Create Like an Artist Archives – Creative Thinking Hub

Misfits: The people who make a difference

Jim Connolly February 16, 2026

creative thinking expert, misfits, outsiders, jim connolly

Over the past few weeks, I have been thinking a lot about misfits. I think of misfits as people who do things their own way. People who stand out from the crowd. People who tread their own path through life.

It started with some research I was doing. I was looking at common factors behind the people who achieve great success in their chosen field.

And in 100% of the cases I studied, they were misfits. From Shakespeare, Dieter Rams and Steve Jobs, to Grandmaster Flash, Richard Feynman, Picasso and Robin Williams.

This is true, regardless of whether the person is a musician, politician, activist, industrialist, designer, writer, actor, or whatever.

The only exception I could find were sports stars, where genetics played a huge part. But even then, the very top achievers in sport are often misfits; people who demonstrated a rare level of commitment, focus, grit and determination.

The creative adult

There’s a wonderful old saying that goes like this: The creative adult, is the child who survived.

I love the idea of the child who survived. The kid who grew-up, whilst still hanging onto their child-like imagination and curiosity. Schools tend to try and make kids conform to a measurable norm. Teachers and fellow students make life tough for kids who are different. So, kids soon learn to fit in. This robs many children of their chance to be their unique-self… the misfit they were born to be.

Just as the creative adult, is the child who survived, I think the same is true of misfit adults.

Embrace your inner misfit

You were born unique. Plus, your life experience was, and remains, unique. That uniqueness is still within you. Yes, it may take time, but you can reconnect with it.

How?

A great place to start is to observe the freedom with which your kids, siblings or grand-kids behave. Look at how they create. Observe how curious they are and how much fun they have. There’s so much we can learn from them.

In the age of AI, those of us who choose the less-travelled path of originality, have a fantastic opportunity. It’s an opportunity to stand out and make a difference, simply by being ourselves. By being the unique misfit we truly are.

Increasing numbers of people are choosing to hand over as much of their work and their thinking as possible, to AI. And AI is becoming increasingly capable of doing more for them.

In every area of creativity, there has never been a better time to be a misfit. It’s increasingly rare. And increasingly valuable.

PS: Here are 15 ways creative misfits stand out.

Photo by Bob Jenkin

Use creative thinking to sell more art

Jim Connolly February 2, 2026

You’re an artist. That’s great. I love artists. I work with artists. Here’s the thing: please don’t become, or remain, a starving artist.

There are a number of steps to becoming commercially successful artist. Today, I’m focusing on just one of them. It’s all about you: the story behind you the artist. And all it takes is a little creative thinking.

Let’s go!

There is something most popular artists have in common. No, it’s not that they’re outstandingly gifted. Many, like Banksy, are more copyists than artists.

The common link is the story the artist has crafted about themselves. It’s a story that art buyers find compelling, connect with and buy.

The thoughts and feelings associated with the artist, shape the art buyers perception of the art. It provides the lens, through which they see and value the art.

These stories are crafted from a kludge of things. Such as the way the artist looks, their fashion choices, their outrageous stunts, their polarising views on almost anything, their anti/pro (whatever) stances, their love of animals, their outspokenness, their edgy personality, etc.

Anything that makes them seem like a more interesting, unusual person, makes their art more compelling to a subset of art buyers attracted to the story.

Take Banksy

The artwork below isn’t from Banksy also known as Robin Gunningham. No. It’s from the French artist, Blek le Rat: real name Xavier Prou. Unlike Banksy, Blek le Rat didn’t craft a compelling story. He just put his work out there as people passing by watched him. Around 15 years later, Banksy copied the style, added a compelling story and took it to the bank (pardon the pun).

Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blek_le_Rat#/media/File:Blek_Le_Rat.jpg

There are countless other examples, where the artist’s story was 80 or 90 percent responsible for the artist’s fame and fortune. We see this widespread today, with so-called artist influencers. They will do or say almost anything, to build their story, grab attention and grow huge followings. And sell a ton of art along the way!

Enough about other artists.

Let’s focus on you.

The story of you… the artist!

If you want to sell more of your work, to people who will become collectors of your art, give them a story about you.

Not a story about you. You’re doing that already, whether intentionally or not.

