Creativity Dhukan

Funny Ads

2007-12-27T05:48:00.001-08:00

7 deadly sins

2007-12-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

Artist: Kekai Kotaki

2007-12-12T11:16:00.000-08:00

Clever Advertising

2007-12-12T06:39:00.000-08:00

Best out of Waste

2007-12-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

Clothes gone bad!!!

2007-12-06T10:13:00.001-08:00

Best Photographs

2007-12-06T09:30:00.001-08:00

Think Out Of the Box

2007-12-06T09:26:00.000-08:00

Humanity

2007-12-05T12:17:00.001-08:00

Keep on Zooming the pic to get the real picture

Movie Mistakes

2007-12-05T12:10:00.001-08:00

Cigarette ads

2007-12-05T09:09:00.001-08:00

New and Upcoming!!!- Hollywood

2007-12-04T11:38:00.000-08:00

SEX AND BREAKFAST (2007)

THE SASQUATCH GANG (2007)

TIS AUTUMN: THE SEARCH FOR JACKIE PARIS (2007)

TONY 'N' TINA'S WEDDING (2007)

BADLAND (2007)

PROTAGONIST (2007)

CHRONICLE OF AN ESCAPE (2007)

THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY FACTS

SAVAGES (2007)

AWAKE (2007)

Creative Photos - Chema Madoz

2007-11-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

Best Creative Ads Collection

2007-11-27T11:35:00.001-08:00

2007-11-27T11:33:00.001-08:00

Q. Which media vehicles should be used to make a strong regional presence?

A. Firms would use vernacular newspapers, local radio, community radio, outdoors in order to

establish a strong regional presence. Moreover, the language used will be local to the

concerned region.

Q. How can advertising build loyalty in low involvement products like Coke and Pepsi?

A. Loyalty is a difficult thing to achieve in today’s age of clutter, competition and sales

promotion. In case of low involvement products, the role of advertising is to constantly

remind consumers about the brand and keep on hammering the brand in the minds of

consumers through highest levels of frequency. This helps the brand to stay in the top of

the mind recall.

Q. What is brand cannibalization?

A. Brand cannibalization takes place when “A” product of a company impacts “B” product from

the same company negatively. This happens because the brands belong to the same product

category. For e.g. if Balaji Telefilms have two soap operas on Star and Zee in the 9

pm slot and if the viewership is higher on Zee, then one can say that this is a case of

brand cannibalization.

Q. What is marketing accounting?

A. Marketing accounting means accounting for all marketing activities in terms of the time,

effort and money required versus the achievement of the objective with sales volume as

the bottom line. For e.g. one full page ad with an objective to enhance the corporate

image of Adani group of companies is given in a newspaper. Post release, evaluation would

be done to find out whether the objective has been achieved or not as compared to the

spends.

Q. How important is design in retail? What are the factors we look out while designing

retail outlet?

A. Design is very critical for the retail space as it is design that helps in creating a

retail brand. There are many aspects which one has to keep in mind while designing an

outlet:
1. Shopper behaviour: who comes, how do they move, walk, and bend
2. Format and type of store: self service, type of merchandise, category planning
3. Brand image
4. Atmospherics: look, touch, feel, smell, lights, colors
5. Material used for fixtures, floorings, their impact on how people walk inside the

store
6. Space for services like rest rooms, cash wraps, staff rooms, warehouse, display area,

space between aisles, trolleys, in-store advertising avenues/media, POP display
For more information read books by martin pegler and joe weishar and best do a field

visit to many stores and compare the store design.

New And Upcoming (Hollywood)

2007-11-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

The Mist

In this adaptation of the Stephen King novella, shoppers are trapped in a supermarket after
it is enveloped in a strange mist filled with monstrous creatures. David Drayton (Thomas
Jane) is just an unassuming artist, but when the terror hits, he rallies the other customers
to defend themselves against the horrible beasts. Will these small-town folks be able to
survive the assault and find out where that creepy mist came from anyway? Is it from the
nearby military base?

NINA'S HEAVENLY DELIGHTS

Nina Shah (Shelley Conn) is an Indo-Scottish woman who left home at an early age after a
particularly ugly fight with her father. Years later, when the old man dies, Nina returns
home to run the family restaurant, the Curry House. While clashing with her business
partner, Lisa (Laura Fraser), and reuniting with her Bollywood drag-queen friend, Bobbi
(Ronny Jhutti), Nina attempts to win the Best of the West curry competition. Not only all of
that, Nina also realizes that she's unexpectedly falling in love with her most hated foe …
Lisa!

AUGUST RUSH

August Rush (Freddie Highmore) is the love-child of two freewheeling parents (Jonathan Rhys
Meyers, Keri Russel) whose one night of passion resulted in his birth. But having been
abandoned by those parents, August tries to track them down in New York City with the help
of the man (Robin Williams) who raised him.

BEOWULF

Based on the legendary epic poem, the great warrior Beowulf (Ray Winstone) must destroy the
evil creature Grendel (Crispin Glover) who is terrorizing the Scandinavian countryside. And
if that isn't difficult enough, Beowulf must also kill the monster's mommy (Angelina Jolie).

