Staying creative during the unexpected.
Well, well, well…here you are again, trying to spin a genius brand manifesto when your phone rings. It’s daycare. Or the principal. Or your mom. Or. Or. Or. For the past three years, we’ve all been forced to deal with the unexpected. But even without the specific stress of a global pandemic, the reality is that life happens. Dogs eat chocolate. Cars break down. Friends need help. So how do you stay creative and hit deadlines when life comes at you? My bet is that we’ve all developed coping mechanisms. Mine are simple, but they’ve been my secret weapon through sick days, snow days, and (to use one of my most overused copy phrases) everything in-between.
Here’s what I do:
#1: I don’t care if it’s good.
In Bird by Bird, the classic book on writing, Anne Lamott writes, “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft.” When I’m experiencing a day or week (or season) of upheaval, I remind myself of this quote. I remind myself that I need to let go of expectations and just put something, anything, down on the page. I even think: “The shittier, the better.” Do you know the freedom in writing something shitty? It’s amazing! Please, try it! You can even think: “How would this be written if it was written badly?” This exercise allows your brain to warm up, get sharp, and then it will start to course-correct. Working with something shitty on the page is a lot easier than working with nothing. Embrace the bad…and the good will come.
#2: I go old school.
Here’s a classic proofreading trick: Change the font. There’s something about seeing words in a new type that makes errors pop out. It’s the same thing with being creative. Sometimes I just need to experience writing in a new way. If I’ve had a day when everything goes sideways, my mind is mush, and a crisp headline seems like a Herculean task, I step away from my computer and pick up a notepad and pen. I don’t know why, but that act alone seems to get the gears going. It connects me to a history of writing, echoing the times when I journaled or penciled out essay drafts in high school. It feels fundamental and my creativity always responds to it. Different writers have different versions of this. I have a friend who records herself when she’s driving. Another writer will put scripts or manifestos on his Kindle. And then, there’s the tried-and-true exercise of reading the words out loud. The key is finding a method that makes writing feel like a fresh experience and your thoughts stretch in a different way.
#3: I call in the crew.
Last winter, my power went out several times. On the third day of no heat or electricity, I wasn’t feeling…inspired. In fact, I felt like I wanted to burn my house down. And yet, I had work to do and needed to jumpstart my creativity. So I turned to my group chats, inundating fellow creatives with side-eye and crying face emojis. I asked for help brainstorming, complained excessively about Portland General Electric, and let off steam. Unsurprisingly, my friends were happy to get involved. Quickly, my outlook turned from apocalyptic to hopeful and my writing went from tortured to light. Other creatives understand. We’ve all been there — stranded on the subway or stuck beneath a sleeping baby with hand, foot, and mouth disease. Creativity is contagious. So let others step in to bring empathy, humor and an extra brain.
Shitty drafts, notepads, creative friends…that’s how I’ve gotten through spells of viruses, bumps and u-turns. Not only that, these three strategies have kept me grounded and upbeat — something that shows up in the words. As Stephen King said in On Writing, “If there’s no joy in it, it’s just no good.”
After all, life is unpredictable—but creativity can be a constant.
Written by Alexa Dooseman, Senior Copywriter at Nimble Creative
Staying creative during the unexpected.
Well, well, well…here you are again, trying to spin a genius brand manifesto when your phone rings. It’s daycare. Or the principal. Or your mom. Or. Or. Or. For the past three years, we’ve all been forced to deal with the unexpected. But even without the specific stress of a global pandemic, the reality is that life happens. Dogs eat chocolate. Cars break down. Friends need help. So how do you stay creative and hit deadlines when life comes at you? My bet is that we’ve all developed coping mechanisms. Mine are simple, but they’ve been my secret weapon through sick days, snow days, and (to use one of my most overused copy phrases) everything in-between.
Here’s what I do:
#1: I don’t care if it’s good.
In Bird by Bird, the classic book on writing, Anne Lamott writes, “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft.” When I’m experiencing a day or week (or season) of upheaval, I remind myself of this quote. I remind myself that I need to let go of expectations and just put something, anything, down on the page. I even think: “The shittier, the better.” Do you know the freedom in writing something shitty? It’s amazing! Please, try it! You can even think: “How would this be written if it was written badly?” This exercise allows your brain to warm up, get sharp, and then it will start to course-correct. Working with something shitty on the page is a lot easier than working with nothing. Embrace the bad…and the good will come.
#2: I go old school.
Here’s a classic proofreading trick: Change the font. There’s something about seeing words in a new type that makes errors pop out. It’s the same thing with being creative. Sometimes I just need to experience writing in a new way. If I’ve had a day when everything goes sideways, my mind is mush, and a crisp headline seems like a Herculean task, I step away from my computer and pick up a notepad and pen. I don’t know why, but that act alone seems to get the gears going. It connects me to a history of writing, echoing the times when I journaled or penciled out essay drafts in high school. It feels fundamental and my creativity always responds to it. Different writers have different versions of this. I have a friend who records herself when she’s driving. Another writer will put scripts or manifestos on his Kindle. And then, there’s the tried-and-true exercise of reading the words out loud. The key is finding a method that makes writing feel like a fresh experience and your thoughts stretch in a different way.
#3: I call in the crew.
Last winter, my power went out several times. On the third day of no heat or electricity, I wasn’t feeling…inspired. In fact, I felt like I wanted to burn my house down. And yet, I had work to do and needed to jumpstart my creativity. So I turned to my group chats, inundating fellow creatives with side-eye and crying face emojis. I asked for help brainstorming, complained excessively about Portland General Electric, and let off steam. Unsurprisingly, my friends were happy to get involved. Quickly, my outlook turned from apocalyptic to hopeful and my writing went from tortured to light. Other creatives understand. We’ve all been there — stranded on the subway or stuck beneath a sleeping baby with hand, foot, and mouth disease. Creativity is contagious. So let others step in to bring empathy, humor and an extra brain.
Shitty drafts, notepads, creative friends…that’s how I’ve gotten through spells of viruses, bumps and u-turns. Not only that, these three strategies have kept me grounded and upbeat — something that shows up in the words. As Stephen King said in On Writing, “If there’s no joy in it, it’s just no good.”
After all, life is unpredictable—but creativity can be a constant.
Written by Alexa Dooseman, Senior Copywriter at Nimble Creative