Jim Doherty, Blend Senior Art Director, Interviewed

Photo of Jim Doherty ©Jasmine Hartsook

Jim Doherty Interview:

You are Senior Art Director at Blend Images. Can you fill us in on how you got into the stock photo business and the journey that led you to Blend?

Before I got in to the business of making and licensing still images – I had been involved in the licensing of stock music to radio and the licensing of motion pictures to ancillary markets (airlines and cable TV). I started my career in stock photography at The Stock Market Photo Agency as an account executive. After a few years in sales I moved over to their photo research department. Working in research got me very interested in the creation of the images as opposed to the selling of the images. That led me to a job in the editing department of The Image Bank. I was working at The Image Bank when they were acquired by Getty Images. I worked for Getty Images as a photo editor for many years and enjoyed it very much. I left Getty in 2008 for Blend Images.

You went from a large Stock Agency to a much different kind of Agency in Blend. How is working at Blend different from your previous experiences in the stock imagery world?

Working for Getty Images was a great experience and a great place to work.  I left Getty when their editing portal came in to play and most photographers did not work directly with their editor.  I wanted to continue the photographer interaction and collaboration that I enjoyed at Getty. Blend offered me that opportunity.

Working here at Blend feels more like working for a family run business, than a large corporation. It is the same feeling I got while working at Richard Steedman’s Stock Market Photo Agency.  Blend is a very tight knit group that tries to put a human touch on the experience our photographers have in an industry that has become very automated and impersonal.  We still have photographer meetings every year…I don’t know many places that still put that time, expense and effort in to their shooters.

What are your responsibilities at Blend?

It is my job to maintain a creative and productive relationship with Blend’s photographer community. I am the main curator of the images that Blend puts out in to the marketplace. I brainstorm with photographers and help them come up with ideas that I feel will sell.

What do you like best about your work?

I love it when I see a picture that I worked on with a photographer in an advertisement. It is like owning a racehorse that wins the Kentucky Derby or seeing a child grow up to be something amazing. I never get over that feeling – it is something special.

What is the biggest challenge you face as a stock agency art director?

I think one of my biggest challenges is the same challenge that stock  photographer’s face….coming up with a smart, eye-catching way to illustrate an advertising concept. Thinking of new ways to interpret ideas, hire models and get the most out of a shoot day.

As stock shooters we are often advised to "fill the holes" in agency collections. Are there still holes, and if so, how the heck do we find out where the "holes" are?

By the amount of pharmaceutical and health care ads I see, I would target concepts that are useful to that industry: vitality, trust, freedom, active living, a healthy lifestyle and growing old gracefully. I would look for locations that can read as an exam room, waiting room or consultation office. 

I believe that there is no shortage of good looking happy people in their teens and twenties in stock photography. I do feel there is a shortage of good looking happy people in their fifties, sixties and seventies. Clients are always asking for situations reflecting the lifestyle of hip baby boomers.

There is a ton of advice for how photographers can succeed in stock photography; specialize, shoot for niches, fill the holes in agency collections and so on. What advice do you have for photographers who are trying to succeed as stock shooters?

Know yourself and your competition. Are you a still life shooter? Are you a lifestyle shooter? Are you a business shooter?  Are you a studio shooter? Are you a location shooter?  Research the stock agencies and see what is already out there in the visual marketplace that is conceptually and visually similar. Ask yourself if you can produce images as good or better as what is currently out there and shoot it once or twice a month.

What is the most common mistake you see photographers make when shooting for stock?

The most common technical mistake I see, is great images not being in focus in the right place. When that happens, I think it is a case of the photographer striking the set or telling the models to go home, before they take a look at the job on a laptop or a proper computer screen. People get caught up in the moment and forget to take a minute and check the basics. I am guilty of this too. 

Another common mistake I see is photographers not being aware of what is for sale in micro stock before they go and spend a lot of money on a shoot. Before you spend a couple thousand dollars on a shoot - take a look and see what is out there. Ask yourself if you can improve upon what is already for sale at a lower price point? 

