As the summer slump draws to an end, Daisy Pack, Managing Director of Hunter: UK, explores what we should take with us into the back-to-school season.

Adele recently revealed her “tank is quite empty at the minute.” The singer went on to say she wanted a big break from music and to “do other creative things just for a little while".

Those in creative marketing roles would do well to follow suit. While it’s true the creative muscle needs exercise, it also needs rest. That’s when inspiration strikes!

The truth is, creative minds never switch off. Learning to be receptive to and capturing invention, even on a subconscious level, is the trick to banking big ideas. As summer has made way for back-to-school season, I’ve been following these tips to keep the creative spark alive.

1. Make time to generate lots of ideas

Block time for creativity. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, the Hunter: UK team reviews cultural moments gaining traction and finds new ways to insert our clients into these conversations. Jeff Bezos famously kept two days blocked for exploring the internet and finding fresh opportunities. Regular creative thinking like this requires routine and discipline but also a willingness to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Taking a sideways look at the world is a sure-fire way to think differently.

2. Pens down, step away from the screen

While creativity can be nurtured through regular exercises which stimulate curiosity, it can also be stimulated by regular exercise. Go for a walk (scientifically proven by Stamford to boost creativity). Get out in nature. Lace up those running shoes and blow the cobwebs away. The creative mind is stifled by busy work and bureaucracy so stepping away from the screen, emptying your mind and being brave enough to trust the ideas will come when they come is a radical act you can’t afford not to make.

3. Diversity matters

Exposure to a variety of cultural experiences during any break enriches the mind and stimulates the imagination. Increase your knowledge. Get lost in a good book (my lifeblood). Sit in a park and observe people. Look at art. Look at trends. Go to a museum. Travel (here I am embracing my ‘inner kid’ in Crete). Rearrange your living space. Stimulate new and more interesting thinking. 

4. Capturing inspiration when it strikes 

Inspiration strikes when least expected. Forget the brainstorm, it’s all about the brain shower the morning after a good night’s sleep. Thank the Apple gods for the notes app. Use it, and constantly capture your ideas.

However you’ve stimulated your imagination over the past few months, it will have banked a fountain of inspiration now you’re back at your desk. Draw on it. Let it sustain you. One thing’s for sure, whatever Adele does next is bound to be epic – and will enhance her music when she’s ready to return to it. Remember to refuel the tank to sharpen your mind with fresh thinking. Your clients will thank you for it.