ENCHANTED

A fairy tale princess, Giselle (Amy Adams), is banished from her perfect animated realm by
an evil queen (Susan Sarandon) and forced to make her way on the mean streets of New York
City. Lost and alone, Giselle befriends a divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) who may turn out
to be her prince charming, even though her hand is promised to an actual prince (James
Marsden) back home.

HITMAN

Based on the hit video-game series, a man known only as Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant) has been
trained to become the ultimate assassin. However, his reign as the world's most efficient
killer may be at an end when he's set up for a fall by unknown forces. Evading both Interpol
and Russian military officers, the ruthless hit man must find out who is behind the
conspiracy before he's killed himself.

I'M NOT THERE

This unique biopic of Bob Dylan has six different actors, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett,
Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw, portraying the folk-music legend at different points in his life.

MIDNIGHT EAGLE

Yuji Nishizaki (Takao Osawa) is a former war photographer who finds himself stuck in the
snow-covered Northern Alps of Japan. While in this desolate no-man's-land, he witnesses the
crash of a U.S. bomber, which contains a secret nuclear payload that could destroy the
entire island nation. On orders from the government and at great personal risk, Yuji tries
to find the downed plane and prevent it from blowing up.

MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM

Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman) owns and runs the most magical store in the universe, where
all of the toys for sale are alive. But when the aging shopkeeper decides to retire and sell
the business to his faithful cashier (Natalie Portman), he hires an uptight accountant
(Jason Bateman) to get his affairs in order.

STARTING OUT IN THE EVENING

Leonard Schiller (Frank Langella) is a reclusive writer who was once the shining star of NYC
but has since faded into obscurity. However, when a cute young grad student (Lauren Ambrose) enters his life, she holds the promise of making him famous once again.

Photos One click

2007-10-31T10:07:00.001-07:00

Coming Soon!!!

2007-10-30T09:47:00.001-07:00

Photoshop Art

2007-10-29T12:15:00.001-07:00

Photographs

2007-10-29T12:12:00.001-07:00

The Secret to Creativity

2007-10-24T12:17:00.002-07:00

The secret to creative thinking is to start with good problems. Then you need to turn those problems into thought provoking challenges. After that, great ideas will almost invent themselves.

Almost every creative idea is a potential solution to a problem. Einstein's theory of relativity was about solving a discrepancy between electromagnetism and physics. Post-its were about finding a use for not very sticky glue. Picasso's cubist paintings were about solving the problem of representing three dimensional space on two dimensional canvases. And so on and so on.

Before you even think about generating ideas, you need to turn your problem into a challenge. Because if you start generating ideas to solve the wrong problem, you may have great ideas - but they will probably be lousy solutions.

A self-employed woman is window shopping and sees a beautiful dress. She thinks that it would be perfect for an upcoming reception where she hopes to impress prospective clients. Sadly, the dress costs €3000 and her bank account is nearly empty. She thinks to herself: "how could I earn €3000 in order to buy that dress?" She might come up with some great ideas.

But the truth is, her problem has nothing to do with the dress. Her problem is that she needs to develop new business. One way to do that is to acquire new clients. Wearing a stunning dress to a reception might be one method of solving that problem. But there are many more solutions - and a lot of them are probably more cost effective than a €3000 dress, particularly if she hasn't much money.

Instead, she should be asking herself: "How might I acquire new clients for my business?" or better still, "In what ways might I develop more business?"

The latter question or challenge might lead to ideas like offering existing clients new products or services; increasing her prices; asking for referrals and other activities that have very little to do with new dresses and a great deal to do with building her business.

Most people are like the woman in the story above. When they have problems, they immediately look for solutions, sparing nary a thought for the problem itself. Creative people know better. They start by examining the problem and turning it into a creative challenge.

The best way to get started on turning your problem into a challenge is by writing down your problem in the centre of a sheet of paper. Now, try and break the problem down. Ask yourself "Why is this a problem?", "What is causing this?", "What is behind this?", "What other issues are at stake?" and so on. Ask "why?" until you can no longer answer yourself. Write all of your answers on the sheet of paper. At this stage, the core problem as well as key relevant issues will be apparent. Let's call this the big problem.

The next step is to turn the big problem into one or more short, simple challenges. Challenges usually start with

"In what ways might I/we...?"

"How might I/we...?"

"What kinds of... might I/we...?"

Keep your challenges as simple as possible. Avoid:

Restrictive criteria
Restrictive criteria block open creativity. Leave them out of the challenge - but use those criteria later when it comes time to evaluate ideas.

Combining two or more challenges in a single challenge.
Combining two or more issues in a single challenge (such as "how might we earn more income and work less?") tends to confuse brainstormers and results in ideas which fail to solve either problem. Best to divide such challenges into individual challenges and brainstorm one at a time. Start with the most important challenge first.

Ambiguous challenges
A challenge such as "need money" isn't really clear and is likely to result in ideas that are not really clear. Make your challenges clear to everyone. And phrase them using the words above.

