3 creative minds on creativity and where they get their ideas

There´s a big difference between coming up with an idea and acting on it. Sometimes there’s a good reason why an idea stays just that and is never realized. Creativity, on the other hand, is the engine that not only churns out these very ideas, but also finds practical uses for them.

The notion that you have to wait for inspiration, as if it is some kind of divine intervention, is a myth. Like everything else, you must work for it. But how does one earn creativity? We asked three of Spoon’s creative minds where they get their ideas – and what they do when they don’t.

Hi Melker Forssén, Chief Creative Director and head honcho of “creativity” at Spoon. Where do you get your ideas?

“Ideas stem from insights. It is all about understanding what causes the problem at hand. Albert Einstein once said, ‘If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.’ That is, if he said all those things that people attribute to him.”

Hi Linus Lindskoog, Creative Director at Spoon Stockholm. What's the biggest misconception about creativity?

“Over the years I’ve heard quite a few people say ‘I’m not a creative person, so I’ll leave that up to you.’ In my opinion, creativity is just like any form of craft. It takes practice to build those thought paths and the more you do it, the more rewarding the process becomes. Many people are highly creative every day without realizing.”

Lina Skafvenstedt, you are a Creative Director at Spoon Göteborg and turning abstract ideas into well-crafted pitches is just another day at the office for you. What’s your best advice to get out of a creative rut?

“Creative rut? What’s that? Just kidding. I usually do one of three things – or all of them, if needed. I either do some more research. Maybe the creative rut is in fact not a rut at all, but a lack of understanding of the task at hand? Or I ask a colleague if we can bounce some ideas back and forth, to get some new energy and perspectives. Or last, but not least, I do something completely different. I take a shower, go for a run or empty the dishwasher. That usually triggers the creative process. That is, if I have done enough research in the first place.”