Traditionally, I am not a big fan of mnemonic devices. Usually they get a little cheesy. But the brilliant developer of the brainstorming tool THINKPAK, Michael Michalko, has created a device, SCAMMPERR that helps change the way we look at products, problems, equations, or even copy. In short, when we SCAMMPERR we are more creative. SCAMMPERRing helps break our ruts and propel us towards answers.

So, today, as you work on that new art piece, marketing campaign, product, service, system or just awesome idea try to SCAMMPERR and see what happens:

• S – Substitute – Make a substitution that could change the dynamic or perspective. Substituting also helps remove crutches that could possibly make our art stale.
• C – Combine – Work some combinations. Try different things together. Odd combinations often breed innovation.
• A – Adapt – If we don’t adapt we get adapted. Make adaptations to your product to see how it could improve.
• M – Magnify or add to it – Adding to is often the easiest thing to do. Also the thing that could cloud your idea or product. Only Magnify if you are willing to pull away when you find a solution.
• M – Modify – Like it is a hot rod car. Make modifications to see how they could improve what you are working on!
• P – Put it to some other uses – Outside voices have different lenses. Proximity clouds vision sometimes. Andy Stanley says it best – “Time in erodes awareness of”
• E – Eliminate – One of the most important things we can do. Edit. Erase. Remove. Simple is best. Work to find the lowest common denominator. It is hard and painful work that will make everything better.
• R – Rearrange it – It can’t hurt. You can always put it back.
• R – Reverse it – You never know what could happen. Working backwards often opens creative doors we never knew existed.

Are you ready to SCAMMPERR?

In 1939 James Webb Young, an advertising executive created the “Technique for Producing Ideas.” While this list may be older than anyone reading this blog, the concepts are not only still relevant…they actually work.

Every week in our churches we are trying to come up with ideas. Every creative team has felt the tension of sitting in a meeting and being asked to produce ideas on demand.

Here are the 5 steps and a few thoughts on how we might be able to use these in our environments:

Gathering Raw Material - Keep your antenna up. Always be on the hunt for things that move you creatively. Look for interesting images, headlines, sounds, movie clips, visuals, articles, smells, and experiences. “Instead of working systematically at the job of gathering raw material we sit around and hope that inspiration strikes” says Young. And as we know creativity rarely strikes.

When our ministries or communicators come to us with a scripture verse or theme if we have not created a stockpile of ideation tools we won’t have anything to talk about. The awkward silence that fills the room is defining. Use Evernote, your phone, twitter, any resource necessary to catalog ideas so that you are prepared to have a conversation.

Digesting the Material – Revisit what you collect. Calendar some time for you to go back and look at what you collected. Don’t be afraid to edit what you have collected. Some things you thought might work, wont and other things you were worried about will become amazing. Young says, “This part of the process is harder to describe in concrete terms because it goes on entirely inside your head.” Revisiting the art will help us find new ways to use old stuff. The things we found change over time as our experience and context change and the filter from which we review the data.

Unconscious Processing – Walk away. Young says: “When you reach this third stage in the production of an idea, drop the problem completely and turn to whatever stimulates your imagination and emotions. Listen to music, go to the theater or movies, read poetry or a detective story.” Stepping away creates space and context for ideas to grow.

The A-ha! Moment – Finding A-Ha moments require space and silence. Getting rid of distractions gives our minds space for ideas to come alive. Prayer is also a huge part of this equation. When we get alone and pray this times is a space our brains can focus on what they have been processing, not what is in front of us right now.

Idea Meets Reality - According to Young, “You will find that a good idea has, as it were, self-expanding qualities. It stimulates those who see it to add to it. Thus possibilities in it which you have overlooked will come to light.”

Often times this happens in community.

The goal of our ideas is to move the message forward, not to be cool. Cool can be a bi-product of what we do but should never be the focus. Connection and the forward progress of momentum are the goals…helping to make the message digestible and sticky.

How many of these steps have you incorporated in your life? How do you make them work for you creative process and your job?

We need you and your ideas. They are vital to the future growth of everything we do. You can be the catalyst for change and the engine for excellence inside of our churches and organizations. We need you, we respect you, we value you and your ideas. They matter. You matter. Lets make history!

Faith and creativity have a lot more in common than most would think.
Both are important to how we live. Both require are core to the soul of who we are…

Faith is the evidence of things unseen.
Creativity is uncovering the unseen.

Faith grows with work and is dead without it.
Creativity gets better when it’s worked and shrivels when it’s not exercised.

Faith strengthens with experience.
Creativity strengthens with experience.

The more we’re exposed to faith, the more faith we have.
The more we’re exposed to in life, the more creative we can be.

Faith is broad and can be expressed in many ways
Creativity is best when expressed in multiple ways.

Faith is intangible, but can be felt.
Creativity is elusive, but also is felt.

Faith is built on a foundation based on the Creator.
Creativity is expressed through creators.

Faith causes change as it seeks a greater understanding of God.
Creativity causes change as we get a better understanding of the elements around us.