Once you have got your challenge, you will find it remarkably easy to generate ideas that solve it. But before you start brainstorming, there are a couple of things you should bear in mind..

Generate ideas first. Nothing more. Only after you have finished generating ideas should you even think about reviewing them and decide which one(s) to implement.

When generating ideas, whether alone or in a group, prohibit any criticism whatsoever. Moreover, it is essential that you make note of every idea no matter how silly, daft or impossible it may seem. The silliest ideas are sometimes the most creative and often highly inspirational.

Do not stop at the first idea that comes to mind. The first good idea that comes to mind is seldom the most creative - largely because it is almost always the most obvious. Better to generate lots of ideas and then decide which ideas to choose.

Thus the secret to generating great ideas is to start with a great challenge. Then generate, generate, generate ideas.

EVALUATING IDEAS

2007-10-24T12:17:00.001-07:00

What's the difference between a good idea and a bad idea?

If you don't know, then read on!

When someone in a company proposes a new idea to management, an informal two step process is often followed – usually unconsciously. The first step is a gut-instinct evaluation. The manager looks at the idea, thinks about it and, if she likes it, instigates the second stage which is asking the idea proposer to write up a business case of some kind.

The problem with this technique is that gut instinct is sometimes wrong, all the more so when considering radical ideas. There is a tendency towards conservatism when considering ideas involving radical change. Moreover, as I have stated before in this newsletter, the best ideas often sound daft at first. When an idea sounds daft, a busy manager is all too likely to reject it out of hand.

Preparing a business case, on the other hand is expensive. It takes valuable staff time from the author as well as the people who review it. Of course blowing a few thousand Euro on a business case is nothing compared to blowing a few million on a failed idea. Nevertheless, we would certainly like to improve the odds of each business case being convincing, particularly if there is also a larger pool of tested ideas from which to build business cases

The most effective means of performing an initial analysis of an idea is a criteria based evaluation. A criteria based evaluation is an one in which you determine a few basic criteria that are essential for ascertaining whether or not an idea is likely to work. You then determine how well the idea meets each criterion.

For example, if you are evaluating an idea for a new product, you would probably want to consider criteria such as:
Can we expect a good profit by adding this product to our line?
Are the costs of developing the product minimal, for example can we use our existing facilities and resources?
Does the product complement our existing product line?

And so on. Clearly, you could complete such an initial evaluation of a product idea in just minutes

We like to use a 5x5 criteria system for evaluating ideas. We determine five criteria and rate the idea against each criteria on a scale of zero to five. Zero points means the idea does not meet the criteria at all, while five points means the idea completely meets the criteria. Multiply the total number of points the idea receives by four and the result is a score out of 100 possible points, which is easy to analyse.

In fact, we improve accuracy by allowing some criteria to have higher weightings than others in order to represent their importance. We also allow several people to evaluate an idea, thus providing an even more accurate evaluation.

Our 5x5 criteria based evaluation model has been used on all our creativity products since version one of BrainStormer in 1997. Today, all our web applications use the same core evaluation programme which includes a number of features such as variable weighting adjustment, multiple expert evaluations of an idea (Jenni idea management), comparison evaluation of multiple ideas against a single criteria-set (Sylvia web brainstorming and ideasCampaign), dynamic report generation and more.

The result, according to clients, has been lightening fast, yet accurate evaluations of ideas.

Cool 3Dfx

2007-10-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

Thomas Cole's Art

2007-10-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Photo Art

2007-10-23T12:21:00.001-07:00

Stunning Photography

2007-10-16T08:51:00.001-07:00

Stunning Photography

Advertising???

2007-10-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Advertising Questions and Answers

Q. Changing customers' attitude towards any product is difficult but many times it is

necessary. Using any learning theory, explain the process of attitude change for a

complex buying behaviour with example?

A. Classical conditioning theory can itself be used for bringing about an attitude

change. Chocolates, for example, were looked upon as stuff meant for kids and

youngsters. To change customers’ attitude towards chocolate consumption, Cadbury's

came up with ads which showed people of all ages eating and enjoying chocolates.

Not only this, Cadbury's also launched a series of ads in which Amitabh Bachchan, a

senior Bollywood actor, was shown eating chocolates to change customers’ attitude

towards chocolates after worms were found in some of the chocolate bars.

************************************

Q. What is viral advertising?

A. Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketers using pre-established

network of people to spread word of mouth. The word of mouth helps in the message

reaching to multiple people like a computer virus. For e.g. when people start

discussing a movie on orkut and spread the word voluntarily, it’s a case of viral

marketing. Companies now use these networks to spread word about their brand or new

product features or information.

*************************************

Q. What is surrogate advertising?
A. Surrogate advertising is done when the original product is not allowed to advertise

itself on mass media. In India, alcohol brands are not allowed to give

advertisements on television, so alcohol marketing firms use surrogate products like

mineral water, soda, juice to hit consumers with the brand name. The brand name of

the alcohol product is the same as the surrogate product. For e.g. Kingfisher soda.