I’m referring to a story about you the artist.

Get creative. Craft elements of your life/work into your very own, uniquely you, story. Use your creativity to show the world the artist behind your work. It will change how they feel about you, and your work. And feelings motivate people to buy, far more than logic. This is especially the case, when it comes to art.

Uncreative branding: How to avoid it!

Jim Connolly January 22, 2026

creative thinking, branding, uncreative, commodity

Friends. Here’s how to avoid being yet another victim of toxic branding advice.

If you’re following advice that’s from a video with hundreds of thousands of views, or following the advice from a book that’s read by hundreds of thousands of people, you’ll simply be copying the same branding strategy as millions of others.

Think about it.

When you feed your mind with identical advice to the masses, you’ll fade into an ocean of beige.
You’ll have an instantly forgettable brand.
And you’ll have just turned your art, your work/products and your business into a commodity. Ouch!

The reason there’s an entire branding industry, is because this type of mass-market crap doesn’t work. People watch the video, read the book, attend/buy the course… only because the last one failed. The next one will fail, too. And the next. Repeat.

The branding industry works for so-called branding experts, because their advice doesn’t work. If it worked, everyone who followed the advice from all those best-seller books, or watched those videos, would have a kick-ass brand. They wouldn’t need more branding books, videos or courses.

Successful branding isn’t a DIY project

To craft your unique brand, get advice that’s specific to you, your art, your work/products, your goals and your personality.

Anything less is not just ineffective, it’s toxic.

P.S. You’ll find this really useful. Stop buying crap: You’re already creative.

15 Attributes of creative misfits

Jim Connolly January 4, 2026

The greatest creative thinkers and artists have all been misfits. Here are 15 ways they differ from the less creative masses.

The misfit risks rejection. The masses fear exclusion.
The misfit values truth over harmony. The masses value harmony over truth.
The misfit is prepared to stand alone. The masses measure safety in numbers.
The misfit builds from first principles. The masses build from precedent.
The misfit creates culture. The masses consume it.
The misfit is brave enough to rock the boat. The masses avoid making waves.
The misfit creates their own path. The masses follow the pack.
The misfit seeks out opportunities. The masses look for guarantees.
The misfit uses their creative instinct. The masses pick up the handbook.
The misfit does what’s required. The masses do what’s comfortable.
The misfit experiments and actions. The masses wait for permission.
The misfit tolerates uncertainty. The masses cling to certainty.
The misfit acts before they feel ready. The masses wait until it feels safe.
The misfit builds momentum. The masses build consensus.
The misfit learns from failure. The masses avoid it.

You’re unique. And your uniqueness is one of your greatest attributes. So, be yourself. Soon you’ll stand out… which is how you become outstanding.

Good artists copy. Great artists steal

Jim Connolly December 6, 2025

Many people think that they are not truly thinking creatively, unless they come up with something that is wholly original. This is absolutely not the case and it’s what this article is all about. You see, it turns out that all truly great artists steal.

Great artists steal?

Pablo Picasso is often quoted as saying: ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal‘.

Whether Picasso did indeed say that is open to some debate, but it’s an extremely valuable insight, for anyone interested in developing their ability to think creatively.

So, what does Picasso’s saying actually mean and what can we learn from it?

Picasso was referring to the fact that good artists and great artists work very differently:

A good artist will see another artists style and then try and emulate that style as closely as they can,
A great artist is creative. They selectively take (steal) elements from multiple sources and then creatively combine their influences to create something that is uniquely their own.

Some well known examples include.

Apple did not create tablet computing. Toshiba and other companies had manufactured tablet devices almost a decade earlier. What Apple’s iPad team did, was take the concept of tablet computing and build it into something that worked extremely well, was wafer thin and looked great.
Google was not the first company to create a search engine. In fact, Google was late to the game. What Google did was take the concept of search engines and apply a super simple interface to it, with a unique program that consistently delivered very good search results. They created a unique looking product, which worked extremely well.
When George Lucas created Star Wars, he fused the best of science fiction, with old time stories of the battle between good and evil.

Creative thinking, stealing and original thought

Many people assume they are not creative, because they set the bar impossibly high for themselves.

