Keep digging

Don’t fall in love with your first ideas.

That’s what clients do. That’s not what you’re paid to do. You’re paid to dig.

And continue digging until you find the best, most creative ideas. Sublime ideas that sparkle like diamonds, glow like gold. Ideas that are lucid, pleasing and strange.

This means you have to dig past all the initial ideas. These ideas are what your brain throws up because they’re close to the surface and require significantly less time, effort and energy to find. Your brain - in order to keep you alive - is an energy-saving device. Whatever it can route to automatic thinking it will because that uses less calories.

For more creative ideas you need to dig deeper to find connections your brain has never tried before. This will take you out of your comfort zone. It will be uncomfortable. And your brain will likely resist.

Keep digging. Dig past all the bad and stupid ideas, past all the useless ideas that don’t even make sense. Past all the memories falling between the cracks. (The memories might be comforting but they’re not helpful.)

Clear them out of the way and dig deeper still.

Dig until you reach the treasure below.