Does your creative work whisper or roar?

Sam Harrison, author of "Zing!", has some great tenets of creativity to move your creative work from simply whispering your message to roaring it with clarity. In a creativity on-demand culture a lot of creative directors and designers live in...the pressure to perform can be enormous. Hopefully some of these will provide some wisdom for us all:

1. Don’t stop with the first idea you spot. Even if it’s a good idea, it’s probably the same one everyone else would spot. And the good is often the enemy of the best. Put the first three ideas aside and dig deeper.

2. Laugh. A common trait of most creative people is the ability to laugh at themselves and their circumstances. OK, Hemingway had no humor, but do you want his ending? Don’t take yourself too damn seriously.

3. Work hard. Wanting it with all your being isn’t enough. You’ve got to do the work. Stay up late. Get up early. Take responsibility.

4. Be childlike. Not childish, but childlike. Wide eyes. “How come” questions. Playful. Giddy. Eager.

5. Keep a notebook. Creativity seldom happens in front of a computer. We spot ideas while walking down the street, sitting in Starbucks, stuck in traffic. Find a notebook that feels good in your hand. Use it.

Read the rest of Harrison's tenets here as well as explore his ZingZone website.