Creative Thinking Hub

Creative thinking expert Jim Connolly, shares tips & resources to help you think more creatively.

How to unlock your creativity

Updated December 2013

Maybe the biggest enemy of creative thinking, is the fear of failure. After all, we all want to succeed, to be appreciated and valued.

Therefore, it’s little wonder that we often choose not to develop a new idea or create a new piece of art, when we focus on things like:

  • What if I create something and it flops?
  • What if I create something and people criticise it (or criticise me)?
  • What if I create something and it doesn’t turn out the way I had hoped?

Creativity and the freedom to fail

Those people who are known for the quality and volume of their creative output, choose to frame the idea of failure very differently. They see it as feedback… not failure. They see feedback as useful, rather than seeing failure as frightening.

Here’s how it looks:

  • If they create something and it’s a smash hit, they win.
  • If they create something and it flops, they win… because they learn from it and invest the lesson in their future work. This is also a key to progress and learning!

The only way they can fail with that feedback mindset, is to do nothing. So, they eagerly get their art out there and embrace the feedback.

A huge part of your creative potential can be unlocked, simply by reframing failure as feedback. Give yourself the freedom to fail, knowing that the feedback is invaluable.

PS: Here is an insight into Steve Jobs’ creative mindset.

Video: Where do good ideas come from?

Updated December 2013

Like many people, I always assumed that great ideas came from a sudden flash of inspiration. Then, a couple of years ago, the author Steven Johnson offered a better theory.

Steven Johnson: Where do good ideas come from?

Moreover, Steven’s theory explains how we can encourage more great ideas and insights, when we embrace what he calls the slow hunch. This insight has allowed me to become increasingly creative and today, I’d like to share it with you.

The following video is taken from a TED talk Steven gave, where he answers the question: where do good ideas come from?


If for any reason you can’t see the video, you can watch it using this link.

Innovate or copy? Create or curate?

Updated December 2013

Copying is simple. So simple, even antiquated machines can copy things with ease. Innovation? That’s not so simple. It’s possible and achievable, but not simple. It takes effort to creatively come up with ideas.

Here’s the thing:

  • When we innovate, people notice us. They consider us a source of creativity, something rare.
  • When we copy, people ignore us. There is no demand for copycats.

Innovate or copy? Create or curate? Your decision here will probably have more to do with your career or art, than any other single decision.

Thinking with ink!

Updated December 2013

Sometimes when you want to get your ideas flowing, what you need is to change the media you are using to capture your thoughts.

Your phone, computer, tablet and audio recorder are wonderful, however, I’d like to suggest you add something else to your mix.

A fountain pen!

creative thinking fountain pens

Getting in the flow

There’s something very different about writing with a fountain pen, which subtly changes how you feel and think. For example, it requires more thought than using a regular ballpoint pen. As a result, you tend to write slower. There’s also something about the feedback you get, as the ink flows from the pen into the paper, which is extremely relaxing.

These small nuances combine to create a different experience and a shift in your thinking. This can be just what you need, when you’re looking to get your creativity flowing again!

You don’t need expensive equipment

I do most of my creative work using a Lamy Safari, which cost peanuts (see image above). Other manufacturers, such as Parker, also make amazingly good, low cost fountain pens. I have one very inexpensive Parker pen, which works great today… just as it did when I bought it 20 years ago!

moleskineSimilarly, you don’t need to spend a fortune on expensive paper or notebooks. I use a combination of scraps of paper, Moleskine books and cheap notebooks.

Some of my best ideas were jotted down on the back of a recycled scrap of paper. It’s just a matter of what you have in front of you at the time. There’s really no need to start off by investing in expensive paper, pads or notebooks.

Obviously, if you find yourself using a fountain pen as part of your daily work flow, you may want to use better quality notebooks. With a good quality notebook, the paper doesn’t weaken or discolour and you can keep your old books and refer back to them. I have notebooks that are filled with ideas and drawings from the past 20 years, which are an invaluable source of inspiration.

In short: Fountain pens cost very little, so the barrier to entry is low. If you are interested in improving your creative output, I recommend you give them a try. You may, just may, find them as useful as I do.

Are you looking for excuses or answers?

Updated December 2013

I had a discussion recently with a marketing consultant, who had been overlooked for promotion (again). He was told that the clients loved him but his lack of creativity was holding him back.

He asked me for some advice.

I asked what he thought his creativity challenge was. He proceeded to reel off a list of excuses. From memory, I recall he blamed; his wife, his parents, his school, his boss, his co-workers, his friends and even his noisy neighbours.

Notice anyone missing from his list? Yes, he failed to include himself! I mentioned this to him and suggested he started looking for answers, rather than waste more time looking for excuses.

Excuses why we can’t or reasons why we can?

Excuses are easy, because blaming outside factors frees us of responsibility. If you’re OK about doing average, predictable work or art, go and find an excuse. Then… magically, you’re no longer responsible for your own thoughts — of course you are really, as no one actually believes that bullshit!

Yes, it takes courage to accept responsibility, but it’s essential. If you want to unlock your creativity, get to work on yourself. Look for answers. Seek out inspiration.

Then embrace and develop the creativity you were born with.

What has your TV cost you, not to buy it, but to watch it?

Updated December 2014

Ask someone how much their TV cost them and they will quote you the price of the TV. Few, if any, will quote the price they pay for watching the TV!

However, it’s the cost of watching a TV set that it most expensive for those of us interested in creative thinking. A guy feeds his mind with TV shows most evenings, then wonders why he finds it hard to be creative. He’s confused why he seems to think just like all his TV watching co-workers and friends.

The reason brands pay a fortune to advertise on TV, is that it works. TV is an extremely powerful tool for telling people what to think. For instance, in the UK, when an election is under way, the main political parties have to be evenly represented on The BBC.

GIGO: Garbage In Garbage Out

In computer science they have a saying, Garbage In Garbage Out (or GIGO for short). In other words, if the input is bad the output is bad. If we choose to feed our mind with the same mass-media junk as the average consumer, our creative output is likely to suffer. Really suffer.

You can’t feed your mind the same predictable diet as the masses, without paying the price. If you want to think differently, then feed your mind with different inputs.

Creative Thinking and the power of association

Updated November 2013

One of the biggest influences on our creativity and indeed our life in general, are the people with whom we associate. They influence our thoughts and decisions, both consciously and unconsciously. They help us define what is possible and what we believe is not possible.

Getting around the right people

When you share time with creative people, people who are committed to thinking differently, their uniqueness adds to your own bank of possibilities and ideas. As Steven Johnson says, we often have half an idea or a hunch, which is then ignited, when we encounter something someone else says and put the 2 elements together. It makes perfect sense, therefore, to expose our minds to as many potential sources of good quality idea fragments as possible.

Nile Rodgers & creative inspiration

Last year, I was fortunate to spend an evening with my friend, the musical genius, Nile Rodgers. Nile is one of the world’s most successful record producers. As well as his recent international smash hit with Daft Punk, Get Lucky, Nile has worked with many of the biggest names in music. These include; Madonna, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Duran Duran and many more. He’s also the guy behind the Halo soundtrack and the most creative person I know.

In the space of a few hours in Nile’s company, I learned more about creativity than at any time in my life. In fact, this site was born from an idea Nile inspired me to develop!

The bottom line: Make it a point to spend time in the company of creative thinking people. Their positive influence on your creativity can be immeasurable.