Creativity, the most elusive quality wielded by a copywriter. The conceptualisation of a thought that is brimming with potential, sought after by the greats. Just as it comes to you in a moment, it disappears in a flash. Many have tried to cultivate it through exposure and education but, unlike your typical skills, this is not one that you can simply call on when the requirement arises. When an idea presents itself to you, you can simply jot it down using the cursive skills you acquired so long ago but now, take the idea itself. You can rack your brain for hours, and do all the research required but an idea may still not manifest, classifying those years of education as a waste. 

Many question whether creativity is something that one learns, imbibes or is born with but that is a very narrow sense of looking at it. There need not be one clear cut source of creativity. Some are born into this world with a knack for all things creative but switch your perspective and you could argue that it is based on their experiences. But, before you even delve into the source of creativity it’s important that you understand creativity in itself. Many look at creativity as an unfathomable talent but maybe it’s a little more simple than that. 

I would claim that creativity is your internal puzzle-solving skill. It’s how fast you can piece all your information together to achieve the desired result. Sounds bizarre? Let me explain. Take your upbringing, your experiences, your knowledge, your research, and your state of mind. They are the infinite puzzle pieces you have in your box. Now you can take them and put them together in any order that you want to conceptualise an idea. This would apply to your creators and artists, who don’t have a definite goal in mind and piece a puzzle together based on what appeals to them. 

When you look at it in terms of copywriting, say, a brainstorm, for example, you have a direct goal which would be your reference image. Now you have these various puzzle pieces that you have acquired over time so you start filling them in, trying to get as close to the reference as possible. Each idea you come up with is the sum total of the puzzle pieces you have chosen to use from your infinite pile. No two people have lived the same life so each one of us is equipped with a completely different set of pieces. Two people might have some of the same pieces but never the same set. Two people can definitely arrive at the same thought or a similar one at least, but it’s just a matter of who pieces it together first. The great part about brainstorms, the reason why creativity flows there is because you’re not restricted to the pieces you came with, you get to mix and match with your fellow thinkers. 

So when you wonder why on some days you can come up with an idea and on other days you cannot, think of it like this. While you sit there staring off into the distance trying to manifest a single usable thought, your mind is putting puzzle piece after puzzle piece in place, trying every possible combination to help you arrive at the right answer. Some days the last piece that will tie it all together is sitting at the top of the pile and other days it takes a little bit of digging to find it. Just remember, the final piece is in there but you’ve just got to find it.