Faith has a conviction of truth.
Creativity has a conviction to share truth.

Our creativity only gets better when we focus on the Creator as much as His creation – or the manifestation of His creation through our creations.

What other connections do you see between Faith & Creativity?

Stop.

Right now.

You have to.

The scariest game a creative person can play is the game of comparisons. You will NEVER win this game.

It’s especially scary on Sundays. We work hard to prepare for Sunday. We put in a lot of hours to create our best work. Then, thanks to twitter, FB, Instagram or whatever social stream we are rocking, we sit back and have a real time view of what all of our “friends” have created.

And so it begins.

We are inundated by voices that tell us we are not good enough. Voices that say our messages are not strong enough. Voices that say our sermons or worship sets won’t move people closer to God. These voices make us doubt our content, our effort, and our execution. These voices have no right to exist in our heads. These voices are not healthy, and they are surely not God’s voice. These voices leave us feeling empty, devalued, scared, and unsatisfied with our work. We begin to wonder why we didn’t have “that idea.” These voices cause us to doubt our value and the position God has placed us in. Why didn’t we use that song in our worship set? What if we would’ve created that lighting scene on our stage? These voices fill our head with the wrong type of “what if questions.”

The truth is this: you are not your “friends” and your “friends” are not you. Stop comparing. My friend Jon Acuff talks about how we often compare our beginning to someone else’s middle. Comparing Cross Point at 8 years old to Willow Creek at 20+ years old is just not fair. Still, we do it every day. Especially on Sundays.

So today, instead of comparing yourself, believe in yourself and your team. You are creating the right experiences for your audience. You don’t have to be that other guy, or that cool church, or that super creative chick…it’s not just okay for you to be you…it’s necessary! Instead of comparing yourself to others on twitter, cheer them on. Deep down – they are just as scared and are probably comparing themselves as well.

How do you fight to not compare yourself?

There are a few traits that the best creative people share:

• They’re never satisfied – The thought that they’ve “made it” scares them. They understand the reality that there’s always more, always something new that can be uncovered, and always something better that can be achieved. They refuse to accept that today is as good as it gets.
• They see possibility – Obstacles excite them. Challenges drive them to new heights.
• They understand change – Not only do they understand it, they thrive in the currents of change. They don’t allow it to sidetrack them because they expect change around every corner.
• They steal stuff – Constantly. They’re always seeking new ideas. Their antenna is up and they’re consistently adding ideas and tools to their toolboxes. They know inspiration lives everywhere, so they steal daily to be ready.
• They laugh – Often. At themselves, others, and situations.
• They cry – Because good only feels good when we know what bad feels like.
• They make lists – because lists help move creativity forward and bring ideas to life.
• They embrace their weaknesses – In order to be secure in their strengths, they’re honest about their weaknesses.
• They clarify expectations – The ones laid out for them and the ones they have for others.
• They stay coachable – Because they know they can always get better.
• They surf on time – They know inspiration can strike at any point, so they respond when they are most creative, even if it’s not during their 9 to 5.
• They learn discipline – They choose to battle the status quo the same way they battle stereotypes. They understand that by feeding the stereotype, they’re destroying the equity they’re trying to build.
• They love the start – But equally love the finish. The greatest creative people refuse to quit until they have completed.
• They ask – Questions. And lots of them. They know it helps and they know it’s vital to success.
• They battle – for the best. At any cost.
• They champion others – because they know creativity is best in community.
• They celebrate – Success and Failure. They know that you can’t have one without the other.

What traits are we missing?

Once upon a time, there was a world where good ideas excelled. “Creative” people would sit around and come up with ideas that would spread easily and fluently. When you had a good idea, it would catch someone’s attention and, before you knew it, success followed. It was a fairy tale world where “bubbles” and “technology” ruled and being first was all that mattered.

The hey day for good ideas has passed.

Today things are very different. The volume of our lives is louder than ever. Social media is everywhere. Everyone is writing a book or blogging. Freelancers are the new sales people and the economy of creativity has changed drastically. No longer will a good idea on its own breed success. The equation has changed.

A million dollar idea without a plan, execution, and hard work is not worth a dollar. However, a dollar idea with a plan, execution, and hard work exercised a million times can create a million dollars.

This is even true in our churches or organizations. So often we have an idea and we rush it into action before we’ve given it the time or space to mature and ripen into something that’s ready to be consumed. As a community of creative people, we love to be first and we love new things. A valuable lesson for us is the discipline of pausing to make sure we’re giving these amazing ideas every ounce of opportunity they deserve.

So what do we do?