They are happy to regard Apple, Google and George Lucas as creative, yet they feel that unless they come up with utterly unique, they themselves are not creative.

The reality is that even if you believe you have had an idea that no one has ever had before, someone in a robe probably had the same idea, 3,000-years earlier.

Give yourself the creative freedom to steal like an artist. Pull influences in from your whole life experience and forge them into your own; answers, paintings, ideas, marketing, designs, stories, lyrics, sculptures, articles, products, recipes, services, melodies… anything!

You will be amazed what you can create, when you learn to steal like an artist.

Photo by Ari He

This Anti-Creative era: How to survive?

Jim Connolly December 5, 2025

Anti-Creative, Creative thinking, Jim Connolly

We’ve entered what I call the Anti-Creative era. An era where true creativity is dying. I want to show you how to survive, and create your best work ever.

First, here’s my definition.

Anti-Creative: The homogenization of original thought, caused by the pervasive distribution of simplified, prescriptive, and iterative ‘creativity advice’, resulting in a decrease of truly creative output.

The seeds of Anti-Creative were planted by creativity-focused content providers. I’m referring to YouTubers, Podcasters, Medium publishers, social media influencers, bloggers, TikTokers, etc. We also see this generic content in books, TED talks and seminars. And it’s turned countless people in the creative industries into facsimiles of one another.

The fruit of Anti-Creative is everywhere

Think for a moment about the uncreative dross that’s out there.

For example.

How Anti-Creative has hit the music industry

Music today has some stand-out performers, doing interesting things with their sound. We could name them, too. That’s because there are so few. But there are no music movements out there, having a fraction of the cultural impact that early hip-hop, punk, new wave, acid, or grunge had. Artists and record companies are now making decisions shaped by decades of simplified, prescriptive, and iterative creative thinking advice. And so have their competitors. It’s now reduced one of the most creative industries in history, to a predictable enterprise.

How Anti-Creative has hit the car industry

Despite billions being spent on design and innovation, cars in every class are remarkably similar. You used to be able to identify any make or model of car from a considerable distance away. Today, Anti-Creative inputs have resulted in car companies making design decisions, based on the same simplified, prescriptive, and iterative creative advice as their competitors. It’s no wonder they’re almost making the same cars!

How Anti-Creative has hit housing

Look at recent housing developments. The majority, and in many places vast majority, are based around very similar designs. They lack imagination. There’s no creative attempt to make these developments beautiful and uplifting for the people who will live there. Yes, there are exceptions here. But exceptions are, by default, exceptional. Not common. Sadly rare. It happens because of this pervasive deluge of simplified, prescriptive, and iterative creative advice.

I could list more examples of a total lack of creativity everywhere: from fashion, coffee shops, street art, publishing and dance, to urban landscaping and even the total lack of thoughtful creative design in art galleries! Remarkably, this is also true of the look and layout I see, inside the offices of leading creative agencies.

Here’s the thing: if we follow the same script, we write the same story. Following the same generic advice only leads us to create work that is indistinguishable from the masses.

Entertaining, hard working, content creators

I said earlier that content creators are a huge reason why we’re in an Anti-Creative era. I need to add it’s not them individually. It’s their combined millions of hours of content, billions of pages of content, and how prescriptive and iterative their content is. Not one person producing content on the topic of creativity, is intentionally causing this Anti-Creative era.

Why are they producing so much stuff?

In every content niche, the most popular (highest earning) content creators have something in common. They’re the perfect blend of being charismatic or entertaining, with extremely high content output.

Basically, they’re interesting people, who work really, really hard!

If they fail to make enough content, the various algorithms will reduce the number of people it shows their content to. This reduces their income, directly and indirectly.

Surviving and thriving in the Anti-Creative era

After scratching my big, very dented bald head, I realised there’s a perfect solution. It’s something that is proven to work. That’s because the most creative people in the world still do it, and all creative professionals used to do it.

It’s this simple.

Do what creative people did before the advent of global digital communications. After all, we managed to be extremely creative and productive.

These suggestions should help you bypass Anti-Creative content.

The most obvious suggestion is to spend less time, or no time, consuming mass-produced, prescriptive and iterative creative thinking advice. This doesn’t apply to content on any other topics. It’s about shielding yourself from Anti-Creative thinking, not locking yourself away from enjoyment.

