It’s easier than ever to be creative, to create, to imagine and make what’s imagined become reality.

It’s also tougher than ever, with distractions surrounding us in ways never before imagined.

No matter what kind of creative type you are — writer, painter, musician, marketer, blogger, photographer, designer, parent, business owner — you are likely always looking for inspirations, for ways to let loose your creative genius.

And while there are millions of creativity tips on the Internet, I thought I’d share the ones I’ve found most useful — the ones that I’ve tried and tested and found to be right.

Here they are, in no order at all:

• Play.
• Don’t consume and create at the same time — separate the processes.
• Shut out the outside world.
• Reflect on your life and work daily.
• Look for inspiration all around you, in the smallest places.
• Start small.
• Just get it out, no matter how crappy that first draft.
• Don’t try for perfect. Just get it out there, asap, and get feedback.
• Constantly make it better.
• Ignore the naysayers.
• But let criticism help you grow.
• Teach and you’ll learn.
• Shake things up, see things in new ways.
• Apply things in other fields to your field, in ways not done before.
• Drink ridiculous amounts of coffee.
• Write all ideas down immediately.
• Turn your work into play.
• Play with kids.
• Get out, move, see new things, talk to new people.
• Read wildly different things. Especially stuff you disagree with.
• Get lots of rest. Overwork kills creativity.
• Don’t force it. Relax, play, it will start to flow.
• Allow your mind to wander. Allow distractions, when you’re looking for inspiration.
• Then shut them off when you’re going to create.
• Do it when you’re excited.
• When you’re not, find something else to be excited about.
• Don’t be afraid to be stupid and silly.
• Small ideas are good. You don’t need to change the world — just change one thing.
• When something is killing your creativity, kill it.
• Stop reading creativity advice, clear away everything, and just create.
• Most of all, have fun doing it.

“Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” - Lewis Carroll

Finally… www.watermarkmedia.net …relaunched!

Designer certification scheme up for Government approval…

The Chartered Society of Designers has filed an application to the Government to approve a system of professional certification for designers.

If approved by the Privy Council, the CSD and other professional bodies will be entitled to assess and award designers with ‘CDes’ charteredstatus. Designers would join the ranks of other chartered professionals, including accountants, surveyors, statisticians, linguists, engineers and marketers.

To gain the CDes credential, designers would be assessed on their professionalism, skills, knowledge and creativity, the last of which would be gauged ‘much in the same way that degree courses manage to appraise creativity’, says CSD chief executive Frank Peters.

To read more, visit…

http://www.designweek.co.uk/designer-certification-scheme-up-for-government-approval/3009140.article

We are a bunch of vibrant communicators.

Watermark Media is not industry specific. We work across a broad range of industries, and that’s a strategic decision. Why? Well, it means our designers and developers get to think across many disciplines, and it pushes them outside the box every time.

As we can do lots of different things and can do them all rather well, to some clients we are consultants and branding specialists; to some we are design and web experts and to others still, we are all of those things wrapped in one neat package as their ‘in-house’ creative department.