Also, don't forget to have your models sign the release before the shoot. Trust me on this. 

Where do you get the inspiration for ideas from?

I get a lot of ideas people watching. To me, there is no better way to get ideas on style, body language and trends than to sit at the mall and people watch. Authenticity is king at your local mall! You can observe the body language of people using their hand held devices, what people are wearing and how they are wearing it.  Are you doing a shoot involving teens? - hang out by the food court. Are you having trouble picking wardrobe? - hang out by the banana republic. Are you doing a baby boomer fitness shoot? - go early and check out the mall walkers. Are you doing a mother / child shoot?- hang out by baby gap. 

I have heard that there is a resurgence happening in Rights Managed Stock, and on the other hand I have heard that RM is dying. What is your perspective on that?

I believe that clients will always want to know where an image has been previously used.  At a fundamental level that is the key difference between RF and RM – knowing where the image has been and the ability to manage where and who uses the image going forward. Our team at Blend manages exclusivity requests every day. So, in my opinion RM is not dying.

 What makes a great stock photo?

I feel that a good stock photo is not too specific, but it says a few things well – this leaves the client enough wiggle room to work the image in to their project.

A very accomplished stock photographer and friend of mine, Sam Diephuis, is one of the tightest editors of his own work I have encountered & yet he ends up with with a very high percentage of selects. Sam says the tighter you edit the more you get in. Is that just Sam, or is that generally true across the board?

I would agree with Sam.

If I were a photographer sending my images to my editor, I would do a little bit more editing than just taking out the blinks and blurs. I would offer the editor four or five variations on each set up or concept. 

That said, I have had so many photographers tell me, “My best seller is an image that I almost didn’t send to my editor”.  If you are having a hard time editing a situation or shoot down – go little wider, or talk to your editor.

Are there any other things to keep in mind for photographers editing their own work?

Other than what I mentioned above – Trust yourself.

As the photographer, you know what you were going for in the shoot. Pick your favorites and give your editor some options. Sometimes if you overwhelm your editor with 30-40 variations the best one might get lost in the shuffle.

 What do you think the impact of tablet computers such as the iPad will have on the stock photo industry?

I believe that the tablets will bring a need for more pictures, because there will be more advertisements and richer editorial stories. Publishers and advertisers will have to change visuals to keep readers interested and to look fresh.

 

The future of stock photography: pessimistic or optimistic?

Cautiously Optimistic. While new media will bring new photo usages to the marketplace – advances in camera technology will bring new shooters to the game. So, to me – it is the same as always: keep your budget down, know your competition and improve upon your best sellers.

Do you have a current favorite stock photo and the story behind it that you can share with:

Blend has been very busy the past few months with a ton of new content and photographers, so I have many favorites.  I particularly like one of your new images that deals with social networking (BLM 006227).  Advertising reflects what is going on in the news – and we all know social networking and virtual interaction is the big story.  I remember asking you if you had any ideas on how to illustrate the concept of facebook and we threw around a few ideas together over the phone. When I saw this photo I felt that you nailed the idea. This picture also holds the distinction of having the most model releases I have ever had to deal with. There is a lot of value and inspiration in that picture. 

This "Social Media" stock photo required over 100 model releases!

What should photographers do who would like to participate in Blend Images?

Email me!

Jim @ blendimages.com

A New Door Opens For Traditional Stock Photographers

Getting great images in front of potential buyers is key to making money in stock photography.

The Conundrum Of Microstock

One of the fundamental problems in the stock photo industry, as it stands now, is the conundrum of microstock. I do not want to license my images at microstock prices, but I am missing out on the vast audience that turns to microstock for their photography needs. I have heard that half of all stock images licensed are licensed through iStockphoto! That is a rather large segment of the market to be missing out on.

