This is Where the Magic Happens!

I'm a design thinking coach/consultant, but I often work with clients who are unfamiliar with the creative process of design thinking. Indeed many have no clue what design thinking is - nor do they care! They've simply been told by someone they trust that I can help them, and that's all they're interested in. And rightly so.

If you're currently stuck, overwhelmed, or just not sure what to do next, you don’t need to be an artist, a writer, or even a traditionally 'creative' person to benefit from design thinking. In fact, many of the most innovative solutions come from those who never saw themselves as creative in the first place. The magic lies in seeing problems from fresh perspectives and experimenting with new ways to solve them.

Why Design Thinking Matters

Design thinking isn’t about artistry or creativity in the conventional sense. It’s a problem-solving framework that helps you empathise with your customers, reframe challenges, and develop innovative solutions. It’s about listening deeply, exploring possibilities, and taking action. You don’t need to come to me with any creative credentials - just a willingness to explore new ideas and approaches.

Let's face it, I can't draw a straight line, so I don't fit in the 'traditionally' creative box either!

But we're all creative.

Don't believe me?

OK, then let me prove you wrong by sharing this quick exercise I do when first working with clients who also claim no to be creative.

It's time to engage your imagination with a little poem from musical comedian Bo Burnham:

'Read this to yourself. Read it silently. Don’t move your lips. Don’t make a sound. Listen to yourself. Listen without hearing anything. What a wonderfully weird thing, huh?

NOW MAKE THIS PART LOUD! SCREAM IT IN YOUR MIND! DROWN EVERYTHING OUT. Now, hear a whisper. A tiny whisper.

Now, read this next line in your best crotchety old man voice: “Hello there sonny, does this town have a post office?”

Awesome! Who was that? Whose voice was that? Certainly not yours. How do you do that? How!? Must be magic!'

If you're telling me you didn't do exactly what that poem demanded of you, hearing and shouting in your head in voices that weren't yours, then stop reading now. We should never work together.

The exercise above shows that creativity isn’t something mysterious or reserved for a select few. You just demonstrated that you can imagine, visualise, and create voices in your head. It’s a reminder that the mind is infinitely adaptable, and ready to explore new pathways - even if they seem a bit strange at first.

This is exactly what design thinking is about: discovering new ways to look at problems, finding unexpected solutions, and seeing possibilities where none seemed to exist before. It’s less about being 'creative' in the artistic sense and more about using curiosity, empathy, and experimentation to drive innovation and growth.

Why Use Design Thinking?

This is such a simple question to answer! When you work with me, because of the way I work with design thinking, you gain access to fresh perspectives and a structured approach to problem-solving. It’s not about having all the answers up front; it's about navigating the unknown with confidence. Here's what design thinking can do for you:

1. Break Free from Limiting Patterns: Stuck in a rut? Together we'll use design thinking to help you step back and see the bigger picture, identifying hidden challenges and opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed.
2. Empathy-Driven Insights: We'll use design thinking to ensure you fully understand your customers' needs, pain points, and desires, so you can create solutions that resonate deeply and stand out from your competitors.
3. Test, Learn, and Adapt: Instead of spending months planning the perfect strategy, I'll encourage and support you as you get comfy with quick experimentation. This approach allows you to learn rapidly, tweak your plans as needed, and get where you want to be faster.
4. Build Resilience: The iterative nature of design thinking builds business resilience, which means you're able to pivot quickly whenever you're faced with fresh challenges. And since covid, those challenges seem to arrive thick and fast!

So if you’re feeling unsure about where to go next or how to tackle a particular challenge, you now know that you don’t need to be an artist or a designer to work with me and put design thinking to good use. You don’t even need to think of yourself as particularly creative. All you need is an open mind and a willingness to explore new possibilities.

Let’s chat about where you are now, where you want to be, and how we can use design thinking to get you there. Because sometimes, all it takes is a fresh perspective to unlock the potential that’s already within you.

No magic required - just a little bit of curiosity and a lot of action.

Ready to dive in? Me too!

But that could also be because - in the spirit of full transparency - this newsletter has been scheduled to hit your inbox whilst I'm lounging by the pool with my Kindle. So I may be about to dive into my next read, or into the pool for a swim.

Either way, that doesn't stop you from jumping in and booking a chat via my diary, or dropping me a message if you'd like to find out more.

With magical intention, Lucy. ??

Enquire about working with me.

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