Idea Generation: Teachers and Pupils
My sister Kelly, who shares my title on the West Coast, has a quote in her e-mail signature that often gives me pause.
The quote embodies my experience with highly creative people, those in my family and especially those at our Atlanta B2B marketing firm. Spending time around either group allows me to witness the various ways ideas are generated.
Sometimes it’s amazingly quick:
From the far reaches of her mind, the creative lassoes the idea that had been captured, sorted and resorted from elemental experiences, dreams, nightmares and unique correlations of unrelated thoughts. Then the creative lets loose, trying to speak as fast as her mind is churning out the torrent of images, words and sounds. This sharing of the mind is where the creative is the teacher.
Sometimes it’s slow and measured:
With intense, child-like curiosity, the creative seeks information to fill the mind with the foundational ingredients. Like a four-year-old, he raises question after question, pulling out more facts for further illumination. The creative then steps away, retreating to a figuratively quiet place. Using his mind like a mortar and pestle, he grinds and blends facts, information and thoughts into ideas. Here, taking everything in, the creative is the pupil.
It’s thrilling to see our team pull together to generate ideas. Our clients submit the challenges and we grab hold, learning as often as we teach.
The foremost beneficiary of MLT Creative’s idea generation process is, of course, our clients. However, working in the midst of skilled creatives is a challenging and exhilarating daily experience. Either sharing or producing unique ideas; it’s exciting to be in an environment where creative teachers and pupils are one in the same.
/mh
Martine Hunter is an associate creative director with the Atlanta advertising agency firm, MLT Creative, which specializes in B2B marketing.