Be Very Observant. The Idea Is With You.
Every idea, solution, and piece of communication we create revolves around people, animals, our environment, and the things we interact with every day.
For anyone who wants to create anything, regardless of profession, observation is a valuable skill. Entrepreneurs use it to spot opportunities. Scientists use it to make discoveries. Engineers use it to invent new technologies.
The same applies to creatives and strategists. While research can provide useful information, people are often at their most authentic when they are simply living their lives: having conversations, expressing frustrations, celebrating wins, and interacting with the world around them.
Ideas are everywhere.
The more observant you are, the more likely you are to uncover insights that others overlook. And when an idea comes from the environment your audience lives in, it becomes easier for them to relate to it, connect with it, and believe it 🍪.
But observation is not just about watching. It is about noticing patterns in what people do and what they say without thinking too much about it. It is about paying attention to the small things that feel ordinary but reveal something bigger when you step back.
A throwaway comment in a conversation.
A repeated habit people don’t question.
A frustration that shows up in slightly different forms across different people.
These are often where the most useful insights live. Not in structured answers, but in unfiltered behaviour.
The challenge is that most people are too focused on producing work to notice the world that feeds the work. Over time, you can start to create in isolation, relying more on assumptions than on reality.
But creativity grounded in observation behaves differently. It feels more accurate. More human. Less forced. It doesn’t just communicate an idea; it reflects something people already recognise in themselves.
That is what makes it powerful.
So the question is not only what are you creating?
It is also what you are paying attention to when you are not creating anything at all.