*************************************

s advertising a gimmick?
A. Many people feel that advertising is a gimmick. In today’s age of competition and

clutter, marketers think of advertising as an investment and consider it to be a

strategic tool to achieve various goals like consumer awareness, visibility, brand

recall and many more. Like for brands in the FMCG category, advertising reminds

consumers about a brand.

Advertising is a potent tool in cases of re-branding like the one which we are

witnessing of Vodafone. Moreover, advertising is a tool which allows communication to

flow between marketers and target group of consumers.

*************************************

Q. What is a DAGMAR approach?

A. DAGMAR stands for Defining Advertising Goals for Measuring Advertising Results. It

is a model developed by Colley in 1961 to measure the effectiveness of an ad. It

measures the impact of an ad through the various stages of unawareness to purchase

action.

*************************************

Q. What is BTL in advertising?

A. Below the line advertising is communicating without using mass media like

television, print, hoardings etc. BTL uses less conventional channels of

communication. Examples can be a brand using community radio to advertise to the

rural audiences or when Professional Tutorials uses all India mock tests to be visible to

students.

*************************************

q. How important are non metro cities in terms of radio advertising?

A. The importance of radio advertising in metro or non-metro cities can be determined

by thinking about the target audience for the brand. As radio penetration is increasing

and its reaching the Tier II cities, advertisers have the option to advertise on radio

in non-metro cities. But it all depends on the product category and the target

audience.

*************************************

Q. What does an advertising campaign consist of? End to end?

A. Advertising campaign starts when the client (company) feels the need to advertise

and ends when the ad is ready. Client shares the advertising objective with the

agency and then agency starts thinking on the objective and develops creative ideas

based on consumer research, experience and brand history. After approval of ideas, the

campaign is developed further. Media planners start doing up the media plan for the

campaign. Finally when pre-testing of the ad is done, release orders are given and the ad

is released in the selected media at the scheduled time.

************************************

Q. What is account planning?

A. Account planning is a strategic tool for consumer insight mining. Account planners

act as the voice of the consumer and gradually it has become one of the most important

activity that an ad agency does. Planning institutionalizes knowledge within an agency.

Tracking market trends and consumer insights, and understanding the target audiences

create a pool of data that is available continuously. For instance, when Ammirati

Puris Lintas (1996-97 billings: Rs 451.38 crore) was creating the advertising

for the Rs 424-crore Johnson & Johnson's brand, Stayfree, it was its account-planning

model, LinSolutions, that threw up from its databases the one crucial customer insight

that became the pivot for the campaign: the user's wish to avoid public embarrassment.

***********************************

Q. "The winds of change suggest the death of an English copywriter in context of Indian

advertising." How far is it true? And if true, how good or bad is it for the

business of communication in the larger perspective?

A. The death of an English copywriter is true and false as well. It is perhaps true

only in the context that the other Indian languages have now started getting their due

credits; we tend to speak in multilingual manner these days. But wrong in the global

context. In the global context, perhaps, English copywriter may live forever.

***********************************

Q. What is double helix model in advertising?

A. The double helix model in advertising challenges models like AIDA – Awareness,

Interest, Desire and Action which show the hierarchy of effects. Due to many factors like

clutter, competition, noise, media explosion, the attention and retention of advertising

messages may not progress in a hierarchical fashion. The double helix model proposes that

advertising gradually connects with the target audience and not necessarily in a

hierarchy.

The model proposed is in the shape of a double helix, with parallel strands

representing Message and Media arranged like a spiral staircase and a temporal factor,

called "Time," running up the middle like a steel pole. This means that an ad exposure

can result in creating awareness but may or may not progress to interest in a

hierarchical fashion.

Even after multiple exposures to the ad, the consumer may very well be in the

awareness stage and may move directly to the purchase stage. In short this model

proposes that the ad effects can be measured only if advertisers and brand managers

understand that consumer’s process information from various sources the progression in

behavior may not be in a hierarchical fashion.

***********************************

Q. What is the meaning of the term 'creative burnout'?

A. Working in competitive creative fields, which are fueled by business demands and the

fiery desires to do better all the time, carries with it a smoldering threat of

failure. One little hiccup and boom! You’re toasted. That is creative burnout.

Upcoming Films '07

2007-10-12T13:06:00.001-07:00

Upcoming Films '07

Print ads

2007-10-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

Print ads

Create your own print ad

2007-10-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Create your own print ad

1. Decide on your communication objective

The communications objective is the essence of your message. If you want to tell people not to eat rutabagas because it's cruel, then that's your communications objective. A word of caution: though perhaps the most important of your 8 steps, this is also the one that beginners tend most to neglect. A precise and well-defined objective is crucial to a good ad. If your objective isn't right on, then everything that follows will be off as well.

2. Decide on your target audience

Who is your message intended for? If you're speaking to kids, then your language and arguments will have to understandable to kids. On the other hand, if you're speaking to high income earners (for example, if you're writing an ad to dissuade people from wearing fur coats), then your language will have to be more sophisticated. So define who your target audience is, because that will decide how your message is conveyed.

