Create Like an Artist Archives – Page 2 of 3

Improve your creative thinking, with more colour

Jim Connolly March 26, 2025

creative thinking colour, colour and creativity

There’s a direct link between the use of colour (or color for my US readers), and creative thinking. If you could see the explosion of colour in my studio, you’d know I’m a big believer in this.

It’s hard to think in colour, when your world has the brightness turned down. Yet as adults, many non-creative people surround themselves with a very limited range of colours. Their homes, furniture, offices and clothes are toned down to the point where they almost blend into the background.

Here’s the thing: As scientific studies have found, colours can have a measurable impact on how we feel and how we think.

Children, colour and creativity

Have you ever noticed how colourful kids stuff is? Pretty-much everything they use is extremely colourful. From their toys and cutlery to their books, clothing, bedding and toiletries, everything is bright and pumped full of colour. These colours help keep children engaged, interested and it stimulates their mind.

The good news for us as adults, is that colour can be deliberately used to stimulate your mind, too.

Introducing colour to your creativity

Now, whilst I am not suggesting you start dressing in technicolor, unless you want to, I am suggesting you introduce as much colour into your creativity as possible.

Pens I’m using in the studio today.

For example.

Use multicoloured pens and pencils when you think on paper.
If you do a lot of your thinking in your office, have some really colourful desk items around you. Highlighters, pen holders, Post-it notes, your phone charger, writing pads and your coffee mug, etc., these all come in a multitude of creativity inspiring colours.
Put some bright, colourful pictures or posters on your office or studio wall.
… You get the idea.

The blue secret

Will the introduction of all this colour instantly turn you into a creative thinking powerhouse? No. No they won’t. But colours do have an impact.

For instance, blue has been shown to help with creative thinking. It’s believed this happens, because we associate the colour blue with relaxation, cloud-free skies and cool blue water. I use blue here on this site for links and certain buttons. They perform very well.

Here’s a suggestion. Start small. Get yourself some different coloured pens or pencils and use them, the next time you are developing ideas. Use bright coloured highlighters to mark-up your work. When you see the difference this makes, it may inspire you to introduce more colour to your creative thinking universe.

How to massively improve your creative output!

Jim Connolly January 30, 2025

Why is it, that some creative professionals seem to struggle more than others, when completing an important project?

When we look at the most successful creative professionals, we usually find that they are no more creative or intelligent than their less prolific counterparts.

However, they are different in one important respect: They look at their work in a very different way. They have discovered the importance of breaking large or daunting creative projects down, into manageable, achievable chunks.

Think about this for a moment.

No one writes a book.
No one composes a symphony.
No one develops a software package.

Instead, they write a little every day. They compose a little every day. They code a little every day. As a result, they don’t feel overwhelmed. They just do a little every day. And every day they move closer to completing their next creative project.

Chunk your project down. Commit to doing a little, often. When you do, you’ll never be daunted by the size or scale of a creative project again.

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.

There are no rules. Do your thing, your way!

Jim Connolly October 12, 2016

I wake up most mornings around 4:30am. It’s not something I recommend. It’s not connected to creativity in any way. It’s simply what works for me, my lifestyle and my bodyclock.

Why am I sharing this with you? Well, I read an article earlier that’s very similar to a million others, which share success secrets of the rich or famous. This particular article gave a list of successful people who wake up very early. The subtext was that if you want to be successful, you too need to be an early riser.

And that’s 100% bullshit!

There are no rules

Successful people don’t follow a predefined set of success rules. As JK Rowling recently said, when someone made a video of her (non-existent) success rules, “There are no rules. Do your thing”.
The reality is that the most successful people are actually the least likely to follow rules. They are the misfits. They only rise to the top because they follow their own, meaningfully different path.

The only rule for success is that there are no rules. Do your thing… your way!

How to enjoy uninterrupted, creative focus

Jim Connolly September 12, 2016

Do you find it hard to concentrate?

If you do, you’re not alone. And it’s little wonder. Your devices bug you all day. Emails, tweets, texts, Facebook updates, junk calls, snaps. It’s a constant flow of interruptions. And each interruption breaks your focus to a lesser or greater degree.

