Creativity is just connecting the dots

Steve Jobs described creativity and the creative process better than anyone.

“Creativity is just connecting things,” Jobs said. “When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.”

Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem.

The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.

The Gator Nation; Closer to our patients. Closer to a cure; Everybody’s doing it; We fulfill dreams through the experiences of motorcycling. All just connecting the dots. And yes, I’ve felt guilty because I couldn’t explain how ideas happened. It seemed they just happened. Where did The Gator Nation come from? Well, it was there all the time. We just saw something in the dots. Connected point A with point B and presto, there it was.

Indeed, sometimes they — the connection between the dots — were right there, staring you in the face. Other times it took research, discussion and time, but inevitably, the solution just arrived. Or did it emerge. Or did it just magically appear.

I like the magic. Work to understand the dots wherever you are. It might happen immediately, it might take some time, but the dots will start to align. That alignment will help you develop a campaign that will truly differentiate your organization or your client from their competitors.

That’s what takes a good public relations or marketing program and turns it into a great one.