3. Decide on your format

Is it going to be a poster, a half-page magazine ad, or a tiny box in the corner of a newspaper? Make this decision based on the target audience you're trying to reach, and the amount of money you can afford to spend. If you're talking to kids, a poster in one high school will not only cost less, it will actually reach more of your target audience than a full-page ad in the biggest paper in town. When it comes to deciding on the size of your ad, the more expensive it will be to produce and run. Don't let that discourage you. You can do a lot with a small ad so long as it's strong, clear, and properly targeted.

4. Develop your concept

The concept is the underlying creative idea that drives your message. Even in a big ad campaign, the concept will typically remain the same from one ad to another, and from one medium to another. Only the execution of that concept will change. So by developing a concept that is effective and powerful, you open the door to a number of very compelling ads. So take you time developing a concept that's strong.

Typically, an ad is made up of a photograph or a drawing (the "visual"), a headline, and writing (the "copy"). Whether you think of your visual or your headline first makes little difference. However, here are a few guidelines worth following.

5. The visual

Though you don't absolutely require a visual, it will help draw attention to your ad. Research indicates that 70% of people will only look at the visual in an ad, whereas only 30% will read the headline. So if you use a visual, then you're already talking to twice as many people as you otherwise might. Another suggestion is to use photographs instead of illustrations whenever possible. People tend to relate to realistic photographs more easily than unrealistic ones. But whether you choose a photograph or an illustration, the most important criteria is that image be the most interesting one possible and at least half your ad whenever possible.

6. The headline

The most important thing to remember here is that your headline must be short, snappy and must touch the people that read it. Your headline must affect the reader emotionally, either by making them laugh, making them angry, making them curious or making them think. If you can't think of a headline that does one of these four things, then keep thinking. Here's a little tip that might help: try to find an insight or inner truth to the message that you're trying to convey, something that readers will easily relate to and be touched by. Taking the rutabagas example once again, it might be tempting to write a headline like: "Stop Exploiting These Migrant Workers." However, with a little thought, a more underlying truth might be revealed - that Migrant Workers are as human as we are, and that our actions do hurt them. From that inner truth, you might arrive at the headline: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Of course, the headline doesn't have to be biblical, though that in itself will add meaning and power for many people. Finally, whenever possible, avoid a headline longer than fifteen words. People just don't read as much as they used to.

7. The copy

Here's where you make the case. If you have compelling arguments, make them. If you have persuasive facts, state them. But don't overwhelm with information. Two strong arguments will make more of an impression than a dozen weaker ones. Finally, be clear, be precise, and be honest. Any hint of deception will instantly detract from your entire message. Position your copy beneath the headline, laid out in two blocks two or three inches in length. Only about 5% of people will read your copy, whereas 30% will read your headline. By positioning your copy near your heading, you create a visual continuity which will draw more people to the information you want to convey. Use a serif typeface for your copy whenever possible. Those little lines and swiggles on the letters make the reading easier and more pleasing to the eye.

Subheads

If you have lots of copy, break it up with interesting subheads, as we've done in the graphic above. This will make your ad more inviting, more organized, and easier to read.

The signature

This is where the name of the organization belongs, along with the address and phone number. If you don't have an organization, then think of a name that will help reinforce the message you're trying to convey. Perhaps "Citizens for Fairness to Migrant Rutabagas Pickers" would work for the example we've been using. This isn't dishonest. Your organization doesn't have to be incorporated or registered for it to be real.

8. Some mistakes to avoid

The single most common mistake is visual clutter. Less is always better than more. So if you're not certain whether something is worth including, then leave it out. If your ad is chaotic, people will simply turn the page, and your message will never be read. The second most common mistake is to have an ad that's unclear or not easily understood (haven't you ever looked at an ad and wondered what it was for?). The best way to safeguard against this is to do some rough sketches of your visual with the headline and show it around. If people aren't clear about your message, then it's probably because your message is unclear. And however tempting, don't argue with them or assume that they're wrong and that your ad is fine. You'll be in for an unpleasant surprise. Proofread your ad, then give it to others to proofread, then proofread it yet again. Typographical errors diminish your credibility and have an uncanny habit of creeping into ads when you least expect it.

Understanding the Mind

2007-10-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

Understanding the Mind: 5 Keys to a Writer's Creativity
By Rob Daugherty

Do you ever wonder how some writers experience that creative "flow" almost at will? They produce so much material it seems as if they have ghost writers working for them. Or, on the other hand, some writers seem to have too many ideas and can't focus long enough to finish a project. How does a person become filled with ideas? What goes on in their minds? What makes a super productive writer tick?

There's a huge amount of information about the brain, memory, and conscious and subconscious behavior. As I read articles on overcoming writer's block and explored exercises for enhancing creativity, I began to connect what I knew as a researcher and hypnotist to what I experienced as a writer.

This article describes that connection. This is not another article to help enhance creativity and overcome writer's block. Instead, it details five interesting characteristics of the mind that, once known, will help you more effectively apply the suggestions given in the many excellent articles on writer's block and creativity, thus allowing you to take those and personalize them to enhance the results.

