Why The Creative Brief Must Be Inspiring
Everyone in advertising knows that the creative brief must be inspiring. It’s understood. But it occurred to me recently that no one talks about why inspiration is necessary. Ironically inspired, I wrote this piece as my answer. I believe inspiration is the invisible bridge to new ideas.
What I know is that inspiration does something to people, it changes them even if temporarily, and during that time changes how they view the world. The inspired person perceives random things and experiences through the prism of their inspiration, rendering those things and experiences as less random. Connections seem to magically jump out at you when you’re inspired. And more connections means an increase in the odds of new ideas happening.
Inspiration forces coincidences.
Ever buy a car—a Honda, say—and then all of a sudden, by seeming coincidence, all you see are Hondas everywhere? But is it a coincidence or is something else at work? Chances are, there aren’t really more Hondas driving around, you are just inspired by the car you bought, it’s very top-of-mind, and it’s changed how you perceive the rest of the world, even if for a short time.
Now, consider the mechanics of creativity. For a new idea to happen you need a “co-incidence,” or two separate concepts to collide somehow and form a new idea. One concept is already in your mind, the other is “out there” somewhere waiting to be noticed by you. A news article, something a friend posts on Instagram, the lyrics in a song. Any of these things could collide usefully and productively with what is in your mind, but only if you notice.
And what would make you notice? What makes the “coincidences” more likely? The prism of inspiration through which you are viewing the world, that’s what.
Inspiration fuels your creative burn.
An inspiring creative brief can’t be shaken. You read it or watch it and it connects with you, it stirs you, and then it sticks with you. You may stop reading it or watching it, but it’s still there just below the surface as you live your life. Like a cliffhanger TV show in the back of your mind, there is tension, you want to answer it, you are inspired to resolve it. And, so, everything you encounter is now perceived through this prism.
That’s when ideas happen.
The “noise” of life will still be noisy, but something in that news article, or that Instagram post, or in those song lyrics may now connect with the potent inspirational energy caused by the brief and create a productive “co-incidence.” A new idea is the result. And it feels like a magical joy when it happens because it seems to come out of nowhere. But it’s simply a person’s charged inspiration meaningfully colliding with the world.
Inspiration is psychic energy and an inspiring brief turns the world into a game for the creative person. Once inspired it’s like trying to find the ideas out there, discovering where are they hiding, realizing anything could connect, anything could turn into something, everything is potentially relevant. An inspiring creative brief is the catalyst.
Albert Einstein once said,
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that created them.”
So think of inspiration as the bridge from a problem to fresh new thinking.
Further reading: “Brief Your Creative Team With Inspiration, Not Just Information.” A how-to in writing an inspirational creative brief.
Will Burns is founder and CEO of Ideasicle X. Follow him on Twitter @WillOBurns.