Be Creative in Your Communications, Or Else!
May 18, 2010
creativity counts
creativity counts
Or else what?
Or else be left behind in the dust. These days we can no longer afford to poo-poo creativity. Time is ticking and creativity is the wave of the present and the future.
Those who are still thinking in the past will be left behind in the un-creative dust.
So you do want to be on the wave of the future, don’t you? I’m sure you do.
Being creative in your communications requires thinking outside of the box. Communications is a wide field of expression – everything from print media to video, to public speaking, to billboards.
It is everywhere we go and in today’s fast paced world, we need to use our creative brains to keep up with the pace.
It can at first seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have, because using your creative brain is actually enjoyable and energy saving. It’s your old, stuck-in-the-rut left brain that’s getting in the way.
your lizard brain
So who is this old brain that keeps you doing the same old same old? I affectionately call him Mr. Lizard and he loves doing the same things over and over again.
Mr. Lizard is the master of repetition, but needs to learn some creativity.
Why? Because he HATES change. He hates being original and he does not want to stand out in the crowd. He enjoys being one of the boring pack.
But do you?
Do you really enjoy expressing yourself like everyone else? I doubt it. You might be used to doing that but it’s probably not what you really want.
Try this test – if you’re tired or bored with what you’re putting out in your communications, then it’s a likelihood that you’re relying to much on your old lizard brain (cousin to your left brain).
Mr. Lizard doesn’t mean to but he enjoys keeping you stuck. So you’ve got to override his ideas and try something different. That’s what creativity really is – it’s the art and science of doing things differently.
Originality is creativity’s middle name.
Thinking outside the box means trying things that you haven’t tried before. And often, those that are most successful, come up with something that at first seems totally ridiculous!
Think of Se
think outside the box
th Godin’s purple cow. Silly right?
Silly but effective. Imagine yourself putting a big purple cow on your website, business card or brochure. You’re probably cringing right?
Well I’m not suggesting that YOU put a purple cow on anything. That was Seth’s original idea. But I am suggesting that you take risks like he does and think outside of the routine.
Here are some ideas to get you started, but feel free to improvise:
- Think in color, that was part of the purple cow’s effectiveness, it catches our eye and is interesting and different.
- Think ‘difference’ – take a look at something that you’ve done and ask yourself, “What could be different about this?” One small change often makes a big difference.
- If you really want to go out on an edge, and I suggest you do, then ask yourself, “What is the last thing that I’d want to do?” You can decide whether you want to do that or not, to do that or not but at least you’ve gotten yourself to think way outside of your usual box.
That’s the idea. Stirring up your creativity is good for you and good for the world, because no one wants to read or engage in your boring, ordinary communications. They just don’t, so don’t kid yourself about it.
be creative
People today, especially the younger generation like things snappy, quick and interesting and so do you if you’re honest with yourself.
Sometimes we’re afraid to make change, try something different and live outside the box. But that is old Mr. Lizard again asserting himself when he should be off taking a nap.
Today wake up Mr. Lizard and try something new. You will be glad you did.
Creativity in communications is everything. It is the wave of the future and I know you want to be on that wave.
Don’t you?
Thanks to my friend Jeannette Paladino of Write, Speak, Sell for inspiring this post!
Corey’s Story Journey: Fierceness
November 30, 2009
My big take away from today was an attribute that I have recently labeled about myself as impatience, but that my story guide Annie Hart redirected this morning as fierceness.
As my business is growing and our authors and company are gaining more popularity, more and more people are contacting me to help them with their branding.
That has created a serious bottleneck for me, because it often translates into hours each week of free consultation, where I’m having to describe the reality of what it takes to make a brand successful to people who have rose colored glasses on about the process. Constantly being pulled away to have those conversations frustrates me, because I have so much work to do not only for our clients, but for our employees.
