Design Archives – Page 2 of 4 – Creative Thinking Hub

Create… today!

Jim Connolly January 23, 2025

Write that book.

Start that movement.

Compose that music.

Design that look.

Make that move.

Develop that app.

Pen that poem.

Dance that dance.

Quit stalling. The clock is ticking. You may delay, but time will not.

Creativity, rejection and Andy Warhol

Jim Connolly January 19, 2025

Here’s something to remember, the next time someone criticises your art or work.

Andy Warhol’s signature work, Campbell’s Soup Cans, hangs on the walls of New York’s Museum of Modern Art. It’s their most prized possession.

They were gifted the art by Warhol’s friend Irving Blum, paying him just $15MILLION for it… that was only 10% of its $150MILLION valuation. It’s worth a great deal more today!

Compare that, with the rejection letter that same museum sent Andy Warhol, when he offered one of is artworks to the museum for free.

Andy Warhol’s rejection letter

Dear Mr. Warhol,
Last week our Committee on the Museum Collections held its first meeting of the fall season and had a chance to study your drawing entitled Shoe which you so generously offered as a gift to the Museum.
I regret that I must report to you that the Committee decided, after careful consideration, that they ought not to accept it for our Collection.
Let me explain that because of our severely limited gallery and storage space we must turn down many gifts offered, since we feel it is not fair to accept as a gift a work which may be shown only infrequently.
Nevertheless, the Committee has asked me to pass on to you their thanks for your generous expression of interest in our Collection.
Sincerely,
Alfred H. Barr, Jr
Director of the Museum Collections
P.S. The drawing may be picked up from the Museum at your convenience.

The letter has been confirmed by MOMA to be authentic.

Why such an about turn?

Andy Warhol’s art was just as amazing when The Museum of Modern Art asked him to take it away, as it was when they were prepared to pay millions for it. What changed was public perception of Warhol’s work. That shift happened because he kept creating amazing work. He carried on, regardless of the rejection and abuse. Eventually, others were able to see what Warhol knew all along.

Had Warhol allowed the rejection to stop him from creating, the world would have been robbed of one of its most influential artists.

Not only is rejection to be expected, it’s almost always what happens when people produce great art.

In other words, the rejection that so many artists fear, is an inevitable part of creating great work. When there’s no rejection and no criticism, it means your art is predictable. It means you’re colouring between the lines.

Embrace rejection and see it for what it is

Never let rejection or criticism stand between you and your art. If you believe in what you’re doing, do it. If YOU see the value of your work, keep on creating.

Never, ever allow the opinion of another, to stop you from creating your art.

How to fire up your creativity, with Design Thinking

Jim Connolly December 4, 2024

If you’re seeking some inspiration, to help you create better art, I have an idea to share with you. It’s about something called design thinking. And it could be exactly what you’re looking for.

It starts with acknowledging that you’re a designer. Yes you. Now, this will either confirm what you already know, or come as a major shock. Regardless, the fact remains the same. You are a designer.

Allow me to explain what this means and how it can help inspire your creativity.

Design thinking

We often think of design in quite a narrow way. We think of graphic designers, fashion designers, web designers, game designers, industrial designers, etc.

In other words, we associate design with people whose job title or description contains the word design.

In reality, all of us are designers. Including those of us, who work or play with creativity, but who wouldn’t typically be thought of as designers. Here are just a few examples.

The writer, who plans the framework for their books, lyrics, poetry or articles, is a designer.
The photographer, who determines the composition and lighting of a photograph, is a designer.
The dancer, who choreographs their new routine, is a designer.
The teacher, who sketches out exciting lesson plans for their students, is a designer.
The restaurant owner, who creates experiences for their diners, is a designer.
The street artist, who decides where to create their next piece and how to incorporate the environment into their art, is a designer.

Now that you know you’re a designer, I have a suggestion. I suggest you spend some time studying design. Why? Because when you understand the basics of good design, then apply them to your own work, it will help you create better work.

Designing something uniquely yours

Here’s a quick tip, to help you enhance your creativity and help you look at design in a more individual way. It’s simply this: Start by studying how people outside your creative sphere, approach and use design.

For example, since 2008 I’ve provided marketing tips and advice via a blog. The approach I use ignores almost all of the norms of blogging. Instead, I’ve created a freestyle approach, inspired by everything from the design of jazz music and hip hop, to poetry and prose. The end result is something uniquely mine.

In a nutshell, design thinking is useful for anyone who’s searching for a new way to create. So give it a try. At worst, you’re likely to discover some fresh ideas. And who knows, it could be exactly what you’re looking for.

Ignite your creativity: Work until you’re proud!

Jim Connolly March 3, 2016

The most prolific creative professionals understand that there’s no guarantee their work will be successful. So, instead of shooting for success, they work until they are proud.

Working until you’re proud makes total sense. Think about it.

It gives us the freedom to do our best work. We decide when we’re proud. It’s 100% our decision.
It allows us to work without the fear of failure. So long as we’re proud, our work is a success.
Working without fear massively increases our creative output. We produce more art / work. Andy Warhol is an excellent example of this.

