The Four Knows of Creativity

@richwellswww.richwells.me

the four knows of creativity

the four knows of creativity

Four things that I have found helpful about creativity and

visual communication

Hello, my name is Rich

Some people say that I look like Steven Merchant. Is that a

compliment?

I love drawing and so does Sophie

Thanks mum!

I’m Creative Director at a digital agency called Yoomee

We’re based in an office building called the Electricworks in

Sheffield

We’re blessed to have a tennis table

A beer cupboard

And a three storey helter skelter slide

I work with a great team of 12 designers, developers and

producers

I draw things, design things, code things and test things

We also run workshops and get people involved with the design

process.

We make websites and apps for charities and people who want

to do good things.

We’ve just launched a campaign site for girlguiding, which has

kept us busy.

We also mentor young people.

and are experimenting with teaching young offenders to

code

OUTSIDE OF WORK...

I take Tuesdays off to look after my daughter Sophie. We try to

explore the world and do something different every week.

http://dayoffwithsophie.tumblr.com/

dayoffwithsophie.tumblr.com

I love drawing things

Riding bicycles

Falling off longboards

Making silly ipad music

And being part of my local church

I always try to have a few side projects on the go, little things that I enjoy and challenge me to

develop my skills.

I’m trying to say yes to doing things that make me slightly uncomfortable. Like this talk.Yes!

I’ve been a Tearfund supporter fo a while. In March this year I went to Cambodia to see the work they

are doing over there.

I went with Danny and Anita

Cambodia is an amazing country to visit. So beautiful and inspiring.

It also has a really dark history. There was a terrible genoside in the 80s and the country is still

recovering now.

We were here to see the work that Tearfund does in communities

around Cambodia.

Pastor Ke Pich

We met with ‘Umoja’ groups who work together to use what they

have to make a difference in their communities.

We met so many inspiring people.

I used Tumblr, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to share

small stories of the people we met. I used drawings, photos, ipad paintings and short stories to create a ‘travel scrapbook’.

There were a lot of challenges - poor internet and little sleep being two. I absolutely loved it though.

We had a challenge to get 60 new regular givers. I created an art

print that I sent out to everyone who gave. In the end we had 57

people sign up. I was blown away by how generous everyone was.

@richwellswww.richwells.me

the four knows of creativity

Here are four things that I have found helpful when creating and

communicating.

the four knows of creativity

The Four Knows of Creativity

Napoleon has some sweet skills and so do you.

you are creative

We all have skills, we all have a voice and it is uniquely ours.

In the 10 years I’ve worked in the creative industry I’ve gained lots of

new skills but the thing I have learned the most is to have

confidence in my voice, my way of doing things.

confidence

your way of doing it is the right way

of doing it

I’ve realised my best work is done quickly. I don’t try to be perfect any more. That’s really freeing.

challenge yourself

“get hold of a camera and some film and make a movie of any kind at all”

Stanley Kubrick

I love challenges. I set up the 100 Day Bible Challenge to encourage people in my church to read the

bible. http://100daybiblechallenge.com/

Lots of people got involved. I decided to make artwork everyday inspired by what we were reading.

After about a week, I used up all my ideas and found it really hard

work.

The experience forced me to push through the ‘I can’t do this’

feeling.

I had to make space to create in my spare time, alongside

everything that was going on in life.

It helped me find my rhythm, and think about how I work best.

Looking over the 100 images, I could see my style, my voice in a way I never had before. We learn what our voice is the more we

regularly create.

Develop your sense of taste. Jiro is a 90 year old Sushi master who has spent years working on his taste. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1UDS2kgqY8

Capture the things that inspire you, study them, break them apart and work out what you like and don’t like.

taste

study the things you like

THINKING TIME

- How would I describe my style?- What kind of work do I enjoy the most?- Where am I most creative?- When am I most creative?- What/who inspires me? - What's not helpful for me when I want to be creative?

The Four Knows of Creativity

We need to know what we’re talking about. Simple.

Really look and listen to your subject. What stands out to you?

pay attention

Capture as much as you possibly can. Take as many photos as you

can. If you are photographing someone, remember and write

down what they say.

edit

you can’t tell the whole story and you can’t tell every story

And then Kill your Darlings. Pick an angle to make your story shine.

Empathy is really important. What’s it like to be them? What are

they feeling?

Abraham had a lot of responsibility when he was called to leave

everything he knew and go to a new place. I thought about that as

I made this image.

The obvious thing for the red sea image would be to draw it parted, but what about before? What was

going through Moses’ mind as God told him to be still?

We all have a voice. But the way we use it depends on who we are

speaking to. Who is listening to you?

The Four Knows of Creativity

My audience was very different to Anita and Danny’s. Most people who listen to me aren’t in the

Christian world. I assume people who are reading what I make don’t

know anything about Jesus.

HAVE A CHAT

What piece of workare you proud of?

Who was it for?

Is there anything that you left out or focused on in particular?

What piece of workare you proud of?

Who was it for?

Is there anything that you left out or focused on in particular?

the four knows of creativity

The Bible talks a lot about God as a father who knows us - an intimate relationship. He is creative and so are we - we are made in his image.

I love seeing my daughter draw pictures and even though I could

make something much better than she could, I’m still proud of her. I

love it when she draws pictures for me.

The Four Knows of Creativity

He already approves

don’t measure yourself by likes and retweets

don’t make excuses

"I'll be more creative when I have '...'.

“I need a better camera/mac/*” just distracts you from doing your work.God wants us to be content and be creative with what we have now. Real creativity makes use of constraints.

view your work as a gift from God

be generous and help people out

Being generous has got me really far. Viewing your work as a gift changes everything.Give away stuff and trust God for promotion.

There is so much need for art and originality online, Nearly all of what we consume online is selling something.We need more than bad news, ice bucket challenges and Buzzfeed.

making art is a calling

Thanks very much

@richwellswww.richwells.me