Pro Tip: How To Train Your Brain To Think "Creatively".

Your brain is not a constructive working partner.

Your brain, is not on your side. Your brain, cares about one thing: its survival. Your brain, wants to sit there, and do the bare minimum. Your brain, likes doing and thinking the same things, over and over again. Your brain, does not want to think inventively. Ever.

I know this because I’m been fighting with my lazy-ass noodle to think creatively for over 30 years. (I also know because I did est in the early 1980s.) I often lose to it. Your brain, is very strong-willed, about doing nothing different.

Let’s pretend you just got a brief for—whatever, doesn’t matter—a new video war game.

Your brain will say to you:

‘Just look at all the other video war games and their ads, and just sorta copy what they did, man. Get this hard shit outta the way. Aren’t you sleepy? Aren’t you bored? Don’t you wanna drink some vodka and talk fantasy sports/Mandalorian/fashion/reality TV/ with your friends?’

This of course will appeal to many when faced with a fucking blank screen and an assignment in a well-trodden category, especially if you’re just trying to skate by, and even more especially if skating by is your creative department’s SOP.

But maybe some of you would want to do something “original”, something not seen before. In response, your brain may then activate a headache or a diversion (hey, you haven’t organized your porn folders in awhile).

Here’s some tips on how to power through your lazy brain’s anti-idea-ism.