In the most recent episode of The Manic Metallic Podcast, I sat down with Fashion Talk’s Amarissa Imoukhuede to learn about her journey through the fashion industry and gain some insight into how she chooses to run the lively Substack publication. Along the way, she gave our audience a strategy that she uses to come up with ideas for her creative output.
Read below for the six ways that she pulls ideas into her creative space:
Include All Interests In Your Creative Work
Amarissa factors in all of her interests with Fashion Talk: fashion, beauty, music, and more. This can be of benefit because you don’t have to decide which side of yourself you want to bring to your creative work. You can give all of your interests the attention that they deserve when producing work to put out to the public. Your whole self gets to coexist in one space.
Establish Content Pillars
For those of you who have a hard time streamlining your ideas when creating, content pillars are a solid strategy. Choose a few areas that you want to zero in on, and then make sure that all of your work corresponds to that area.
Stay Tapped Into Pop Culture
If you are a creative of any sort, you really do have to know what’s going on in the culture around you. While you want to make sure that you don’t become too influenced by outside forces, you do want to stay aware of the zeitgeist. Be aware of which way the wind is blowing, even if you don’t choose to follow the direction of that wind. What will usually always happen is that you will be able to access an idea or three based on what’s happening in the worlds of fashion, art, design, music, etc.
When You Get Ideas, Write Them Down In Your Notes To Refer Back To Later
The worst possible thing that can happen to you is that you come up with the best idea known to humanity, and then it unceremoniously slips away when you need it the most. Every creative has experienced it, including me. I have lost so many ideas that I now carry around a special handbag-sized notebook to physically write my ideas down before I forget them. (The Notes app in your phone will suffice, too, in a pinch.)
Keep An Open Mind
You can’t be a close-minded person and be creative at the same time. Those two things cannot coexist. You have to be open to whatever ideas may come to you from whatever source. A situation or a person that you don’t favor can sometimes be the source of your best ideas!
Share Your Passions With Your Audience
This kind of fits with including all of your interests in your creative work, but it bears repeating that when you share your passions with your audience, they will respond accordingly. As Amarissa pointed out in the podcast, readers can tell when you’re forcing an article. You really don’t ever want to force work. You’d be better off leaving your desk and taking a walk; as a bonus, walking (and it doesn’t have to be far!) can be a goldmine of ideas.
So there you have it: six very, very worthy ideas for creative ideation from Amarissa Imoukhuede!
And if you want to grab more outstanding nuggets from her guest appearance on The Manic Metallic Podcast, check it out here:
052. Tastemaking, Traveling, and The Power Of Exuding Confidence With Founder & Editor-in-Chief Amarissa Imoukhuede
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Click Here For More Listening Options
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