• Vet the Idea – It will always start with the idea. If the idea isn’t strong enough, there’s no way to succeed. We have to be brave enough to vet our ideas. Seek honest, unbiased feedback. A few people should love your idea and a few people better hate it. Don’t play to the middle. Learn from the haters. Listen closely to what they’re saying. Evaluate their “hate” and see if there’s validity in what they’re saying. The hate they spit may just be what you need to be successful. Also, balance the love. Look for honesty, not fans.
• Create a plan – How do we get this idea to life? What will it take? Who needs to be involved? What questions do we need to ask that we’ve avoided? Who is the end user? What do they want? How do we get this to them? How valuable is this to them? How do we talk to them? The list goes on and on, but answering these questions changes the approach to how we share our ideas and, ultimately, how successful they will be.
• Make the plan actionable and fit on a calendar – Every idea needs action. When making a plan, we have to create measurable steps for success. Create a calendar. Schedule everything. Action steps on a calendar create accountability for success. Without metrics, data, and actionable quantitative steps, our ideas will never move from dreams to reality.
• Work the plan – Really. Work it. Work every detail you put in the plan. Don’t cut corners. Don’t get discouraged. Never give up. Be persistent and filled with passion. Show up every day like it’s our first day on the job. The fairy tale of overnight success is actually created through hours and hours of painful, sweaty, dirty WORK.
• Respond don’t react – Never react. Always respond. Reactions are littered with emotions. Responses are built on data, strategy, and intuition. Be willing to pause. Look at the big picture. As artists, this can often be the hardest for us. Learning to be balanced in decision making helps avoid costly decisions.
• Scale with wisdom – Patience is the lost art of an idea. In our microwavable society, everyone wants results in minutes that take years to come by. Scaling too fast can cost you everything, as can scaling too slow. Be wise. Pray. Seek counsel.
• Repeat – Now do it again, and again, and again.

So give your ideas a chance. We need them and they can be great. Without them the status quo is going to destroy creativity for ever…and who wants that?

BeyondOrdinary from RefineUs Ministries on Vimeo.

Today I get to share the creative process of authors Justin & Trisha Davis. Justin & Trisha recently stepped down as campus pastor of our Bellevue campus in order to chase their dream of helping to reduce the divorce rate in America. I am always blown away when people step out in faith to chase the dreams God puts in their hearts.

Justin & Trisha’s book, Beyond Ordinary, is about their marriage, but can transcend just marriage to anyone who wants to live a life “Beyond Ordinary.”

Blaine Hogan is a creative master. He leads an amazing team of artists at Willow Creek. You can follow him on twitter, HERE, and his blog, HERE. Today we chatted about his creative process and new book.

1. What does your personal creative process look like? How do you approach this book creatively?

• I’m a scrapper. By that I mean I try and collect lots of things – music, images, words, etc. and then weave them together to tell a story. I’m not usually the “come up with a story out of nowhere” type of guy. I need some kind of source material to usually begin. The book was similar. I wanted to be able to express my own creative process and I had been doing so in bits through notes I’d been taking in random notebooks over the years. I poured through the stacks and found what eventually became the skeleton for the book.

2. Where do you find your inspiration?

• Everywhere. Literally. Spotify. Pinterest. When I’m running. Reading. When I’m quiet. When I’m eavesdropping on conversations in coffee shops. My goal is simply to always be available.

3. Who do you admire in the creative field?

• I love Danny Boyle. I love his ability to work on stage and screen. He’s an inspiration as someone who has made theater cinematic and made cinema theatrical.

4. If you could only follow 5 people on twitter, who would it be?

• This is a tough one. @bjornamundsen (my co-director) @jarrodshappell (my best friend and thought leader) @thisissethsblog (no need to define) @chasejarvis (brilliant man) @joshualongbrake (amazing photog and friend)

5. Favorite social media platform?

• Twitter.

6. If you could gather every creative person and tell them 1 thing…what would it be?

• Figure out the story that you’re supposed to tell then do everything you can to not be afraid to tell it.

7. Why did you write this book? What do you hope to see happen with it?

• Again, much of it was an exercise to figure out my own creative process. I wanted to know how I made stuff. As I kept writing I started seeing that maybe I had something to say that hadn’t been said. That maybe there was a way to connect this business of making things to living better lives as artists and humans (much more on this in book #2). Honestly I hope a ton of people read it and connect to it. In this second revised and expanded edition, I’ve included reflections and exercises after each chapter. I hope people will work through those. There are no easy ways through the creative process, there is just work and I hope this book helps any artist understand that we’re all working our asses off right alongside them trying to make the world into what it ought to be.

8. Over the past few years you guys have created some epic short films at Willow, what is the strategy behind these pieces?

• The strategy really is simply to create beauty that connects with people so they can connect with God. We didn’t say anything like “hey, film is really popular right now, we should start doing film.” We just started making it.

9. Can you give us a peak into the creative process of making these piece?

• We try to start with the story first. Once we know what we want to say, then we figure out HOW we want to say it. This is when we start creating look and feel mood boards, gathering reference music, etc. From there we write a treatment, storyline, beat sheet, script, then it’s off to storyboards and pre-production.

10. Who is one person you would like to work with that you have not had a chance to collaborate with as of yet?

• Danny Boyle again.

You can check out his new book, UNTITLED, today on Amazon. It is a great read.

Check out these graphic pieces to possibly inspire your MONDAY