1. Our Natural Filter - Opening to Ideas
There exists a screening device located at the base of our brain called a Reticular Activating System (RAS). This net-like group of cells helps to decide what we are to be conscious of as it filters out other information. It allows only vital and important sensory input into our conscious awareness.

For example, you are not aware of the shirt on your back until I mention it; or the temperature of the room, or all the sounds in your environment. Thankfully, this filter exists or else we'd go crazy having to acknowledge every color, every sensation, every blink of the eye, and so forth.

What makes understanding the RAS so interesting is that we can shift our focus such that we can become conscious of things normally blocked from our awareness. Just as mothers can hear the slightest "peep" from their babies over many other louder sounds, we can soon become aware of the ideas, the interesting overheard conversations, the article topics that we often block out because we're not focused and open to the possibility of receiving inspiration in a grocery store, for example.

When you first started driving your new car, you thought that not many drove the same model. But soon you began to see these everywhere. People didn't rush out and buy the same car. They were always there. You just made it important to you and thus, your Reticular Activating System allowed that information through.

Once you make writing and being constantly inspired by new ideas important enough to get through, you will be in a new world of ideas and inspiration. Some people think writers are lucky to have been given that crazy experience they were able to turn into a wildly popular book. But if they weren't open to the idea of it becoming a story, they never would've been "lucky."

2. The Brain's Total Recall
I've hypnotized people and taken them to their youth. Some described episodes totally forgotten in their present memory, while others would not believe what they saw until a relative confirmed the experience. Under hypnosis, some people can accurately recall license plate numbers and other details of an accident they were previously unable to remember.

I could give many more examples, but the point is this: we have stored in our brain every article we've read, every experience we've had, and every image that has passed before our eyes. It is all there. The challenge - one of the keys to constant creative inspiration - is to retrieve this information deliberately.

Knowing about the RAS and that everything is stored in the brain, I created a meditation that exercises the mind in such a way that strengthens the connection between the conscious and subconscious, which opens your mind to ideas and allows better access to the stored information.

3. Exercise and Expand
To begin the meditation, I first guide the writer through a "Corridor" to a favorite restaurant. She is given special abilities of invisibility and mind-reading in order to more easily travel throughout this familiar scene and "recall" conversations, thoughts, quirks, and characteristics - all observations that can benefit someone's writing.

Then she is led through a second corridor to an imaginary place, a forest of giant books, magazines, newspaper headlines, song lyrics - all media that can be fantasized. In this magical place, each item is controlled by thought and is aware of the challenge at hand. In other words, if the writer needs an idea for a magazine article, she may imagine a page of job market listings. Just as they appear closer, the perfect listing could be highlighted or blinking in neon.

In the third corridor, I guide the listener to view and explore the first things that come to mind - no judgment, no questioning, just trusting that this will serve to inspire, if not this instant, then later on when they need it the most.

The meditation stretches the mind one way, as the scene is first remembered (the restaurant) then created (the abilities and observations), then stretches it in the opposite, as the forest is imagined (or created) then all the various media you've already seen is remembered. This is very important. Any one of these exercises will work alone, but when combined, they thoroughly expand the human brain's capability to create and remember.

When the mind is stretched in any one direction, it cannot help but reach in all other directions as well. It's like a room with a single light bulb in the middle. When that bulb gets brighter, it illuminates more and more of the room. As we exercise the mind, we literally shed light upon, tap into, or connect with a greater portion of our brain.

For instance, when Einstein would get stuck on a difficult concept, he would go into another room to play his violin. Upon returning to the problem, a solution would often come to mind. Exercising his mind in a different way boosted his creativity for the work he was doing.

This is why it is important to continue to learn, to hone your craft, to read. This meditation will help, possibly in dramatic ways, but so will reading other related articles. And this is because you now understand and can recognize how and why the exercises will increase your capabilities.

4. The Great Multi-Tasker
Another aspect of the human mind is its ability to multi-task. People talk on a hands-free cellular phone while driving a car 65 mph on a metropolitan beltway, eating a sandwich, handing a cracker to a child in the backseat, listening to music and changing stations, switching lanes, reading and following traffic signs, shifting gears, eating more sandwich, and checking in the mirror for lettuce in the teeth. The eyes blink to maintain proper moisture, the mouth chews the food, the salivary glands add moisture, and various muscles contract in precise order so that the food particles move into the stomach, which has already begun the digestive process.

The body temperature is regulated, the heart is pumping blood, the lungs inhale oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. Hair continues to grow. All the senses provide constant feedback to the brain, indicating that all the tasks associated with driving the car are being accomplished.

This is just a fraction of what's taking place every second of every day of every week. The point? Our mind is a powerful machine. Now, let's put it to use...

5. Auto-Pilot to a Creative Flow
The writer is guided back to the three doors. Upon entering one, she sees three more doors. She is reminded subconsciously that in each of these doors there exists a whole world of creative inspiration. These "worlds" are those remembered from previous articles they've read or from prior experiences.