The lack of patience increases when I’m on the phone with someone who is looking at this industry from the idealistic perspective of a child. Hollywood has trained most people to believe that if you have a great idea, it’s worth a fortune.
I used to sit in on workshops where agents and managers and producers would tell writers to never pay anyone to help them with their careers. “Hollywood should be paying you.” But Hollywood opens its doors to only .00001% of those people. So what does everyone else do? In the eyes of those producers, agents and managers, they should spend their time trying to be part of that .00001%. THAT’S ABSURD!
Everyone has a story worth telling. Everyone has many stories worth telling. I am cursed with that knowledge. I am cursed with knowing that our storytelling process is life changing for the people who tell their stories. And yet, I have to decide who we’re going to work with. I have to turn people away from that opportunity if they come to me with those rose colored glasses on.
I felt bad about being impatient. But I feel good about being fierce. This world needs change and change does not happen until we choose to see the world for what it is. When we take off those rose glasses, we leave the realm of the idealistic child and we begin to play in the arena of the powerful adult who can impact others. So forgive me if I come across as impatient…what I’m really doing is pushing to find the bravest of people who will go to battle for their cause.
Annie’s note: This is a wonderful grounded perspective on business. It’s difficult to be caring for everyone’s story but realistic about what it will take at the same time. Corey is blazing a trail of fierce commitment to the genuine product.
Dare to Stand Out in the Crowd
November 5, 2009
dare to stand out
As a wise sage (me) once said,
“If You Want to Be the Best, You’ve Got to Stand Out From the Rest.”
Let me ask you this – do you want to be liked or do you want to make a difference in the world? Do you want to be one of the crowd or do you want to stand out and be exceptional? Guess what? You can’t do both.
Nope. To stand out from the crowd you have to risk, dare to be unique, be vulnerable and feel alone at times. But what’s the alternative? To be bland, boring, average, mediocre, middle of the road and like all the rest? Again as that wise sage says, “If you want to be the best, you have to stand out from the rest!”
So if that’s what we want, why don’t we dare to stand out? To answer that I’ll have to tell you a little story about Mr. Lizard. Mr. Lizard loves lounging in the sun, sleeping, eating and chasing flies, but that’s about it. He’s not seeking to do big things in the world, change the status quo or be different than any of the other lizards right. No, he’s seeking to be the same and do the same. Same old, same old.
If I go up and grab Mr. Lizard by the tail, hang him over a cliff and ask him if he’d like to learn to fly – his wriggling, quivering body will shout NO with every ounce of his being!
Mr. Lizard does not want to learn to fly, ever. He likes to lounge. Only a fool would drop Mr. Lizard off that cliff and imagine that he will fly. He won’t. Mr. Lizard cannot fly because he does not have any wings and I don’t think he’s going to sprout them any time soon.
So that is our lizard brain. Stuck in it’s ways, likes to stay the same, fears change, is scared of flying and oh did I mention that it does not want us to stand out in the crowd? To a lizard being different means sure death. “Do not be different. Be the same.” That is the message of our lizard brain. Don’t be mad at Mr. Lizard. He evolved a long time ago.
In short Mr. Lizard illustrates why we don’t dare to stand out in the crowd and be different. We want to take risks but we don’t because it threatens our status quo. Whenever we fear change of any kind it’s because Mr. Lizard has got his finger on the control panel of our brain. So what should we do?
Let me tell you another story. Imagine that you have a beautiful baby parrot from the rain forest. Now take that baby parrot and try desperately to keep it on the ground. Use nice language and speak to it politely. Explain in great detail why it’s not in it’s best interests to fly and that it’s better to stay on the ground.
Is the parrot going to listen? No. He may hear your words but he’s not going to follow your directions because the instincts in his body are telling him to lift off into the skies. Oops, there he goes, just lost him. Well maybe he’ll be back.
The instincts of our higher brain, the one is the most evolved and sits on the top of our heads, is to soar. Our higher brain loves to dream, see the bigger picture and stand out from the crowd. The higher brain is comfortable with difference and in facts even seeks it out.