A proven way to become more creative, is to go direct to the source.
- Whenever possible, study masters, not methods. For example, study Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. Not a video or article from a content provider with ‘The secrets of Steve Jobs’ success’.
- Also, whenever possible, learn from those who personally knew the source. For example, I spent a lot of time working with my late friend, Keith Levene. Keith was a founding member of both the Clash and Public Image Ltd. If I were to write about how his genius helped my creativity, it would be first-hand.

Be very selective regarding who you take creative advice from. Even if someone is being sincere and trying to help. Remember, sincerity is not a test of truth. It’s possible to be sincerely wrong!

Keep a record of creative strategies, ideas or processes you use. The ones that worked wonders and those that didn’t. By doing this, you’ll build a 100% trustworthy log. Something you can learn from and rely on, to help you make better and better creative decisions.

I hope you’ve found my introduction to Anti-Creative useful. More importantly, I hope it inspires you to create better work, solve better problems and thrive in an era where we desperately need your creativity.

Note: Here’s more information on anti creative.

Image credit: Jim Connolly

Jean-Michel Basquiat and creativity

Jim Connolly November 15, 2025

Jean Michel Bisquiat, creativity, artist, creative thinking

My friend Kashif attended a course on creative writing. He shared a valuable experience with me. I thought you may find it useful. So, with his permission, here it is. I also include a wonderful insight, from the genius, Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Here’s an excerpt from Kashif’s email:

“There were 23 of us in the class. We were different ages and from different educational backgrounds and cultures. What really frustrated me was by the end of the course our work started to read remarkably similar. […] The structure of our writing was silencing our voice”.

It reminded me of a great artist, who shunned art school.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

This quote from the late great Jean-Michel Basquiat, highlights a foundational element of all creative learning. And it doesn’t involve a classroom.

“I never went to an art school. […] I just looked at a lot of things. And that’s how I learnt about art… by looking at it.”
Jean-Michel Basquiat.

Basquiat observed the world around him. He looked through his own lens. That’s how he developed his uniquely powerful style. It was based on his individual, artistic interpretation. Not the guidance of a well-intentioned teacher, the content of a course or what might look best in his portfolio.

As Jean-Michel Basquiat discovered, classrooms are not the only place to harness your creativity or artistic skills. In my experience, they tend not to be the best place, either. Far from it. Many kids who have the gift of a divergent mind end up doubting their artistic ability, when, in many cases, they’re exceptional.

Learn more about Jean-Michel Basquiat here.

4 Ways to refresh your mind and work smarter

Jim Connolly July 21, 2025

creativity, work smarter, refresh your thinking

The 4 ideas I’m about to share with you are very personal to me. They’re based on improvements I had to make, when I needed to work a lot smarter. In each case, the results have been exceptional. My hope is that you find them equally helpful.

Let’s go!

1. Improve your mindset

I used to go to work every day at an office. It wasn’t very motivating. So, one day I decided to change things. I decided to spend my days creatively solving problems in a studio.

All that actually changed was my mindset.

I was still doing the same type of projects. I was still sitting at the exact same desk in the exact same room. Yet, I was spectacularly more productive and enjoying my ‘work’ more than ever before. I also started unconsciously altering my office, until it looked like a creative studio. No desks, just a couple of production tables. Art and colour all over the walls. What once was work, was now creative play. What once was a dull office, was now an energetic studio.

When we change our mindset regarding work, everything else changes according to our new mindset. If you feel like you need to work smarter, try adopting a smarter mindset. Think of your current mindset regarding work. Then, make some exciting adjustments.

2. Improve your inputs

One of the easiest ways to work smarter is to be more intentional regarding what we feed our mind with. So many people start their working day by catching up with the news or our social media apps. They’re feeding their mind with inputs that are designed to grab their attention, with typically bad or tragic news stories. Social media apps know what makes us keep on scrolling, so they can feed us with ads.

And to a lesser or greater degree, they all combine to set our mental state for the rest of the morning or day.

If we want to start the day refreshed, so we can be at our productive best, we need to change our inputs; those things we feed our mind with. This means choosing to focus on what inspires us, teaches us, improves our mood, lifts us up or anything else that helps us be more productive and work smarter.

