You know that enigmatic little smile on Mona Lisa’s face?
Here’s the story: she had just made some New Year’s resolutions and was thinking: “Yeah, right, like I’m actually gonna keep any of ’em this year…”
Just kidding. 😊
But if she did make some resolutions, she’d be smart to go
to school on her famous creator, Leonardo da Vinci, and resolve to be curious, observant, and not afraid to kick logic to the curb and give free rein to her imagination.
Be Curious
We need to be curious (and daring) enough to try new things. Are we learning new skills? Keeping up with our peers and competitors?
It doesn’t have to be something huge, either.
I recently learned how to create multiple-image PDFs. I can upload them to LinkedIn, and they function as slideshows– a handy way to share information. I also learned how to link to a PDF in a blog post so people can download it.
I’m sure I’m late to the party in both cases, but I suddenly know some things that will allow me to market myself better.
We also need to be curious about our business, and our customers. Has our industry moved on? (A lot of businesses have in response to COVID.) Have our customers moved on? Are we still in a position to help them solve their problems?
Tough questions, but they need to be asked– and again, that requires curiosity and courage.
Observe Attentively
Look at what you do with fresh eyes– is there some aspect of your business you take for granted? something that might be of interest to prospects? something that might help set you apart from competitors?
Well, then, write about it! Be attentive to what makes you unique.
Observe your target audience, be attentive to their needs– then create content that addresses those needs.
(You’ve heard that one before, right? And it’s easier said than done. Most of us would rather run around putting out fires than think about what’s causing the fires in the first place.)
Pain is real. And it is unevenly distributed…
Pain ignored is still pain. And pain acknowledged is a first step toward easing that pain.
For me, that’s a reminder that it’s not enough to be attentive to someone’s pain– you need to be emotionally intelligent about it. Dismissing someone’s pain because we don’t “get it,” is one of the worst mistakes you can make.
Case in point: I had a client contact me recently and say, in essence: We love the images you created for us, but we’re having a hard time figuring out how to use them.
My first thought: You mean you didn’t have a plan for them when you commissioned them?
Did I say that? No.
My second thought: I’m being asked to spend more time on this– I should charge an extra fee.
Did I say that? No.
My third thought: This is a great client, it was a lucrative
and fun assignment. Offering some suggestions would demonstrate my commitment to customer satisfaction.
So I made some suggestions and my client was happy.
I suppose that was listening attentively rather than observing attentively, but they’re closely related. As are thinking things through and adopting a service mentality.
Indulge Fantasy
When it comes to creating content, “indulging fantasy” is nothing more than giving your imagination free rein.
Go crazy. Throw out every wacky idea you’ve got. Don’t stop and ask yourself: is this realistic? practical? doable??
Don’t spoil the flow. Time enough to edit yourself later.
I once wrote a post called Make Your Thinking As Funny As Possible. Same idea.
Humor frees up the mind. It encourages free association. It produces a lot of ideas– stuff you’d never think of if you were being sober and serious. Sure, you’ll throw a lot of it out.
But somewhere in there you’ll find something you can use– something new and different.
A few years ago, I was doing blog post illustrations for Coca-Cola. One day I got thinking about stop-motion animation. I had an idea for a Valentine’s Day video.
