Inspired

Meeting culture and e-mail politics are toxic for inspiration and creativity, so why do we persist?

Ideas are precious things that can be murdered in an instant, especially when born under the wrong conditions. Every time someone utters the words ’Just playing Devil’s advocate’, somewhere an idea dies.

To be inspired is to subject yourself to the influence of external forces and for me this most often comes in the form of collaboration, talking through ideas in multi-disciplinary teams. The process of ’plussing’, sharing an idea, building on it and passing it on draws creativity from a wider project team and it is always surprising where the kernel of an idea can begin.

Of course, design is the process and we are the facilitators. Design with a big ’D’ should be all-inclusive and encourage teams to generate ideas. Delete the inbox, clear the diary and spend time plussing. Collective inspiration will occur in the journey and approach. Give those fragile moments a chance.