We’ve all been there: you’re trying to come up with a big idea, but nothing’s happening. You just sit in your chair beating your head against the wall, combing through old award books, desperately willing an idea to come. Meanwhile, the deadline is looming. Other teams working on the same assignment seem smug, cocky. You sense they have the goods, and a little piece of you dies.

Once when I found myself in this situation, an art director I was working with suggested we go for a walk.

            “Where?” I replied.

“Anywhere. Around the block.”

path-to-creativity-is-a-sidewalk

I didn’t want to at first. Seemed like a distraction, an admission of defeat. I preferred the old puritan work ethic of sweat, toil, grinding it out. Later, our frustration mounting, I agreed to go on that little walk. When we got back to the office, things started to happen. The creative juices began to flow. We came up with some interesting concepts.

Now, there’s clinical proof that going for a walk can make you more creative, as reported in this New York Times article. So the next time you’re stuck, take a hike!

 

More from Tod? Read his post about the toils of creating an unique brand video on a limited budget.

Want even more from our entire team? Subscribe to our blog!