The Agency Collection

So here I am, a long time stock shooter with contracts from numerous agencies, including Blend Images, Corbis, Getty Images and SuperStock. But even with the distribution through all of those agencies, I am missing a huge segment of the stock photography market…until now. Getty has recently put into place a new collection, The Agency Collection (TAC for short), a collection of images that are online on both Getty Images and iStockphoto.com. These aren’t microstock images. They are RF images priced at Photodisc levels, but are available through iStockphoto.com.  

Blend Images Opens The Door

These images are provided to Getty by third party agencies. To participate in this collection you need a contract with one of those agencies. Blend Images has opened the door for me to The Agency Collection. Think about it…now I can have images that are available through both Getty and iStockphoto…and all without having to license the images at microstock prices! Is that cool or what?

A Step In The Right Direction For Stock Photography

Don’t get me wrong…I don’t see this as a panacea for all the problems faced by stock shooters, but it is a step in the right direction. In the coming years the first problem facing stock photographers is getting their work seen, getting their photos in front of the people who need them. If your images aren’t seen they aren’t going to be licensed. If your images are seen, if they fill a need, and if they stand out from the images around them, then I think you have a future in stock photography.

The Right Image, The Right Model and The Right Price

For me TAC is a step in the right direction because it gets my stock images in front of a larger audience. Of course a big part of my own work includes Rights Managed work, and those RM images are still not viewable on the microstock sites. I think eventually all images, in all models, and at all prices, will be available on most stock agency sites. The challenge for us stock shooters will not only be to produce enough images that fill needs and stand out, but also to make wise choices as to whether a given image belongs in an RM collection, an RF collection or in microstock. That is a decision I struggle with almost every time I create an image and one that I don’t think is going to get any easier in the coming years. But for now, I am happy to have one more choice to deal with.

Crocodiles and Concept Stock Photography

Compelling images that deliver concise messages in an entertaining way tend to do very well as stock images.

Crocodiles And Concept Stock Photos

Asking for a raise from your boss can be a harrowing experience! At least that is one interpretation of this concept stock photo of a businessman putting his head into a crocodile’s mouth. While this particular photograph was a product of Photoshop, when I photographed the crocodile at a “Crocodile Farm” in Thailand, a performer actually did have his head in the croc’s mouth!  Throughout the performance the numerous crocodiles involved would unexpectedly snap their mouths shut with an audible clap. I am sure the performers have some kind of cue about when that would happen, but I sure couldn’t figure it out!

Labor Relations, Corporate Communications and Crocodiles

I have high hopes for this crocodile image. It portrays a wide variety of concepts, should be able to cross cultural and language barriers, has humor and drama, and can be cropped square, horizontal or as a vertical. Examples of concepts that the image can illustrate include everything from labor relations to corporate communications to executive training. Other broad concepts include risk, danger, adversity and management issues. Actually, it is hard to predict how some creative art director or editor will find a way to utilize this stock shot.

Images That Entertain…And Make Money

As advertising increasingly becomes another form of entertainment I believe it is important to create images that can fulfill that role. If you can make someone smile or chuckle when they see your image you probably have a moneymaker. Now if you didn’t smile when you saw this image…don’t tell me!

Berkeley, Bangkok, Buenos Aires and…Sausalito

As for the creation of this reptilian image, in a sense it truly was a “global business image”. The crocodile was photographed in Thailand; the office window was shot in Buenos Aires, the floor in Berkeley, California, and the man in my Sausalito studio. The final image consisted of twenty-seven layers, three crocodile pictures, the glass window, the wooden floor, and two shots of the model. The Photoshop work took me approximately two days (working at a somewhat leisurely pace).

Making Travel Pay With Stock Photography

It is through creating these concept images that I end up making travel photography pay off. When I travel I am always keeping my eyes out for “parts” that I can then incorporate into my stock photography work. The crocodile images came about when I was attempting to get tiger images. They were a target of opportunity rather than something I planned out. At this point I now have three crocodile stock images with more on the way.

