Deej Johnson’s top tips on how to keep your creative juices flowing

Posted on 5th July 2017 By Billy Langsworthy

Everyone struggles with a form of creative block at one time or another, but what’s the best way to get through it?

We caught up with Deej Johnson, creative consultant and the author of The Little Book of Bananagrams, to find out his top tips on how toy and game designers can keep their creative juices flowing.

What can designers do to keep their creative juices flowing?
The one piece of advice that sums up my attitude is a quote by Thomas Edison: “To have one great idea, have lots of them…” In practical terms, that’s not as glib as it sounds; the same sentiment compelled everyone from da Vinci and Darwin to Turing and Einstein to do exactly the same thing: just carry a notebook and pen…

As simple as that?!
Yes! People often roll their eyes when I say, “Carry a notebook” – I think they want a more gimmicky answer, or something less effortful… But the difference between the have-a-little-think amateur and a habitually creative person starts with nothing more than the discipline of writing down every idea you have.

Everything? Good, bad, indifferent?
Absolutely! Writing ideas in a notepad – and I mean physically writing them – does three things: it lets you remember ideas, it helps you process ideas and – crucially – it encourages your brain to have more ideas. Every time you jot something down you reinforce the importance of your output. So good, bad, indifferent: writing it down helps generate ideas.

At what point do you start sorting the wheat from the chaff?
I’m not sure I’d phrase it like that. There are ideas that you’ll immediately see a use for and there are ideas that you won’t immediately see a use for. But while they may not be right for one particular project or client, it doesn’t mean they’re bad ideas. Obviously, though, if you have a lot of ideas around one theme then there are things you can do to work out which is the most suitable.

For example?
The best approach – by far, in my opinion – is an Edward de Bono system that he calls Six Thinking Hats. It’s a simple-as-can-be way to think about the way you think. He wrote a short book on it; it’s brilliant… You can read it in the morning, try it in the afternoon, and change the way you think forever by the time you go to bed!

Do you ever get creative block?
No, not as such. What people rather pretentiously describe as a creative block is usually the result of nothing more than a set of circumstances in which it’s harder to come up with something… But that’s completely normal; totally natural. It’s just a question of how easily you can change your perspective and look at any given situation from a different angle. There are dozens of different ways to do that. From my training in clinical hypnosis I know that being able to relax deeply always helps people kick start their creative ‘mojo’. There are studies, though, that show laughter, specifically, is a truly fantastic fix. So next time you’re stuck for an idea you can look into it: gelotology – the study of laughter and its effects on the mind and body… That, or stick on a DVD of Airplane!

Deej Johnson is a creative consultant and the author of The Little Book of Bananagrams. He is also brand guardian at DMI Productions and predominantly uses his writing and consultancy skills in the board-game and media-production industries, with toy clients including Bananagrams, Accentuate, Playtime PR, Ooba Toys and Sussed. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Save

Save

More Recent Interview

Funko’s Director of Group Licensing & Retail Strategy, Lucy Salisbury, talks music, sport and more

“I’m absolutely loving it!” Lucy Salisbury on Funko’s new strategy – and her own increased remit.

See Jane Fun’s Jane Bredemus on creating crafts designed for play, not display

Inventor Jane Bredemus talks putty products, Sticker Stackers and her kid-centric approach to design.

Hasbro’s Evan Brooks takes us inside the design process on TRANSFORMERS – and reveals his most underrated creation!

Hasbro’s Evan Brooks – Product Designer on the TRANSFORMERS team – talks design, innovation and what makes the brand unique.

Moodles creator Joanna Paul and LoCoco Licensing’s Peter LoCoco on building the brand beyond toys

“It has an incredible opportunity; it’s about finding the people who believe in it”: Joanna Paul and Peter LoCoco on the Moodles story so far.

The Rubik’s Cube at 50: Ernö Rubik tells Pete Jenkinson how the iconic puzzle came to be

“I don’t like the word invention” Ernö Rubik reveals how he discovered the eponymous Cube 50 years ago…

Game designer Dirk Barsuhn on what inspired his new tile-laying game, Ananda

“The idea came to me when I saw mahjong for the first time”: Dirk Barsuhn talks Ananda – and what made Zoch the perfect home for it.