Muse. Music. Coincidence? No.

Image: An Erin Hilleary design inspired by a composition and the guitar that played it.

I want you to interview everyone here and put together our collective agency insights on creativity.”

This assignment from the owner at a past agency some years ago revealed a lot—including an interesting method you might like.

One line of questioning asked of everyone was, “what is your creative process, or how do you ‘get creative’?” One of the team, an exceptionally brilliant visual artist, had this to say:

“When I’m creating something, I try to think of who the audience is and how I want them to feel. Then I find some music that makes me feel the way I want them to feel. Then I put that feeling into my designs.”

Put that in your pipe and feel it.

Much of communication is on a visceral level—feeling to feeling. And frequently passion overrules reason when it comes to people’s strongest motivations. So putting feeling into things is a big part of making something with the power to move an audience.

The simple music-as-muse approach can really make things happen in your communication, even if you aren’t in a creative role. What are some of your favorite tracks to feel inspired, smart, happy, energized, confident, edgy, on fire with possibility? Try using them to put the kind of feeling into your work that you want your audience to feel.

Here are three of many faves to throw into your mix:

Feel that the email you’re writing is a work of genius.
Penguin Café Orchestra—Perpetuum Mobile »

Feel that the web experience you’re building is the best road trip ever.
Pat Metheney—Secret Story album »

Feel that the cause you’re representing can’t be ignored.
Terence Blanchard—Ashé (A Requiem for Katrina) »

CLM | Oct 26, 2018