There are ideas and there is implementation. Letting your mind wander and come to an idea over a longer period of time is essential. Getting something happening and moving though, that’s different. I believe doing is more effective than thinking – as you’ll just not know until you try. Your thoughts might be simply wrong, and they can’t be validated until you move into action.

Think Slow. Act Fast. Perhaps?

But on the idea of slow creativity, the challenge is the brief. Most of the (client-serving) industry relies upon a request from the client and a response from a team. There is a huge gap in proactive creativity. The notion of “ooh, I was in the shower, and had this idea” rarely creates action. Its a hard hard sell to pitch something to a client if they don’t have the problem already identified or are focusing on the other things with deadlines.

What we need is a better way of allowing and encouraging proactive ideas. Something which doesn’t have a person demanding a solution, but rather a person who is open to hearing things which have potential. Less “test and learn” more “try and learn”.

The old 70/20/10 model perhaps should be 70 incremental / 20 disruptive and 10 proactive, and leave budget and commitment for ideas which come not in the normal windows of opportunity.

Imaging being the brand manager who turns down the idea of Uber because they didn’t have a brief which demanded that as the solution.