Then, in this world, there exists three more doors to choose from, each with its own inspirational characteristics, any of which the mind can choose at any time. After stepping through just four doors, a writer ultimately would have had 81 sources (doors) of creativity to choose from. One more door and that's 243. Then 729, and so on. In just a matter of a few seconds, the subconscious mind will have explored nine doors, which is almost 20,000 possible sources of creativity. Pass through three more and the mind has availed itself to more than a half-million possibilities.

Is this confusing? If it is, it's nothing to be worried about. The information still got through. Your subconscious can do much more than your conscious, and with enough practice, this becomes automatic. When things move into the subconscious, there is no longer a need to consciously think and then do. It just happens. Fast typists type without ever looking at the keyboard or thinking about each individual letter and where their fingers are. Pianists can play a song and carry a conversation at the same time. Driving a car is yet another example.

It's natural for things to be done automatically if done enough times. And soon, being more creative and recognizing the ideas all around you will also just happen. The mind is constantly exploring options and possibilities. Exploring a half-million of these in a manner of a few seconds is typical behavior for the subconscious mind. Incredibly, we don't have to be aware of this for it to happen. The key is to understand and to trust that this is how the mind works. When writers accept this and exercise their mind with such a guided meditation, they will find themselves having a constant flow of ideas.

And so, I leave you with a gentle reminder of what was discussed:

1. We "see" things when they become important to us
2. The mind is constantly recording information
3. The mind and its abilities are expandable through mental exercises
4. The brain is able to process and do innumerable things at once
5. The more we practice and the more we trust, the more ideas we have.

So, relax. Take in a deep breath. Trust that the mind is a powerful thing. And as you listen to the "Corridors to Creativity" or as you read the many excellent articles, enjoy the idea that you are improving in every way and opening yourself to new worlds of creativity and inspiration.

======

Rob Daugherty is a webmaster, author, and certified hypnotist. This article is a companion article to the guided imagery CD he created specifically to eliminate writer's block and increase productivity. Visit http://www.letusponder.com/wholemind_cfl.html for more information and testimonials. Visit http://www.mp3.com/robdaugherty to listen online.

Career Dreams?

2007-10-12T12:25:00.000-07:00

Are You Living Your Career Dreams?
By Charlene Rashkow

Inherent within the human spirit is the desire for fulfillment, a longing to carry out our creative aspirations by reaching new heights of accomplishment. Yet often the yearning can be suppressed by fear. Perhaps we aren't feeling good enough, smart enough or able enough to pursue and fulfill our dreams.

If you are contemplating a change in your career or wish to enhance your business to a higher level but are hesitant to make the transition, let me assure you that it is never too late to choose anew. As a matter of fact, many people change career directions several times throughout a lifetime and some don't even discover their true passions until much later in life. If you are not living your career dreams and have been putting them aside because you're terrified of trying something new, now is the time to take a stand.

Stepping Outside of your Comfort Zone
The one inevitable way you won't make your dreams a reality is by ignoring them. To bring them into actuality, one simply needs to step out and begin living them. There are no magical answers and no formulas prescribed with guarantees. There are only opportunities. You merely have to make a decision that you are going to do it and then follow through. Be assured though you'll be called upon to express boldness as well as a willingness to take chances but the key to reinventing yourself requires the willingness to step outside of your comfort zone. How else will you know what you're made of or what you're capable of, if you don't explore your potential?

Not long ago, I met with a young lady who requested my assistance with a career move. She had a good deal of web designing expertise as well as content writing experience within her background but she didn't know how to move forward. In spite of the fact that she was involved in a myriad of creative endeavors on a consistent basis, she was still recognized as the "Secretary" at her place of employment. Of course there's nothing wrong with being a Secretary but she was more interested in pursuing an independent creative career that required her to disconnect from the old identity. As a very talented young woman the only thing that was lacking was confidence in her ability to step into her new role. After our meeting, I helped her to redesign her bio/resume and encouraged her in a new direction. I'm happy to report that she's now living her career dreams.

Having the Courage
By having the courage to leave your comfort zone and doing what you feel is right despite your fears and uncertainties you will be demonstrating a commitment to yourself. Of course you'll have your moments and possibly doubt yourself at times, but remember nothing ventured nothing gained. It is highly recommend that you not allow fear to prevent you from living your career dreams but simply give yourself permission to do the very thing you've wanted to do all your life.

=======
Charlene Rashkow brings 15 years of experience as a Writing Stylist and Author to her creative efforts as a freelance writer/consultant. She has successfully helped companies and individuals reach their objectives by writing outstanding press releases, bios, articles of interest, business plans, resumes, web site content and all other forms of marketing material. She has recently launched an e-book titled "Movin' On Up" filled with tips for overcoming any business hurdle. You may contact Charlene Rashkow at www.allyourwritingneeds.com or write her at Crwriting@aol.com. You can also call her directly at (310) 514-4844.

The B.O.X Factor

2007-10-12T12:22:00.000-07:00

Out-of-Box, In-the-Box, New-Box, Other-Box, No-Box Thinking
By Robert Alan Black, Ph.D.

