reached 60, then suddenly started to sound old.

Last weekend I connected with an artist who’s 89 years-old.

He walks with a stick and has a few health issues. And every day of his life he paints, draws or writes something. His art is wonderful. His outlook is is one of relentless positivity and his love for life is inspirational.

He said that when collectors of his work contact him, he always replies. If they write him a letter including a stamped, addressed envelope, he posts them a reply, which occasionally contains a very simple sketch.

My point?

For those who feel their age is a barrier to their success: like they’re too young, too middle aged or too old, it isn’t.

That age barrier exists in your mind.

Yes, their absolutely are some who refuse to hire people for certain positions, once they pass a certain age. But there are more people who hire the person, and not how many candles someone had on this year’s birthday cake.

Use your age as a superpower.

An opportunity to flourish.

A moment in time to embrace the potential still within you.

Create a zero draft

creative thinking, use zero draft, creative spark

Today’s creative spark came to me while I was looking for a specific quotation, for a project I’m working on. I found the quote and it immediately provided me with a wide-ranging creativity tactic.

The quote came from the brilliant mind of Roy Peter Clark. It was part of some advice he shared to an aspiring author, who was struggling and asked Roy for help.

This is what jumped out at me.

Draft earlier than you think you can. Not even a first draft, but a Zero Draft.

One of the great barriers to creativity is fear. Fear stops us getting started. Fear of failure, criticism, people laughing at us, whatever. If we don’t start, we don’t finish. We fail to create or produce anything. We’re creatively blocked!

Roy knew that a great way to start writing a book, is to write something free from the fear of failure.

A first draft carries expectation. A zero draft carries none. The stakes are as low as possible. The barrier of fear is removed. And the struggling author now has the freedom to get started. Once started, momentum is built. And they’re writing.

Whatever kind of creative work we’re struggling to get started, by adding our own version of a zero draft, we too can get moving. We’re free to start on something where there’s zero expectation, the stakes are lower than low and the barrier is removed.

CSOTD: Inspiration from the distant past

Welcome to my first CSOTD, Creative Spark Of The Day, post.

Note: If you haven’t heard why my brain is weird, the following will not make as much sense.

Most of us know how designers often borrow heavily from other designers. Jony Ive’s use of fellow industrial designer Dieter Rams’ designs, for Apple’s iPod, iMac and calculator app are well documented.

But Ive’s work was only a few decades after Rams’ original design. Ive had to acknowledge Rams’ influence because it was so obvious.

The creative spark

Yesterday was my wife’s birthday. As she’s a historian, I took her for lunch at the 950(ish)-year old Lincoln Castle. Within moments of entering the grounds, I was sparked by the huge selection of inspiring patterns, textures, colours, graffiti, arches, decretive stone work and shapes.

Castles and most other very old buildings, provide a gold mine of creative inspiration.

For who?

Off the top of my head, I thought of creatives in fashion, branding, textiles, ceramics, jewellery, authors, game developers, haberdashery, web design and furniture makers. Plus anyone looking for a radical change of scenery to get their creative juices flowing.

Yes, a creative in any of the above areas can take inspiration from an earlier period in their field. And that’s what many of them do.

But by taking inspiration from something so distant in time and so dissimilar to what you’re seeking to create, you can create work that truly stands out.