Mastering notifications

One way to retain your focus, is to take control of the interruptions. To stop your devices from distracting you. At least during those periods where you need to focus.

A few years ago, I changed how I use my phone, tablet and notebooks. The results were immediate and measurable.

Instead of having everything set to receive notifications in real-time, I switched them off. So, I no longer have a constant stream of interruptions. Instead, I check my notifications when I’m not focusing on something that requires my full attention.

Today, I not only manage to get more done, but the quality of my work has improved. I also find it easier to enter and remain in that state of flow, which often accompanies our best work.

If you’re finding it hard to concentrate, take control of your focus. Reduce or eliminate the notifications. Give yourself a steady stream of distraction-free, uninterrupted flow.

Tip: This answers the question: What is inspiration?

What Moby can teach you about art and success

Jim Connolly June 1, 2016

How fully do you embrace your artistic freedom? That’s a really important question, maybe one of the most important questions, facing anyone who wants to do meaningful work.

I listened to Moby in an interview recently. He was explaining that when he started out in music, he wanted to be able to do everything himself. He wanted full artistic freedom.

I really enjoy Moby’s music and find his approach to his art inspirational. I also absolutely get why artistic freedom matters so much to him.

Artistic freedom

What I didn’t realise until hearing Moby’s interview, was that he and I are the same age. When Moby started his music career and I started my business, we took different paths. However, we were both creative professionals in an era before the Internet.

It wasn’t until a decade later, that digital publishing and self distribution arrived. It changed everything. Forever. Back then, if you were a creative professional and you wanted to reach thousands of people with your work, you needed Radio stations, TV stations and newspapers to cover you. You needed to be selected by someone.

You needed permission… not to produce your work, but for it to be put in front of a large audience.

Today, you have full artistic freedom

Thankfully, you don’t need permission today. It’s down to you. Just you. You can get your work out there by yourself and if it’s good enough and you’re both smart and you persist, you can make it. You can get your; video, music, designs, dance routine, poetry — whatever, published to an unlimited potential audience.

Back when you needed permission, if you wanted lots of visibility, it really helped if you fit into whatever the fashion of the moment was.

Today, the exact opposite is true.

Today, the more you embrace your full artistic freedom and do your own thing, the more likely you are to get noticed. Those who appreciate your art will immediately resonate with it. Moreover, because you have a global audience, you can be as niche as you like and still have no trouble finding your audience.

Just like…

Rather than embrace this artistic freedom, most artists are still trying to be just like (whoever). The problem with that approach is that it fails on every level. It leaves them unfulfilled and unknown.

It fails them, because they are not allowing their own stars to shine.
It fails their audience, because they don’t get to enjoy the artist’s best work.
It fails to make a meaningful impact, because it’s not their art.

The challenge right now is that the thing that feels risky is actually the safest thing you can do and the thing that feels safe, is the sure path to nowhere.

Embrace your artistic freedom

Allow you, the real you, to do your best work — not your best version of what you think the marketplace wants. Steal like an artist. Then get your work out there.

Steve Jobs was right: Real Artists Ship!

Jim Connolly December 7, 2013

Steve Jobs famously said; ‘Real artists ship’. He was referring to the fact that everyone has ideas, but real artists deliver on them or ship them, as he put it.

Creative thinking can lead to amazing things, but only if you do something with it. The creative idea you never implement, is not going to help you or anyone else. It can’t. In order to have any kind of impact on anything, your creative thinking needs to see the light of day, to be given wings. You need to, as Jobs put it, ship.

A wonderful idea

Two years before the banking collapse, I met with a guy who had creatively developed a new financial product. It was brilliant. He spoke with me about it and told me his plans. I was impressed and amazed in equal measure. Two years later, he still had not put anything into place. He had files full of notes, graphs and spreadsheets, which he had been ‘perfecting’ for so long, that he missed the opportunity. Had he launched when he should have, he would have made a fortune. Sadly, he ended up struggling financially.

Think creatively, but remember Real Artists Ship

Creative Thinking should be followed by creative doing. Give your idea, answer or insight the opportunity to live outside of your imagination and notes. Tip: If you need some help, read this – What is inspiration?

Yes, this takes courage but here’s what I have discovered:

The pain of seeing an idea I have flop, is small.
The pain of regret is enormous.

