Resources
Seven Tips on creativity and passion from Sesame Street
by Jack Walden, The C Word Communications Agency
A is for Anniversary - "Sesame Street" celebrated its 40th anniversary on Tuesday, Nov. 10 with First Lady Michelle Obama teaching the kids how to garden. In recognition of the Street's birthday Jack Walden has put together these tips on creativity and passion.
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Count Von Count: Know your subject matter inside and out. It's hard to be truly passionate about something you or your audience know very little about. Think about how Count von Count’s obsession with, and intimate knowledge of, numbers inspired generations of children to develop a passion for mathematics. Whether you're working on the launch of a new product or a campaign for an existing product get to know everything about it and share that with your audience. It's as easy as 1 2 3.
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Oscar the Grouch: Creativity can happen anywhere, particularly in a mess. Creativity can occur in the strangest places from sitting on a train to waiting for your coffee. A good way to encourage creativity is by brainstorming with your team. Get out the butcher paper, sharpies and post-it-notes and let the ideas flow. Remember, don’t be afraid to let your office resemble Oscar’s trashcan – you will find some fantastic ideas in the mess of post-its, butchers paper and magazine cutouts.
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Cookie Monster: Passion is about different flavours. When you want a client or a customer to share your passion for a product or service you need to be armed with all the flavours and elements in the mix, particularly the one you think will spike their interest. The Cookie Monster gets kids to love cookies by finding a flavour to suit everyone. As a result of this shared passion for cookies, he’s been able to promote a passion for healthier food.
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Big Bird: Embrace your quirkiness and the creative ideas will flow. There's nothing like a fresh atmosphere to re-invigorate the brain cells. Find some sunshine. Sit in a coffee shop. If you can somehow add caffeine and sugar (chocolate!), even better.
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Elmo: Be contagious. If you want other people to be creative and passionate you need to infect them with your creativity and passion. There’s no point trying to convince someone to share their creative ideas or throw their passion behind you if you’re not outwardly showing your enthusiasm. We all need to be a bit like Elmo, not only his zest for the topics he talks about but also the fun he has with communication. Kick off your next planning session with a joke or think of a fun way to learn about a new topic.
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Bert: Sometimes creativity takes patience. Everyone in your office has a creative streak, sometimes it needs to be encouraged and sometimes it needs patience. Look in different places and you may be surprised at what you discover. Perhaps your finance team has a creative angle for your next pitch or the technology guru has a creative solution to your client’s latest crisis. Wherever the idea comes from give it the time to emerge and encourage everyone to contribute to the creative flow.
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Ernie: Have fun and soon the creative ideas will start flowing. Ernie makes it his business to have fun and remain open to new ideas no matter what he’s doing. This means he always has buckets of ideas ready to be implemented by a willing participant. Ernie also looks for inspiration everywhere. Try looking for ideas in a children’s book, on YouTube or in a design magazine. Finally, to inspire true creativity, ask yourself an impossible question – and see how creative you can be with your solution.
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November 2009