Creativity Tip - Stick-to-it-ness

I recently read an interview with James Dyson, creator of both the cyclonic vacuum cleaner and my favourite recent invention, the Dyson Air-Blade™ hand drier. (Even although it makes my hands look like Buzz Lightyear’s face under G Force when I use it).

In the interview he repeated the fact that it had taken 15 years and over five thousand prototypes to develop the Dyson DC-01. Five thousand!

There’s a temptation to think of innovation and invention as an act of instant inspiration. For most creators, however, that inspiration is brought to life through hours, days, weeks – or even years – of development work.

So you need to stick to it. Honing, perfecting, improving – and if you believe you have a great idea, have faith and carry on.

And sometimes, the persistence you show pays off in unexpected ways. I was lucky enough to see the brilliant adman Dave Trott present last week, and he told the story of one of the most famous campaigns in British advertising, “I bet he drinks Carling Black Label”. The line fitted perfectly with the brand, and was at the heart of a campaign that ran for almost two decades (and was brought back years later).

But it wasn’t written for Carling – it was written for a pitch for the Milk Marketing Board. “I bet he drinks milk”.

Doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, does it?