For years supporters and detractors of creative thinking in the workplace have talked about Out-of-the-Box Thinking. The supporters, often consultants and researchers, have stressed the easiest way for people to be creative was to think out-of-the-box, to break their paradigms or mindsets, their ways of thinking.

The detractors have pointed out often the damage such thinking can produce and stressed the counteractive effects upon the total organization and its more global goals and mission.

Within organizations particular departments have been labelled out-of-the-box: R&D, Marketing, Human Resource Department and Creative Services and resisted by the finance, purchasing, administration, shipping, and other departments who prefer to stay in their carefully constructed boxes or the boxes provided for them.

As a consultant, speaker and college professor I have promoted the development of out-of-the-box thinking in all people, all departments for about 20 years, normally to a thundering thud of silence.

Occasionally creative type departments will entertain the idea of learning how to leave boxes but generally they already know how. Their problems center on the debris, anger, frustration they leave in their wake when they do tear done or damage boxes.

Recently in an email message, Chris Barlow, Ph.D., professor at IITs Management Department and long-time fellow CPSI faculty member and colleague challenged me on an apparent emphasis on out-of-the-box thinking as the primary source of creative thinking.

Instantaneous flash of the obvious occurred. An Aha!

Stressing mainly or even only out-of-the-box thinking excludes a wealth of other sources of creativity:

in-the-box, no-box, new-box, other-box thinking

Immediately jumping out of a box or tearing it down eliminates many possibilities of ideas and solutions that can come from staying in-the-box. If we stay in our box we can examine what has worked?, what hasnt worked?, what might work if we only....?, how can we capitalize on what is working while still changing or improving it?

By forcing ourselves to leave our box we cut ourselves off from the not-yet-understoods or not-thoroughly communicated or experienced existing knowledge within our existing box. Or as Sid Shore has tried to teach us for many years, Whats Good About It (our box)?

By using new box thinking instead of out-of-the-box thinking we provide ourselves with controllable and measurable limits or useful restraints.

New Box Thinking is a controlled form of out-of-the-box thinking. The best analogy is one that Edward de Bono has used often to describe the difference between vertical thinking (box) and lateral thinking (out-of-the-box, actually new box). He has written that vertical thinking is comparable to digging the same hole deeper to find the treasure and horizontal or lateral thinking is digging new holes in many locations (new boxes).

Out-of-the-box thinking would go beyond simply digging new holes it might involve looking in the air, under the sea or using other tools or methods beyond simply a shovel As Abraham Maslow has told us, If you see your only tool as a hammer (shovel), then you will see all your problems as nails (holes to be dug).

Other-Box Thinking involves leaving yours and entering someone elses once again with the Whats Good About It? philosophy. An example might be for the creative department to send people to work in the finance, purchasing, shipping, manufacturing departments to learn what the grass on the other side of the fence is really like in the other boxes. Benefits might be:

1) greater understandings of the benefits of the other boxes,

2) a sharing of commonalties within boxes,

3) ways to integrate and interlock boxes.

Another example often used in todays business and industry is for employees from a manufacturing company to visit and work with people in their various supplier or vendor companies to understand their boxes and to share about their own with them.

No-Box Thinking might mean complete open thinking with no limits or Virtual/Transparent-Box Thinking. No-Box thinking challenges the greatest majority of people because of the tremendously potential risks involved. Anything can wrong at any time. There is no box to provide any protection. No fortress or castle walls. Yet if people are encouraged to use out-of-the-box thinking as part of their job, a small percentage at first expanding as they are ready.

3M is reported to encourage their research people to spend up to 15% of their time on exploratory projects, thinkingout- of-the-box, while still accomplishing the 100% of their work they have contracted to complete within the other 85% of their time. Post-It notes are but one example of this approach.

Its interesting that in elementary schools and some middle schools across the country teachers have been using this reward approach to provide students with time during their school day for out-of-the-box thinking time and projects of their own choosing, if and only if they complete their required work early.

Virtual/Imaginary Box thinking may provide the best of both in and out thinking. The box is there in the form of policies and principles yet the employees are allowed to look out of their box or even venture out knowing that they can always return to the security and safety of their box.

Next time you consider breaking out of your box consider these other options.

1. Re-look at the box you think you are in. It may actually not have permanent, impregnable walls as you current believe or think.

2.Look within to solutions you have never considered or can reconsider from the past. Work within the box.

3. Visit other boxes, within or without your organization. Much can be learned and shared with the inhabitants.

4. Experiment at least part of the time with having no boxes. Perhaps keep a tether attached back to your box just in case. Even the most experienced mountain climbers rarely climb unattached.

5. Encourage the use of virtual or transparent wall materialfor your box.

6. Gradually teach others the benefits of out-of-the-box thinking, while you learn the benefits you have never considered that lie within the boxes where you already are.

Remember our boxes are in our minds most of the time.

=====
©1990 Robert Alan Black, Ph.D.
RAB, Inc. - Cre8ng People, Places & Possibilities
P. O. Box 5805 Athens, Georgia 30604-5805
alan@cre8ng.com -- www.cre8ng.com
1-706-353-3387