Staying Salty

Being original in a copycat world

Salt is a wonderful, natural commodity. It flavours, preserves and heals. It helps us float in the sea and it keeps us on the roads during winter. But if salt loses its saltiness, it cannot be made salty again, and then it is no good to anyone! As creatives, if we are to remain on top of our game, and continue to provide well-crafted, original designs, there are a few things we can do to stay salty.

When our minds are full of information, it’s hard to think clearly. Disconnect from things that distract us and re-connect with the things that make us feel alive! For me, that means getting outside.

Instead of concentrating on being printers, we have become multi-function laserjets that scan, copy, fax and email. By the time we come to printing, we’re often low on ink!

When I was younger, I would scan the Argos catalogue and circle objects that caught my eye. I saved up and bought a flashy sports bag with different compartments and zips all over it. It was almost as big as I was! After a week the zips started to break and I showed it to my dad. He went to the loft and took out a 40-year old leather satchel with two metal buckles on it. It was his old school bag from childhood and was in great condition. He explained that the more complicated things are, the more there is that can go wrong.

When we try to do too much, we can end up frustrated and dissatisfied. Get organised in whatever way works best for you (lists, diary, phone apps), prioritise and delegate tasks. Freeing up space and time helps us get the creative juices flowing.

We spend time crafting strategies according to what we think people want or need to hear. Then we try to make as much noise as possible, measuring a campaign’s success by the attention it attracts, often in the form of retweets, likes, hits and followers. Consumers are tired of being sold things, but we all love to buy.

Find that special kick that draws people in naturally. If we make a song and dance, pointing fish to the bait, they’re not likely to bite, but if the bait smells good and is authentic, we’re onto a winning catch.

The things we create are always unique but not necessarily original.

Ask a young child to draw something and they amaze us with their imagination. Once they are at school they are often told what to draw and how to draw it. It might be a nice picture where colours fit neatly within the pencil lines, but we risk turning art classes into factories of mirrors rather than places where original creativity can flourish. When we approach our work, try to resist following trends and fashions that can so easily become stale. Get away from the screen, take out a notepad and a pencil and spend some time scribbling, sketching and doodling.

I recently asked five friends from different walks of life to define in one image what they understood “creativity” to be.

The programmer said a “lightbulb”.
The poet said a “river”.
The designer said a “cloud”.
The author is still to get back to me.
And my artist friend said “a rainbow coming out of an egg”.

All are valid. All are unique. One in particular is quite original.

Let’s break the rules. Stay salty folks.