The Most Inspirational Blog Ever
Check out the latest team member blog from Mojo Maker, Rick Reid, on how he cultivates creative inspiration and his insights from the rest of the Mojo team:
My mama always said she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. Yet she lived on to become an impressive fine artist. Once she achieved this, she stopped talking about herself. Because of this, I grew up with a chip on my shoulder and a bone to pick. How did she experience such self-discovery without the internet? I believe my mom's plight and premonition is a perfect illustration of how creativity is not characterized as a physical ingredient of our marrow. Rather, creativity is a consequence of goals; our wants and needs.
If you think about it, every great invention was created for these basic reasons with the exceptions of the Snuggie and Pet Rock. Maybe these two mass merchandising curiosities just fall into the abyss of Art for Art’s Sake. Or perhaps these fad gadgets are superior examples of ways and means for wants and needs.
This Ain’t Yo Mama’s Brainchild
You know what? Art is hard. I’ve been at it for quite some time and I have figured out ways to be inspired creatively to create art without breaking any laws. Certainly, the 1980’s were different in that regard, but I also got to meet Andy Warhol — no lie, true story. But this isn’t the 80’s and I have clients that are looking to crush their competitors while rocking their ROI like a Van Halen concert. So it’s important for me to be inspired creatively in this new millennium. What does it for me? Strong coffee, my Spotify playlists, a thrift store wardrobe, and knowing how many licks it takes to get to the center of my universe.
That Ol’ Blank Magic
As easy as this sounds, finding ways to bring that old Mojo magic into client projects, even on days when my creative gland ain’t all that swelled up, can be a challenge. It’s important to note, however, by the simple fact that I have clients in need of my digital wares, is inspiration enough. Alas, inspiring yes – but inspiration and creativity are not the same like Akbar and Jeff. The two, when aligned properly, can produce Mojo magic.
Mind you, obtaining inspiration doesn’t mean you’re automatically creative, or in my case, a digital designer. You can be a client success manager and need a little squirt of awesome to grease your productive gears. For Mojo’s clients, creative inspiration means having a top-performing team that creates innovative ways to garner leads using ABM and inbound methodologies. For Mojo Makers, creative inspiration comes in many shapes, forms, and flavors.
Okay, So How Y’all Do It?
Yep, that's Texan for, "Let’s take a look-see under the hood to figure out what makes Mojo tick from a creative perspective." After all, creativity it’s one of our six core values. If the curtain is pulled back enough, it might reveal some new fundamental assets.
Macy Fontaine: SURVEY
Obtaining motivation from investigative research. Just like any good cop/bad cop, Macy’s concise and analytical way of researching the marketing industry’s project management publications and white papers inspires her to do great stuff on a daily basis. Do not break more than one law at a time.
Java Ahmed: EXPERIMENT
Doing one thing every day you’ve never done before. Java’s scientific approach to creative inspiration plays well into her innovative UI/UX web designs. Experimentation comes with a bit of an edge and appreciation for the unexpected. This method for creative inspiration obviously works well for her in the world of website architecture and adventure.
Chandler Smith: INFLUENCE
Converting the energy of current obsessions into writing. This form of inspiration is much like the process of osmosis. Chandler sees the sunrise as a new event filled with news and music to evaluate its voice and tone — and trounce upon. This equates to a veritable soup du jour of influences for him to serve up, sip, and savor.
Rick Reid: PRACTICE
Tapping into the source spring of time-tested muses. As I mentioned before, a familiar daily dose of caffeine, exercise, new tunes, and a funky shirt or two keeps me creatively engaged. I don't require a lot, 'cause my mind has a mind of its own.
Ashton Adair: PERSPECTIVE
Unlocking synergy through team interactions. Ashton lives by the rule of, “Having another point of view is essential to creative problem-solving.” Leveraging the Mojo’s team diverse viewpoints to assist in formulating your own is a clever way to accomplish goals. This blog is a perfect example of perspective, even if it isn’t Ashton’s perspective — it’s still a perspective and that settles it.
Liz Ryan: DELIGHT
Creating inspiration in its most tasteful form. For Liz, there’s nothing better than crafting great gourmet dishes such as risottos, pasta, roasted vegetables, and basically anything with cheese. Just saying the word, “cheese” fills your face with a delightful smile — and of course, nothing says, “please” better than, “cheese, please.”
James Elhardt: LEVITY
Finding joy and humor to lighten the spirit and inspire creativity. If a smile makes a lousy umbrella, then James’ laugh makes horrible flood insurance. Most people know James, even if they don’t know him. His infectious laugh means he’s busy. Don’t disrupt his creative inspiration and please enjoy James responsibly.
Amanda Shvets: REFLECT
Taking a mental break to review, refresh, and renew. This kind of brain freeze never hurts. It’s a well-known fact that even the most creative performances have an intermission. While Amanda is not a fan of crowded functions, she believes a pause for the cause will result in a fix in the mix. Word. Even though she doesn't smoke, this is probably a creative genetic holdover from the days of midcentury ad agency smoke breaks. Oh never mind. Everyone had ashtrays on their desks back then.
Mad Menagerie
For those seeking to achieve a little creative inspiration, I have effectively listed some useful contributions, courtesy of my fellow Mojo Makers. Additionally, I have inadvertently created eight new core values we now must add to our current set. To sum it all up, people are different. People at Mojo are super different but in an inspiring and creative way. We all have flaws that would make Don Draper crack a smile. Regardless, we love what we do and do what we love, all while serving our clients and working at the greatest award-winning marketing agency on the planet. Make no bones about it — we work hard and play smart all while finding ways to keep loving what we do. It’s who we are.