Fun Ways to Ignite Creative Thinking

Have you ever experienced a time where your creative spark felt so dim to the point that the lightest wind may knock it out completely? Okay, that might be a bit dramatic, but let’s be honest, we’ve all felt a bit of creative fatigue. While it can be a struggle to shake such a roadblock, there are ways to help ignite that spark again not only in yourself but with your team as well.

If you’re looking for ways to help yourself get back on the creative track or maybe just switch up your typical thought process routine, consider these tried and true tips from our creative team to yours.

How to Ignite Creative Thinking:  For You, Dear Marketer!

Be Active Outside

One of the best and easiest ways to get the juices flowing is to get active, preferably outside. This can be done in a number of ways, but when speaking of things you can do in a short amount of time during work hours, a brisk walk outdoors will usually do the trick. A nice change of scenery from your desk, whether in the office or at home, paired with some fresh air and oxygen boost to the brain can help you reset so that when you’re back at your desk, you are refreshed and able to produce quality, creative work.  

Relocate Your Workspace

Changing your location can help you reset and refocus as well. I personally enjoy switching things up by finding a place to stand while I work or move to a cozy couch/chair to get some energy around my work. If you’re stuck on an idea  that you can’t seem to move along, this little trick can bring a bit of new perspective from a new perspective altogether! 

Get Distracted 

One way to get back on track with creative work is to get off track on purpose. Taking intentional micro-breaks throughout the day can do a number of wonderful things for your body and mind. You can doodle, listen to a short podcast, whatever helps you unplug for a small amount of time to give your mind a rest and then reset.

How to Ignite Creative Thinking:  For Your Marketing Team!

Unconventional Brainstorms 

As Ted Lasso likes to say, “Never bring an umbrella to a brainstorm,” and that lovely statement could not be more true when evoking creative thinking amongst a team of marketers! 

Lately at DMA, we’ve engaged in unconventional brainstorms as a team to simply generate creative thinking and help us get “uncomfortable” with the task at hand. Truth be told, people are surprisingly more creative about topics that don’t pertain to work,  so we recommend that you start a brainstorm with an exercise on a topic that is completely absent of the task at hand by focusing the brainstorm on a creative topic.  Once the creative brainstorm is over, turn your attention to the work related brainstorm and you’ll see better results!  Once the team has a chance to get their creative thinking juices flowing, the sky is the limit when it comes to what’s possible.

Take an Interactive Brain Break

Taking a tiny break on your own is helpful, but if you are working with a group of creatives, it might be worth taking a collective break to reset and boost creativity among everyone. Consider playing a short game that has NOTHING to do with your line of work or allowing everyone a specific amount of time to unplug in whatever way they want (within reason of course) before getting back to the grind. This can be extremely beneficial for teams that are working on long projects together.  At DMA, we like to play Pictionary from time to time.

Change Up the Workspace 

Whether you have a nice budget to spend or are looking to do something less costly, there are a number of ways to change up the workspace to help get some creativity flowing. This can be a small renovation, like removing some desks to incorporate a lounge in the space for people to work from. Changing up the workplace could include adding some plants and fresh flowers or colorful art to the office. This can even be as simple as rotating desks every half to give people the opportunity to work from different perspectives in the office. Big or small, a little change can go a long way. 

Of course, this is not a linear process for everyone. We encourage you to try a few different methods and really take note of what works and what doesn’t. Thankfully, we have the ability to step away from our work for a short time to reset, refocus and reignite that creative spark.

Having trouble reigniting that creativity on your own? We have you covered! Schedule a discovery call with us to today and we’d be happy to help you relight that spark.

{{cta(‘c51e313a-a875-4361-bbd3-bea78a505011′,’justifycenter’)}}