Think NaNoWriMo is Just for Writers? Think Again.
A special series on the lessons we can all learn from NaNoWriMo – whether we want to write a novel or not. Lesson One: It’s better to suck at something...
A device that’s guaranteed to give you better ideas
You won’t be surprised to learn that we’re big fans of TED here. There’s such good thinking on there about creativity (as well as some misguided stuff, Elizabeth Gilbert)...
Play. Your brain will thank you.
The Greek philosophers rained praise on play, hailing leisure time as the foundation of ‘the good life’. More recently, Professor Jonathan Gershuny, Oxford University’s time-use expert, found that some...
The creative value of playing hooky
Twice daily Charles Darwin took a walk along the same gravel path near his home. He kept a pile of stones that he kicked one by one to the...
7 ways to come up with ideas you wouldn’t normally have
When you’ve been working in an organisation for some time, it’s often hard to think beyond the politics, assumptions and perceived restrictions of the workplace. These mental barriers limit...
What AI can teach us about generating ideas
The tech sector is spending an awful lot of energy and resources developing Artificial Intelligence and the media are lapping up this brave new world. We’re seeing self-driving cars,...
100% proof that alcohol is good for thinking
When I started off in the advertising industry of the early 90s, I caught the tail end of the decadent era. Those stories about fancy cars, Colombian nose-candy and...
How your “Inner Interrupter” stops you listening
Many of us struggle to listen effectively at least some of the time. The odd thing is that we can listen. It’s just that we often don’t in practice....
The science behind creativity – what happens in the brain and why
What is creativity? There’s an extraordinary new type of brain scan called an fMRI that allows us to witness creative thinking while it’s happening. For the first time, we...
Why brainstorms suck and what you can do about it
“Brainstorm. Two minutes.” Queue eye roll. Your cerebellum is pretty awesome, but you’re already juggling a bundle of briefs and your desk is groaning under the weight of your...