A flying creature like the parrot is not content to stay on the ground like all the herd animals. He likes to fly and soar above the rest. That’s our higher brain.
So when we’re stuck and unable to move forward with what we really want there is only one problem and only one solution. We’ve got to get Mr. Lizards little paw off the control panel and put our high flying parrot in charge instead.
How do we do that? Well one way is to be willing to tolerate the discomfort and fear of loss. Anytime you dare to to stand out in the crowd and be different, you are going to come across your fear of not being liked and not being part of the herd. Eeek! Mr. Lizard hates this part.
Be kind to him. He can’t help himself. Don’t try to shut him up and definitely don’t put him in a closet somewhere. He’ll die. Just let him rant a bit as you go ahead and move towards what you really want. And what you really want is to dare to stand out and make a difference in the world.
In other words, face the fear of your lizard brain. Know that it feels strong but it can be overridden. Mission, passion and personal desire for making a difference are much stronger than fear. Mr. Lizard may scream, but he will eventually come along. He’s a better solider than he is a the leader.
But you are a leader, leading the way for others in whatever you’re doing that. Know that when you dare to stand out in the crowd and be unique, you truly make a difference in the world.
Today follow that wise sage’s advice and “Dare To Stand Out.”
I’m Annie Hart and I help leaders and big thinkers to stand out in the crowd and make a difference in the world.
Tribute, Why We Love Gary V.
July 4, 2009
Alright I know this photo is REALLY huge! But Gary Vaynerchuk is really BIG in the media right now, so it’s fitting.
So who is this Gary V and why do we love him? Well if you’re reading this blog post, then go back to the front page of my website and check out his video. You’ll see what I mean.
Gary V. dares to be real. How can you not love a guy who makes a video while sitting in his less than perfect office and lets his phone ring while he’s taping? We love that! He is daring to blow away all of the schmaltzy, picture-perfect, over-the-top business types who make you think that if you don’t look and act like everyone else, you’ll never make it in this world.
Well Gary V. does not act like everyone else and that’s exactly what we love about him. (Sigh of relief.) Enough already! Maybe we can finally stop pretending about who we are.
Gary V. is the real deal – bold, audacious and loud! Remember how many times we were told in Catholic school to be quiet? Well he is literally defying those nuns and many other rules as well.
How can you not love that? Listen, it’s not easy to be yourself in this world, especially the business world. I literally had someone tell me, not so long ago even, that if I didn’t wear navy blue pumps and a white blouse with 3/4 length sleeves, that I would never make it as a presenter. I’m not kidding, she really told me that!
Well folks, I don’t have any navy blue pumps. I have a pair of bright turquoise ones that are really cute. I also don’t own even one white blouse - neither short or long sleeved. Am I a failure? I don’t think so. I’m darned adorable when I tell stories in my colorful caftans and barefeet. Just kidding, I don’t have any caftans.
But when I present in front of people they get the real me, the real deal, not the schmaltzy made up version, well maybe just a little.
He Dares To Be Real
But you get the point. Gary V. dares to be real. I try to be real. Dare to be real yourself, everyday. It’s the wave of the future if you ask me.
Guru’s like Tony Robbins are relics of the past. In the future, success is only going to be possible if you have mussed up hair or something. To make it in my book, you have to give up the schmaltz!
Yay Gary V! Keep being loud, funny and real. And by the way, thanks for following me on Twitter. Like minded souls should stick together on this trail. It’s a rough world out there!
Video of the Week, Storytelling is the Game
June 28, 2009
According to branding guru Gary Vaynerchuck, storytelling is the name of the game. He believes it is the most underrated thing when it comes to business and yet it is everything when trying to convey emotion and attachment to your brand and in todays world. Gary says, “Folks, a press release is JUST not gonna CUT IT!
My thoughts exactly. I love this guy!
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