Rights Managed, Royalty Free and Fluctuating Income

Now comes the hardest part. Royalty Free or Rights Managed, bigger market or higher price points?  In my experience the image seems to be more important than the pricing model. I have RF images that earn as much as RM images. The RM images tend to be far more volatile. My RM income fluctuates way more than my RF income.  In this case I am leaning towards the RM model because a photograph of a man putting his head into a crocodile’s mouth probably isn’t all that easy for an art director to use. The easier it is to use an image the more likely I am to submit an image as a royalty free one.

Time, Resources and Enjoyment

It may take me several years before I find out if my time and resources in this image were a good investment.  In the meantime, at least I enjoyed the process from shooting the crocodiles to crafting the image in Photoshop.  That in it self is a good sign because the vast majority of the time when I enjoy putting an image together it does well in the market place.

The Roller Coaster Ride of The Business of Photography

The photography business is one of constant ups and downs, highs and lows, that must be dealt with for long term success.

The Photography Business Is A Roller Coaster Ride
The photography business, whether stock, assignment, editorial or weddings, is a roller coaster ride. It is a continuous series of ups and downs, highs and lows, praise and rejection, adversity and successes. In the long term, to do well in the business of photography one has to recognize that reality and find ways to deal with it.

Low Royalty Reports, Refunded Sales and Negative Forum Comments
The highs and lows of the photo business are myriad. For me, as a stock shooter, a high comes in the form of a great royalty report, a particularly large RM sale, the completion of a creative and well-crafted image or perhaps in winning an award. The lows are rejected submissions, low royalty reports (or the dreaded refund of a previous sale…usually for a large amount), and perhaps from spending too much time reading negative comments on photography forums and photo blogs. When I regularly shot assignments there were the lows of losing bids, difficult clients and the challenges of getting paid.


Psychological Preparation and Having A Plan
Over the years I have learned to deal with these lows in two basic ways: Being psychologically prepared, and having a plan in place to turn to. A third way of dealing with the lows is one I totally believe in, but, until recently,  have never had the discipline to achieve: Investing in alternative income sources (think income property, the stock market, etc.). I do know several photographers who have provided for themselves in that manner…and are they ever glad they did!

Rejections, Income Fluctuations And Maintaining Productivity
You can prepare yourself psychologically by truly accepting that all of the downsides of being a professional photographer are inevitable. There will be rejections, income fluctuations and frustrations. Assignments will go awry, clients will be unreasonable, hard drives will fail. Right now, for me, those lower than expected royalty reports are the most challenging. When I see my royalty reports have come in, I steel myself. If it is indeed a low one I am already prepared and ready to remind myself that I already am moving on plans I have in place to grow my stock photo income. I recognize that a low royalty report has a strong tendency to lower the productivity of most photographers in producing additional stock photos. I try and take that emotional hit and turn it into more energy and determination to be more productive…to take that disappointment, and perhaps even fear, and use it as a motivating force to make more and better images, and to take that little extra step in adding content to my web site.

A Detailed Plan That Is Working
I find such an exercise much easier to accomplish because I already have a detailed plan (a plan that is a work-in-progress with continual fine-tuning) in place (I learned how to create my own business plans and goals via Brian Tracy). It also helps that I can see that the plan is working. Despite royalty reports that fluctuate, my stock photo income is holding and even showing a bit of growth over last year. My web traffic is climbing steadily if not dramatically, and that is resulting in a slow increase in income from everything from imprinted merchandise to my Google Adwords income to print sales. I am licensing more stock directly as well.


Funding Retirement, Income Property and Living To A Hundred
I am actually funding my retirement plans (as if I will ever retire!) too. I have put more into my retirement fund in the last three years than I did in the previous twenty years. I am doing this even though I sense that it is “too late”. At my advanced age it seams unlikely that the type of growth seen by investing in traditional financial investments will ever amount to much while I am still around…but I am doing it anyway. I am also thinking seriously about investing in come income property as well. Who knows, I may surprise myself and live another forty years! I do know that having money is more fun than not…and if I live to a hundred I’d rather do it with!