Working until we are proud allows us to access our maximum creative potential. That’s because it removes the barriers that stop us producing our best work. It allows us to reconnect with the child we once were. The creative mind that still dwells within us, just waiting to be reignited.

Consider for a moment that look of pride and joy on a child’s face, when they show you their latest painting. “Here, I did this!”. That’s the way we should feel when we create.

Once you commit to working until you are proud, what you will be left with is a portfolio. A significant body of work… all of which you’re proud of. And the work you are proud of is always your best work.

Why your ideas are more valuable to you today, than ever before

Jim Connolly January 3, 2016

Today, a great idea is worth more to you than at any time in recorded history.

Why? Because you no longer need lots of money or anyone’s permission, for your idea to become massively successful!

Thanks to the Internet, the financial cost of sharing an idea is close to zero. If your idea is useful enough it can spread and reach hundreds, thousands or millions of people. The key is to have an idea worth sharing, which a section of the population will want to know about and talk about.

You don’t need permission any more

Your idea can be a book, a product, a start-up business, a music track or anything else. Gone are the days when you needed a publisher, recording contract or a huge pre-launch advertising budget. Today, you just need to create a compelling idea. Previously, you needed an editor, producer or media owner etc, to believe in you and back you. Your idea needed their permission, in order to fly.

That barrier is not there any more.

You don’t need to be well-connected, when you have an idea that’s spreading like crazy. With that kind of momentum, you not only attract people who want to share your idea, you also attract the attention of people who want to get involved and give you their backing.

The rewards for developing your creative thinking skills have never been greater. Right now, there are hundreds of millions of people, eagerly waiting for you to give them something, which is worth sharing and talking about.

Make your product, service, company or blog etc, worth sharing and that’s exactly what people will do: Share it!

Average ideas inspire no one

The vast majority of your competitors don’t get it.

They waste their time with average ideas that people show little interest in. They want the short cut, the dummies guide, the trick. They wonder why few new people read their work, share their ideas or talk about them… and assume it must be some tactic they are missing. They remain blind to the fact that it’s their idea that’s broken.

This site is for people like you, who are smarter than that.

So, do great work. Tell your friends. Put it where people can see it. Make it easy to share. Then, watch what happens.

How I got a lot more creative. Could this work for you?

Jim Connolly July 5, 2015

Today, I’d like to share some feedback, from a creative experiment I have been running for the past 3 weeks.

If you’re looking to improve your creative thinking or your creativity in general, you’ll find this really useful.

It’s about working from a very different kind of environment. Allow me to explain.

As I’ve said before, it’s possible to significantly enhance your creative output, by changing your creative environment. I know from reader emails that many of you embrace this idea and find it highly effective.

A new creative space

As regular readers will know, I usually work from either a studio where I live, a coffee shop or an outdoor space.

Well, over the past few weeks, I have experimented with something new. I have worked most days, for several hours or more, from a new creative space. It’s comprised of 2 largish studio spaces and a series of smaller rooms, which are used for meetings and video conferencing, etc. A recording studio is also under construction.

The space is currently used by a number of creative professionals, so there’s always something creative happening around me. This gives it a very different vibe to what I experience, working from the solitude of my wonderful home studio. It’s also nothing like working outdoors or working from a coffee shop, [what Andy Ihnatko brilliantly refers to as a field office].

It’s the change in vibe or atmosphere, which has been most interesting. As the vibe changed, so did my creative output.

A new creative dynamic

I discovered that there is a very different dynamic in play, when creative people share the same space. It has had a direct impact on my work. Whilst I’ve found it challenging to write there because of the activity around me, it has worked wonders for my creativity. I’ve found that ideas and answers come to me very easily. And that’s exactly what I wanted.

For instance, I came up with an idea to brand the images used on my marketing blog. I not only came up with the abstract idea, I also created the design template myself. This quickly attracted lots of positive feedback from my readers and has massively improved the look and feel of the whole site.

What creates the dynamic?

It isn’t that the people at Helm collaborate on projects. They don’t. They do, however, chat over a coffee. They also shoot a few hoops or play football at lunchtime. And if you want to share ideas over lunch, there’s always someone who’d appreciate the opportunity.

The dynamic comes from a group of creative people, working in close proximity. Think of it as a microcosm of what we see, with artists in Greenwich Village and Internet entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley.

When like-minded people share a space, something special can happen. That’s what I have experienced.

Ideal for everyone?

Will everyone find this type of creative environment to be equally valuable? No. We are all different and I know many would find this kind of space too distracting.

However, if you tend to work alone or from a field office, and there’s a similar type of creative space available in your area, it could be worth checking out.

Design and simplicity, by Jony Ive

Jim Connolly March 8, 2015

Apple’s former head of design, Jony Ive, shares some thoughts on the role of simplicity in design.

“Simplicity is not the absence of clutter, that’s a consequence of simplicity. Simplicity is somehow essentially describing the purpose and place of an object and product. The absence of clutter is just a clutter-free product. That’s not simple”.

Anyone can remove clutter. Simplicity requires us to understand what the minimum required is. Then, to have the courage to ignore the rest.