For some people their most creative moments are when walking, for some it is sitting under an apple tree and for others there is definitely a bathroom theme going on! However and wherever you get creative, very few people cite ‘sitting at their desk’ as being their most inspirational space. It has been suggested that being creative happens best when our parasympathetic nervous system is switched on – the state that puts body and mind into relaxation. However, I would argue that some of my most creative moments have been under stress and time pressure on an event – when I most definitely was not in a state of relaxation! So perhaps we can surmise that creativity is constantly there, bubbling under the surface and we just need to find a way to access it.
A quick google search gives me multiple definitions of creativity – most involve the use of imagination or original thought. The truth is that creativity has never been restricted to the artist or musician, we all use our creative thinking to solve everyday problems (just ask my Mum how to use leftover roast lamb and you will see creativity on a whole new scale!). In the world of events, creativity is used a lot. Companies want new and innovative ways to engage with their customers and their staff and this quest for ‘new’ sometimes leads us so far away from the original objective that we get lost in a jumble of weird and wonderful experiences. We can all remember adverts on the TV that were brilliantly funny or clever … but the name of the product eludes us.
Aside from being under pressure on site, for me my most creative times are the 9 minutes I have in half sleep when I have pressed the snooze button. My mind is half conscious but free to wander until it hits upon an idea or a thread of a theme. On these mornings I finally rise with a smile and a nugget of an idea that I am confident will work. So far, my imagination has not let me down and, while some think my mind is a terrifying machine that never slows down, I believe that it is in the calm moments the best ideas just float to the surface.