Energize Your Creativity with Our Top 10 Tips

Believe it or not, we’re all creative in our own unique way. Some people are naturally creative, some develop their creativity through necessity and effort, and others just need to find a way to unlock it.

When it comes to writing successful copy, you need to harness your creativity. This will help you to create well-structured copy that inspires, solves problems, engages the reader and delivers the desired results.

Here are our top 10 tips to energize your creativity and give yourself the boost you need to take your copy to the next level:

1. Find your motivation

For many of us, motivation comes from the desire to succeed. That can be in business, financially or personally. Whatever your motivation, you can use it to drive you forward.

This will be the fuel that keeps you on track — putting in the required hours, continually learning and pushing you to carry on through any struggles.

2. Identify what’s holding you back

Think about what is holding you back creatively. Make time for yourself, consider any bad habits that hinder your productivity, such as procrastination or self-doubt.

We can all be guilty of putting off a piece of work that we know will have its challenges.
Evaluate what those challenges are, and which ones are slowing your progress. Whether it’s that elusive perfect hook, angle or idea, or lack of confidence, then seek the tips, training or support you need to boost your abilities and energize creativity to find the solution.

3. Hone your craft

Even the top people in any profession never stop learning. No matter how much success you’ve had in your career, you should always be on the hunt for new ideas, new ways to approach a problem, expand your knowledge and develop your skillset.

Things move on. Stay sharp and relevant. Complacency is the enemy of creativity.

4. Step out of your comfort zone

We all love the feeling of pride and confidence that comes with knowing you can do a job well. With copywriting, it can be all too easy to fall into the trap of using the same tried and tested approach.

We often do because we know it works, saves time and allows us to move on to the next piece of work. That’s a good thing — isn’t it?

Yes, to a degree. However, it can also hold you back creatively. It can give you pause when considering new work opportunities that would mean stepping out from your comfort zone and, worse still, stifle your imagination and creativity — preventing you from developing your craft.

5. Feed your imagination

I used to work with a talented public relations professional who’s favourite saying (one of the more printable ones anyway) was “no idea is a new idea.” I remember thinking the first time I heard it that it was quite sad. To think that everything had already been thought of was something of a downer.

That said, I soon discovered that there was more than a little truth to it — and not in a bad way. The point was, while the BIG idea may have been used before, we can still use our own creativity to find a new approach, adapting old ideas with a fresh take.

Experiment by reimagining the tried and tested. Switch things up.

Don’t allow indecision or fear to slow your progress. Get your ideas down, play around with them and see what works. Sometimes it can be one simple change that makes all the difference. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Make notes. Your idea might not work for this project, but it might be perfect for the next one.

Keep your eyes open and continually seek out innovation to feed your creativity.

6. Give yourself time

We all lead busy lives and these pressures often leave us feeling pulled in different directions, spreading ourselves so thin that we struggle to achieve any task to a level that leaves us satisfied with a job well done.

If it’s finding the time that’s the problem, then you need to prioritise your day. Get anything that’s urgent or that might distract you out of the way first, then leave your diary clear to complete the required task.

With more and more of us working from home now, prioritising and time-management is a vital skill. Time saved on our old commute can easily be lost again as the pressures of home life creep into our working day.

If you are adapting to home-working and finding it hard, treat your working day as you would before. Have a start and end time and limit any chores or personal jobs to your lunch hour. Be strict with yourself and you’ll find a balance.

Allow time in your day to think. Many writers keep a note pad and pen handy at all times (I’m probably showing my age here) or whatever your preferred note-taking device is.

Ideas and inspiration can hit at any time. Make sure you harness those thoughts before they’re forgotten.

7. Learn and embrace the creative process

Like with any job — do your research. Read books on developing your creativity, the creative process and problem-solving. Check out what your competitors are doing. See how other businesses are using new and creative ways to tackle problems and how others are putting a new spin on things.
Talk to your peers, friends and family to find out what helps them to energize their creativity.

There’s a big world out there. Throw yourself into it and free your mind.

8. Be brave

Some ideas will work, some won’t. What you need to remember is that the creative process is simply a tool to help push you forward and hone your craft. Your existing knowledge is still there. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

It’s about adding value, not taking it away. Try making small changes to switch up your copy and see how it works for you.

Go at your own pace and give your ideas time to develop. Keep innovating and be brave.

9. Don’t keep your ideas to yourself

Sometimes ideas need time to breathe. If you have a nugget of an idea but are not quite sure how to make it work, allow yourself time to play around with it and flesh it out.

Chat to trusted colleagues to get their take. It might help you see it from another angle.

Sometimes the right idea just needs a little oxygen to show you the best way to take it forward.

10. Set yourself up for success

Give yourself the space to let your creativity flow. If you’re based in a busy office or home — find yourself a place where you can think and make notes free of distractions. Brainstorm your ideas, play around with them and see where they lead.

Don’t evaluate or dismiss them before you’ve let the idea breathe. Play music or enjoy the silence — go with what works for you.

Give yourself a break. I mean this figuratively and literally. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Like any skill, developing your personal creative process will take time and as I said, the idea you’re working on may not work right now, but it’s worth logging it for the future.

Revisit your ideas, look for fresh inspiration, try new angles and see what pops.

If you’re feeling like you’ve hit a creative wall — go and get yourself a coffee, go for a walk or run, put on your favourite track and dance, take the dog out.

Give yourself the space you need to reenergize and let your creativity flow.

I hope these tips have given you food for thought and help to energize your creativity.

Plant the seed, nurture it and let it grow.

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About Gemma Wright

I'm Gemma Wright, co-owner of ProCopyTips and a freelance PR consultant and copywriter. Having worked as a PR Manager for large financial services companies in the UK, I now focus on helping small and growing businesses to thrive through the power of effective communications.

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