Smart Investing In Stock Photography
BTW, I still believe that smart investing in photo shoots offers a far better return than investing in traditional investments like stocks and bonds. At least that is my experience even in these difficult times. The key word here is “smart”. I know I can’t just go out and shoot willy nilly anymore and expect great returns. But when I plan my shoots well, determine there is a need for what I am shooting, and shoot in an efficient way, my experience is that I will be well-rewarded for those efforts.


Enjoying The Ride
What is the point of all these ruminations? I’d sum it up this way: Have a plan; understand there will be ups and downs, learn to use the “downs” as emotional energy to further your career and diversify into non-photography streams of income. If you recognize that the photography business is a roller coaster ride, and prepare for it, then it will be a lot easier to enjoy that ride!

Photographer Shannon Fagan Answers The Question: Why China?

Photo©Shannon Fagan

 Shannon Fagan Reports: ”I’m an interesting character in China when I shoot. I wear gloves, I wear knee pads, and I cover myself in the white ghosting of 70 SPF sunscreen. I laugh with my models to get them to laugh.  In China, this is often met with a stare and occasionally a smirk. But for this gentleman, we had a downright belly-roll.”


Friend and fellow photographer Shannon Fagan recently relocated from New York to China. Shannon is one of those people that are referred to as "thought leaders" and has been very active in the photography world. He is a past president of the Stock Artists Alliance, and has had leadership roles in the American Photographic Artists, the American Society of Media Photographers and the Young Photographers Alliance. I could go on...but I won't. 


I recently fired off an e-mail to Shannon in Beijing asking him "Why China?".  His answer was pretty cool, so with his permission I am sharing it here.


Shannon, why China?

• Alongside the recession and economic changes for online image licensing, my stock photography earnings declined rapidly from late 2008 to mid 2009.  I reassessed what I wanted out of my business, and out of my personal life.
  

• I had burned out of managing disinterested parties on photo shoots for production outlays that were taking longer than I felt was wise to break even.  I found that I could not cut costs further and still forecast an adequate income; nor could I maintain a happy and healthy lifestyle as I squeezed the expenses whilst raising my crews’ stress to unnecessary levels. I chose to stop, take profit on my royalties, and change what I was doing.
  

• I found, through a lot of personal introspection and external research, that I was no longer interested in shooting stock imagery nor assignment work within the current market conditions. I wanted a new challenge, and as I assessed that need in my life, I found that there had been indicators to that end for some time.
  

• I looked analytically at the industry and at my options.  I knew commercial photography was permanently changed and knew that my interests as a person within that were quickly migrating to other areas of visual communication and business.
  

• This all leads me to late 2009, when I went to China to do research on relocating.  I formulated the basis of that investigation from the continual pull that I had felt to the emerging marketplace and success that I had had working in China from 2006 – 2009.  Several very close, intelligent, and long term friends also put the bug in my ear.  By spring 2010, I returned to China again for another test trip; and by late 2010 I had closed out my operation in New York and was ready for relocation.  I knew that I was moving for the right reasons; even if not all reasons had manifested yet.
  

• I did not move blindly.  During a period of 18 months, I worked on the ground in Beijing, Shanghai, and in New York to establish and refine long term contacts and relationships that would fuel me upon arrival.  I did a lot of business coursework.  When I arrived to Beijing in December last year, I hit the ground running with a multitude of projects carefully orchestrated in China and abroad.
  

• The economy in the US assisted my decision. Our industry has consolidated and as you’re likely aware, there is a prejudice for photographers interested in shifting into business roles. In one way or another, I not only felt that prejudice, I experienced it enough to understand intelligently that there would be no easy nor efficient movement for me in the US from a role of photographer to the business side of the industry.  Instead, and quite literally, recruiters and big picture thinkers told me “...go to China, it’s where all the new action is.”
  

