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THINK INSIDE THE BOX: PHASES
With the "Principles of the Box" in mind, then how does
one actually go about the process? What follows is a
descriptive process as opposed to a prescriptive process.
In other words, it describes what I believe to be organically
inherent steps in the pursuit of ideas rather than dictates a
specific set of techniques to use while you're going through
the steps.
one actually go about the process? What follows is a
descriptive process as opposed to a prescriptive process.
In other words, it describes what I believe to be organically
inherent steps in the pursuit of ideas rather than dictates a
specific set of techniques to use while you're going through
the steps.
The first phase is Input. As James Webb Young first
articulated, this consists of both general and specific
preparation. It consists of every fascinating conversation
you've ever had, the books you've read, the movies
you've seen, the people you've met, the travels you've
taken, etc. It is pop culture and education. It is your life. It is
also the information specific to the opportunity you're trying
to address or problem you're trying to solve: market
research, experiences with the product, service or issue in
question, etc. Here is where you gather things in your box.
articulated, this consists of both general and specific
preparation. It consists of every fascinating conversation
you've ever had, the books you've read, the movies
you've seen, the people you've met, the travels you've
taken, etc. It is pop culture and education. It is your life. It is
also the information specific to the opportunity you're trying
to address or problem you're trying to solve: market
research, experiences with the product, service or issue in
question, etc. Here is where you gather things in your box.
The second phase is Interpret. This is the conscious effort to
identify what you have to work with and analyze (take
things apart) and synthesize (put things back together) all
the things you have in your box relevant to the problem at
hand. It's typical to hear creative people talk about working
on a problem to the point of exhaustion at this phase, and
frustration is common. It's important to embrace that as a
necessary part of the process.
identify what you have to work with and analyze (take
things apart) and synthesize (put things back together) all
the things you have in your box relevant to the problem at
hand. It's typical to hear creative people talk about working
on a problem to the point of exhaustion at this phase, and
frustration is common. It's important to embrace that as a
necessary part of the process.
The third phase is Incubate. This is where the process
starts to sound like New Age psycho-babble, but time and
time again some of history's most famous creators have
found that the bridge between the frustration of consciously
working a problem and the "aha!" moment is a period of
incubation. This is about diverting the conscious mind from
the problem. Taking walks, sleeping on it, turning to another
project all seem to make a difference. From my own
experience, I can cite at least one example where I literally
solved a problem and developed a PR campaign in a
dream as a result of this process.
starts to sound like New Age psycho-babble, but time and
time again some of history's most famous creators have
found that the bridge between the frustration of consciously
working a problem and the "aha!" moment is a period of
incubation. This is about diverting the conscious mind from
the problem. Taking walks, sleeping on it, turning to another
project all seem to make a difference. From my own
experience, I can cite at least one example where I literally
solved a problem and developed a PR campaign in a
dream as a result of this process.
The fourth phase is Inspiration. This is the only noun among
verbs in the names of the phases because it is the one
phase that creative people consistently report feeling
"happened" to them rather than them having "caused" it to
happen. This is the flip side of the Incubate coin because it
is directly from Incubation that Inspiration arrives. It is the
"aha!" or "Eureka!" moment when your subconscious
delivers to your conscious mind the insight or relationship
that becomes the actual idea. It is the Holy Grail of the
process and easily the sexiest part of the process. It is also
the least controllable. All you can do is embrace the overall
process and be open to the moment.
verbs in the names of the phases because it is the one
phase that creative people consistently report feeling
"happened" to them rather than them having "caused" it to
happen. This is the flip side of the Incubate coin because it
is directly from Incubation that Inspiration arrives. It is the
"aha!" or "Eureka!" moment when your subconscious
delivers to your conscious mind the insight or relationship
that becomes the actual idea. It is the Holy Grail of the
process and easily the sexiest part of the process. It is also
the least controllable. All you can do is embrace the overall
process and be open to the moment.
The final phase is Integrate. This is where idea creation
begins to transition to idea management. Here is where you
test the idea against the constraints of the assignment or
your vision. Is the idea executable? Affordable? Relevant
to the target audience? Consistent with your artistic
mission? On strategy? If the answer is "no" and the idea in
question is genuinely a result of the process described
here, the solution is rarely to go back to the drawing board.
Rather it simply means that specific considerations have to
be tweaked. That's no small thing, however. This is the
step most closely associated with the age-old debate over
"artistic integrity."
begins to transition to idea management. Here is where you
test the idea against the constraints of the assignment or
your vision. Is the idea executable? Affordable? Relevant
to the target audience? Consistent with your artistic
mission? On strategy? If the answer is "no" and the idea in
question is genuinely a result of the process described
here, the solution is rarely to go back to the drawing board.
Rather it simply means that specific considerations have to
be tweaked. That's no small thing, however. This is the
step most closely associated with the age-old debate over
"artistic integrity."
| All content © Copyright 2006, 2007 by John Armato unless otherwise indicated. Content may be freely excerpted with attribution for nonprofit use. All other uses by permission only. Just ask me. I'll probably say yes. |