You know what else? The more often you ship your ideas, the less it bothers you when it doesn’t work out as planned and the more often you succeed.

You are never more than one great idea away from achieving a major breakthrough. It’s entirely possible that you have already had the breakthrough idea, but you won’t see the breakthrough until you become a real artist… because, as Steve Jobs reminded us, real artists ship!

Photo Copyright: Albert Watson

Look outside for creative inspiration!

Jim Connolly November 19, 2013

Some of the best ideas were created, when people took inspiration from outside their own field of interest. That’s because ideas that work in one area can often be adapted, to work even better in another.

Here’s an everyday example.

Ball point pens and deodorant

A great example of this, is the invention of the system used in underarm deodorants.

The idea was inspired by the way ball point pens work. They use a ball system to deliver an even flow of ink. This was adapted and used to provide an even flow of liquid deodorant, which many people prefer to sprays and sticks.

The ball deodorant went on to revolutionise its industry, even though the kernel of the idea came from a completely different sector.

Take a look outside your industry or profession for inspiration, but don’t copy. As Picasso rightly said, you should steal like an artist.

How to become a problem solving powerhouse

Jim Connolly October 31, 2013

The starting point of problem solving is to get very clear regarding what your problem or challenge is. This helps avoid mind fog; the lack of clarity that makes it hard to concentrate on a specific challenge.

Problem solving: Questions and clarity

The engineer who asks herself, “how can I make this widget better?” is working with too vague a goal. She would be far more likely to improve her widget, if she looked at the challenge with more clarity. A great starting point would be for her to ask herself better quality questions.

These may include:

How can I make this lighter?
How can I make this faster?
How can I make this quieter?
How can I reduce the production cost?
How can I make it smaller?

Problem Solving: Another example

The business owner who wants to improve his business needs the same kind of clarity. There are scores of areas he could focus on. Without the clarity of some specific questions, his mind would flutter like a butterfly around all of them, causing the mind fog I mentioned at the beginning.

For increased clarity, the business owner may ask himself:

How can I improve the customer service experience?
What can I add to our service, which will help it stand out in a crowded marketplace?
How can I streamline the delivery or manufacturing process, so that it’s more profitable?
What can I learn about improving my business, from the companies outside my industry? This is a great question when seeking to Steal Like an Artist!
How can I improve our marketing message, so that it’s more attractive to our target market?

Get clear

The starting point of finding great answers is to ask yourself the right questions. So, give yourself as long as you need at the start, to get the question or questions right. This initial preparation when problem solving, can make a massive difference.

Are you playing with ideas? You should be!

Jim Connolly October 16, 2013

The world is full of general advice on how to think more creatively. The challenge with general advice, even from a trusted source, is that it’s seldom exactly what you need. After all, no 2 people are the same.

There is a way to make general advice work for you, though. You need to adapt it.. to play with the ideas a little. That’s what this article is all about.

Music inspiration

Here’s an example of how I played with a general idea, to find a super-effective way to boost my creative productivity.

I once read a book that said listening to classical music whilst working, made you more creative. It went into heavy detail regarding the impact of classical music on the mind. As a lover of funk, electro and punk, classical music just made me sleepy. I stuck with it for as long as I could. I listened to the great classical composers and found that I loved Tchaikovsky and Vaughan Williams.

However, the beautiful music just made me restful and unproductive.

Then, I decided to adapt the idea a little. I tried listening to my kind of music when working on a creative project. I immediately found that it DID work. It had a direct, positive impact on my creativity and productivity. Often when I find myself writing, I will listen to the same album over and over again. It helps me stay in the zone. It seems I’m not alone. Years later I read an interview with WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg. Mullenweg said that when writing code, he would often loop the same music track and listen to it over and over again.

The takeaway

So, whilst I didn’t find classical music helpful for creative productivity, it did inspire me to try working to music, which I have done for the past two decades. By playing with the general idea, I was able to adapt it into something that has been a huge help to me.

The next time you see advice from a source you trust, even if the whole picture doesn’t fit, have a play with the general idea. Steal like an artist. Look for elements, which have the potential to work for you. You may be surprised what you end up with!