• Moving forward to the present; I am glad that I moved. My happiness and daily fulfillment is at an all-time high recently, and I hope (fingers crossed...) that the opportunities for me here will continue to grow. It reminds me of my relocation to New York City post-graduation from college ten years ago.
  

• I am acutely aware of the converging economies of the US and China; and it is clear that this market will grow robustly over the next 50 years. It is also clear that it is under-served. China is not an easy place to live; but I wasn’t looking for easy. I knew all of the back story  going into this decision, and I am daily reminded of just how difficult it is to live and work here.  For entrepreneurs in China, we tease that we “I love it and I hate it”....which is to say that we feel neutrally pragmatic about it.  I’m lucky.  If September 11th, a blackout, two economic recessions,  and a fiercely competitive market in New York didn’t chew me up and spit me out, well then, hopefully my new digs won’t do so either.
  

• I can be entrepreneurial here in manners inaccessible to me in the US economy.  Being a creative business in the West was getting more and more expensive for me, but here, I can put my expertise in visual communication and entrepreneurial strategy to ready use and it is met with great interest.  I’m an outlier.  My business interests are much more readily fueled by access to key meetings with top level individuals whom would not be available to me back home.  I am absorbing immense amounts of local knowledge daily and I am getting quicker and quicker on my feet in an economy that is elusive to foreigners.
  

• Lastly, to seal the deal, was a terrific full-time Chinese Operations and Project Manager here; Gan Chao. She and I are not only great friends, we also work extremely well together. She is my eyes and ears to China. She is in every way the bridge link that many foreigners have and need to access the Chinese daily personal and work life.  Her can-do-it and aggressive attitude is rare in this marketplace. I believe we’re on to something in this market.
  

• I’m now China’s Top Selling Stock Photographer, the only industry consultant with a core expertise for China, Director of the Young Photographer Alliance’s China Mentoring Program, an ASMP liaison to Asia, and more to come!

Glad I asked...thanks Shannon! http://www.shannonfagan.com

Under the Radar, Or In The Spotlight?

Putting yourself in the spotlight has risks and rewards. In my experience the rewards have been much, much greater!"

Ideas, Techniques, Photos and Theft

Over the years I have met, more than a few photographers and artists who are afraid of people stealing their work, their ideas and their techniques. Some of them have refused to put their images online, some keep their images at ridiculously small sizes, and some won’t even show their work at all. I kid you not, I have known a handful of photographers who are “building their body of work” and are so afraid of someone stealing their ideas, style, whatever, that they have gone years without showing the work to anyone.

Playing It Close To The Vest

In a similar vein, there are a ton of photographers who jealously guard their models, their locations, and how they execute their work. I have heard of photographers who make their assistants sign non-disclosure statements! The first time I ever gave a presentation to a photography audience on how I was using Photoshop to create stock images, back in the early 90’s, a stock agency owner approached me afterwards and warned me that I was making a mistake in sharing what I was doing.

In fact, over the years there has been no shortage of people urging me to play my hand closer to my vest.

Copycat Fears and Best Selling Images

I can certainly understand those fears of revealing too much.  I can’t believe how blatantly people rip off other people’s images.  With the speed, at least on microstock sites, with which images can be online, I agree that copycat image-makers are a royal pain and no doubt have a significant negative fiscal impact as well. My fear of having my own images copied keeps me from sharing which of my images are best sellers.  The same fear nags at me every time I put another stock photo online…oh well.

Staying Under The Radar Isn’t The Answer

One thing I have learned over the last twenty years is that staying under the radar isn’t the answer. The courage to share your process (within reason), to get your work out in front of everyone, and to rise above those very reasonable fears of seeing your work, ideas and techniques stolen in so many ways, brings with it rewards that cannot be denied. Do you think the benefits Chase Jarvis gains from sharing his world online out-weighs the risks of being copied and the threat from competition that is enhanced by the information he doles out?

