Everything starts with an idea, and it is our imagination and free-thinking that allows our minds to develop those linchpin ideas that hold together an entire marketing concept. All hail the imagination!
“I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” Albert Einstein.
Wouldn’t it be a shame if you forgot how to use your imagination?
The imagination is a muscle. The more you exercise it, the more toned it becomes, ready to drop into action like a grade A fighter pilot dropping ideas onto that killer of a problem. Remember when you were a child, and the Poddington Peas really did live at the bottom of your garden, with the fairies, dragons, pixies and gnomes and monsters and EVERYTHING! As we grow, we forget to imagine, and ultimately it becomes more difficult to activate that muscle.
“For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals. Then something happened which unleashed the power of our imagination. We learned to talk and listen.” Stephen Hawkings – British Telecom Advert, 1993.
Your imagination is important
Without the imagination of Paul Needs and Colin Wyatt, the Poddington Peas would never have existed. Similarly without the imagination of James Dyson, vacuums would still need bags. The imagination of great people who exercise it frequently, plugs into the world we know today. And your boss really would be well advised to let you daydream a little from time to time.
The world benefits from imagination in so many ways. And the imagination is stimulated by the world.
The imagination is powerful, use it wisely
The imagination is your most powerful tool and you can use it in many ways. You can use it to imagine the worse possible outcomes, or you can use it to imagine the most inspiring solutions. Olympic athletes are taught to see in their minds eye their step by step performance, and in doing so it is believed to trigger their body to perform for success. This doesn’t mean if you imagine a dragon in your garden that it’s going to appear, (dammit – sighs of disappointment), but you understand how powerful this tool can be if you harness it. Exercise it. Train it to work harder.
Make sure to give your imagination a workout
Just like any other muscle, giving your imagination a good old workout is essential to keeping it healthy and active. We’re busy people. We lead busy lives. When on earth are we going to find the time to let our minds have the pleasure of a wander into the land of imagination?
Take time to access the deepest depths of your mind. Opportunities to do so present themselves every day. Waiting for the kettle to boil, that’s 2-3 minutes of wander time, or soaking in the bath – at least 30 minutes! You really should make the most of that mundane commute to work; take a walk on your lunch, but keep using your imagination in whatever ways you can. Doodle, daydream, meditate or even simply watch the clouds pass over (how many times have you seen a cloud in the shape of a dog?). Take in the many details of your environment that you wouldn’t usually, explore your world in high definition and let your mind be free with the information it receives.
We’re lucky, imagination, vision and creativity are an essential part to every day life at InsideOut Creative
Although we’re a creative agency, we too are bound to working within strict frameworks, from budgets, finely tuned client objectives and specific media types are just some of the limitations that harness us each and every day.
Creativity and constraint should be sworn enemies, the Tom and Jerry of the creative world. And whilst it’s true that often we like to become part of the brief, the tighter the brief delivered to us – the more constrained we become and often the more active our imaginations have to behave to deliver those essential ideas.
As Albert Einstein said, “Logic will get you from A – Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”
So, just because you have parameters in your day to day role, don’t forget to use your imagination to add a little creative thinking to your presentation or report to deliver that left field solution that might just be a winner. Failing that, you’ll be sure to make someone smile along the way.