3. Improve your diet

You don’t need to be a nutritionist to know there’s a direct link between what we eat and how we feel. I’m not going to give anyone advice on what they should eat or avoid. However, I am going to recommend you take time to study nutrition.

You’ll see that there are certain foods that release a steady flow of energy, and others that give you spikes and lows. There are foods that make you feel good and foods that make you feel sluggish. So, do some research. Look for improvements. Eat better. You might be amazed how well your mind and body responds, just as I was.

4. Improve your working hours

An essential part of working smarter is to improve your working hours. The majority of self-employed people and business owners I know, typically work over 50-hours a week. Some work closer to 70-hours. Each has a different reason for doing it. But whatever their reason, it isn’t sustainable.

Here’s the thing: it’s pretty-much impossible to create our best work, when we’re working too many hours. A tired mind isn’t optimal. And a suboptimal mind isn’t capable of working smart.

It’s really important for us to set hard limits on how many hours a day we will work. Then stick to it. Broadly, this means either learning to be more productive, delegating more work to others, or taking less work on. There are tons of books on the subject, mostly saying the same thing.

How to find the answers you need, Einstein style!

Jim Connolly June 18, 2025

creative einstein, creative thinking experts, creative answers, jim connolly

One of the keys to problem solving, is to learn how to stick with the challenge for long enough to find the answer you need.

Einstein famously said: “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

I think we can all agree that Einstein was one of the greatest minds in history, however, his decision to stick with a challenge and work on it for a long time is something we can all benefit from.

Creative thinking requires effort

When I talk about creative thinking to young adults, one of the most common phrases I hear is a variant of; ‘It’s not as easy as it sounds’. Many people seem to be programmed to seek the easy or lazy answer by default. Then, if the answer doesn’t come easy, they quit. This places a very low ceiling on their potential, as there’s only so far someone can go if they are not prepared to think deeply, when required.

If I have a challenge that’s proving a tricky nut to crack, I employ a few creative strategies before I decide it’s beyond me.

I take the problem for a walk, ensuring I have a way to record any answers that come to me. As I am a divergent thinker, I need to capture ideas fast or I’ll lose them. Walking with a puzzle in my head is the best thing I have ever found for developing creative answers and ideas. Almost every tricky challenge I have is resolved this way.
I clearly define the challenge at the top of a sheet of paper, then write as many answers as possible. I allow my mind to flow and write down everything that comes to me. I also make sure the question is written correctly.
I talk to someone with expertise in the area where my challenge resides, with one massive difference. For example, if it’s a design problem I’ll talk to a designer, but to feed my mind with the least obvious, great answer, I’ll seek out a designer who works in a totally different field of design.
I talk to someone whose opinion I respect, yet who has no expertise on that area. This outside perspective has proven to be a goldmine of creative feedback, as their response directs me to look for answers in a new, often fertile direction.
I then give the challenge as long as required, before deciding the answer is beyond me. No matter how creative you are, if you’re unaware you lack a certain part of the problem (usually when a client or customer forgets to tell you), you’ll be wasting your time.

Some challenges come with a hard deadline, so there is a set timeframe within which the answer is needed. However, in most cases the deadline is more flexible than that.

In short: For us to stand the greatest chance of getting an above average answer, the best possible solution, we should persist for longer than the average person.

Photo by Collab Media

Think creatively, like no one else

Jim Connolly March 31, 2025

There’s a wonderful quote from Albert Szent-Györgyi, which I’d like to share with you. It’s a simple, powerful insight into how geniuses think creatively.

“Genius is seeing what everyone else sees and thinking what no one else has thought.”

Szent-Györgyi is best known, as the man who discovered vitamin C. Vitamin C had always been there. Every time someone ate an orange, they were holding, looking at and consuming vitamin C. However, no one before Albert Szent-Györgyi had ever thought about vitamin C.

Creative thinking: From oranges to apples

Millions of people saw apples fall from trees. It was only Sir Isaac Newton who asked, “why?”.

Here’s the thing: We each possess a unique mind. However, it takes courage to use it uniquely… rather than accept perceived wisdom and false limitations.