Don't go to museums for inspiration (unless you want to)

When you tell someone you work in advertising, people always ask, “how do you come up with ideas?”

Any many creatives often give the stock answer. “Well, you know, you have to find your inspiration outside of advertising. I like to go to Museums. All of that creativity in one place is awesome.”

Maybe.

But what if you don’t really like museums? Should you force yourself to endure a couple of hours of hell on the off chance it’ll help lubricate your creativity?

I don’t think so.

The best ideas come from our true selves. So that means we should seek inspiration from those things that actually inspire us. Maybe you like to watch TV. Maybe you like hiking. Maybe you like sitting in the park, staring at people all day (not in a creepy way, of course).

Whatever you’re into, do that. Often. Sure, it’s always good to try and expose yourself to new things, but if you’ve been to 15 art openings and despised them all, then you hate art openings. Time to move on.

The beauty of most creative businesses is in the diversity of their people. So the last thing we want to do is turn everyone into culture-seeking automatons.

If watching 25 hours of Family Guy each week helps you crank out the awesomeness, then keep at it.

If listening to eardrum splitting metal every night is your thing, then rock the fuck out already. 

And if spending a Sunday afternoon cooped up in a stuffy building staring at old paintings gets your juices flowing, knock your socks off.

Just do something. That’s the key. Thinking about being creative will never actually lead to being creative. Ideas come from action. Even if that action is as mundane as watching planes take off at the airport. 

If it helps you get out of your head, it’s a good thing. 

So what inspires you?