The Benefits of Sharing

In my own experience the benefits of sharing have been enormous. The rewards have ranged from free gear (I was once given a $45,000.00 Leaf Digital Back on the condition that I share my results with the camera at trade shows…duh!), to important contacts (in the long run more important than gear), free film, and all manner of opportunities. If I hadn’t been open to sharing I would never have been invited to join Blend Images as a founding partner…probably the biggest opportunity in my career. The latest reward for putting my work and ideas out there is in the form of traffic to my website that continues to increase weekly. Yes, I get ripped off all the time, but my rewards are definitely greater than my losses.

The Risk of Sharing

Of course, along with the risk of theft, putting yourself out there brings the chance of rejection, embarrassment and, of being ignored…ouch! I once fell off a stage while not paying attention to where my feet were taking me, have been corrected by the audience more than once while demonstrating Photoshop, and have had my share of rejection.  But again, the highs are way higher than the lows.

Expansion, Contraction and The Spotlight

Sharing your work, your process, your thoughts and opinions all help integrate you into the photography community. Sharing expands you; playing it close to the vest contracts you. Sharing is a path towards greater commercial success as well as the rewards of appreciation from individuals whose lives and careers you touch. So if you find yourself tempted to stay under the radar, let me suggest that being in the spot light, while sometimes uncomfortable, is a far better approach.

Creativity Tips For Photographers

The creative process is vital for the success of photographers and is a skill that can be nurtured and strengthened.

Creativity Is Vital to our Success as Photographers

Creativity is vital to our success as photographers, whether we are shooting assignments, stock photos or weddings. It is creativity that allows us to make images that stand out, and our creativity that can take our marketing to the next level. But creativity can be elusive and fleeting as well. But there are some things we can do to recharge our creativity and get it flowing again.

Concrete Steps To Think Outside The Box

We often hear the phrases “think outside the box”, and “think different”. But the question is how do we think different or outside the box? What are some concrete steps we can take when we are in creative doldrums? There is no shortage of tips for being more creative, but here we will look at just a few techniques that work for me.

Think Like A Superhero

One simple but effective way to expand your ability to “think outside the box” is to think like someone else.  Are you in need of an idea for a portrait shoot…try thinking like a still life shooter, or ask yourself how Alfred Hitchcock would shoot it, or even a superhero like Batman. No kidding, trying to look at a problem from the perspective of another person really can trigger a new way of looking at things. You still want to put your own stamp on the image, you don’t want to copy someone else’s style, but you are letting the exercise stimulate a new way of looking at the given challenge.

Ask The Question Again

Another technique for stimulating creativity is to reformulate the problem, to ask the question again. In one study it was found that participants who were forced to re-conceptualize the problem numerous times came up with more creative solutions. If you are creating an image about teamwork play with the challenge. Can you create a teamwork image showing only one person? Can you portray teamwork with cats?

  

Believe In Your Own Creativity

Studies have also found that people who are told they are creative respond with more creativity. That also works when people tell themselves they are creative…so convince yourself, perhaps I should say remind yourself, that you are truly creative. Then get to work.

Creativity Is Work

Contrary to the belief of many, creativity is work. To make the above and other techniques more effective, keep these two simple tips in mind. First, intent is a powerful tool. I consider it to be the foundation of creativity. Set the intention to come up with ideas and then actively pursue them and you will be amazed at the results.  Secondly, write down every idea. Ideas are fleeting and no matter how much you think you will remember them, good or great ideas will disappear as quickly as they come. I almost always have a pen and notebook with me for those spontaneous, or not so spontaneous ideas. Secondly, Intent is a powerful tool. I consider it to be the foundation of creativity.

Intent, Effort And Results

Remember, we are all creative beings, and creativity tends to get crushed out of us when we are judged, judge ourselves and let fear take us over. But we can boost our creativity and use it to reach where we want to be in our lives and careers. It just takes intent and effort…effort that is well spent!