Selling new ideas can be tough. If you are a creative type, that’s even tougher. Usually people who need your services realize they need help but often don’t trust the young, creative professional because, by and large, creative people scare them. From the way you dress, to the language you use, all the way to your non-corporate haircut, you can make your potential client nervous. The sooner you realize this dynamic, the sooner you can overcome it. It happens to me quite often. I’m creative, opinionated, and Brazilian. I make a lot of people nervous. Here’s a simple strategy I use when dealing with those non-creative professionals. Understand where their pain is. What do they “think” they need from me? Sometimes what they need and their perception of the need are not the same. Regardless, you must always start from their perspective, no matter your assessment of the situation. Speak…

No matter what you do, you need your creative batteries recharged from time to time. Creativity help us solve all kinds of problems and not just pick paint colors and furniture for the spare bedroom. There are a few experiences that have helped fill my creative tank. A few years back I took my entire family to  Cirque du Soleil’s show “Love.” It features the music of the Beatles and the cast of Cirque’s über-talented performers. It was an amazing experience–a double wow! The whole thing, from beginning to end, was just jaw-dropping. I won’t try to spoil the show and not do it justice by trying to describe something that needs to be experienced. It is intriguing to me how the creative minds at Cirque continue, after all these years, to surprise and give us the unexpected. As I was sitting in the theater waiting for the show to…

We fear that Wall Street is still spiraling out of control, our economic system might in total chaos and the sky  might be falling as well. While I find myself very concerned about our financial future, there’s something about a shake down in the way we do business that excites me. In my experience, difficult times for the business-as-usual approach always opens up new opportunities for creative, nimble and entrepreneurial organizations or individuals to find a break that fat, entrenched and risk-averse big business cannot or will not pursue. I started The A Group in November of 2001, a few weeks after 9/11. Most people thought I was crazy because of the overall fear and paralysis in the marketplace. “Boy, I hope you’ll be ok; these are difficult times,” I heard over and over during the early days. And they did represented the reality of the day. People were looking…

I’m convinced you cannot use focus groups to describe a ground breaking idea. I’m usually a fan of research, but not when it comes to introducing a cutting-edge idea or new product into the market. Focus groups might be a valid way to improve on an idea, or a help on choosing new features or services but they fail when they’re are asked to envision something completely new. This morning I read a comment on a blog that drove the point home: “I remember reading an article about the first-generation iPod and thinking: I can’t imagine ever needing one of these. Within months I had purchased one and I never went anywhere without it.” Innovators don’t ask permission. They bet on their instincts and create the experience we cannot live without. Can you imagine if Steve Jobs had decided to get validation from a focus group before building the first…

Nothing fuels my creative juices more than experiencing creativity on steroids. I get inspired, challenged, stretched and motivated to push my creative boundaries outwardly. But one would think that after watching the same production four times over a decade would get old. In most cases I would agree, but not when it comes to a Cirque du Soleil production, and specifically, La Nouba. While this might come across as cliche, La Nouba cannot be described in words or even pictures. It must be experienced. Really. The best way I can convey some meaningful and yet deficient description is by calling it a theatrical, acrobatic, musical and multi-media show that will have your head spinning and your mouth dropping and your heart racing for a solid one and a half hours. Interestingly, the producers created the show and then built the theater to fit it. The entire experience is perhaps the…

I attended a church production featuring great acting and singing talent supported by a strong team. It always make me happy when churches find, cultivate and deploy talented people for artistic productions. Where else would art and creativity come from but from the heart and mind of God? What troubled me about my experience wasn’t the quality of the experience, but the lack of strategic intent. At the end of the thing, I was left not knowing how to respond. Besides showing my appreciation for the talent and hard work through my applause, I walked away not being able to answer the “why” question. That was a miss opportunity of a weekend service to create impact. Next time your creative team decides on a video, play, reading or any artistic element within your service, you should ask these questions. What do we want to accomplish? What’s our ultimate goal? How…

Creativity is not just for people in the arts. Creative people come up with all kinds of  solutions: from math problems, engineer dilemmas, financing options to book titles, video concepts and logo designs. Creatives make things happen when others can’t. I have made a career of helping my clients to think innovatively. But I get stuck from time to time–nothing fresh comes to mind. Sometimes nothing at all comes to mind, not even a bad idea. Here’s a few strategies I have used over the years to re-start my creativity. Leave. The longer I sit and stare or try to think harder the worse it gets. I just cannot will my mind to be creative when it’s tired or at an impasse. My best option is to leave the situation and find something else to do for a while. Sleep. I cannot tell you how refreshing a good night’s sleep…

Creativity finds inspiration in the most unlikely of places. A few months ago, two young men decided to set the somewhat humorous news interview with Antoine Dodson, brother to a woman who had been assaulted in her apartment by a rapist, to music creating an instant Youtube sensation. Mr. Dodson has moved away from the projects with the proceeds he’s made from the “song.” He also performed live at the BET awards last month. The “bedroom intruder song” has now made its way into the Christmas repertoire of the Liberty University singers. Below is the evolution of the original newscast, the song and finally the Christmas version. What’s your take on the “Bedroom Intruder” phenomenon?

Part of my work at The A Group focus on helping leaders, speakers and authors with the creative part of their jobs. Several of my clients are pastors of large congregations and ministries and part of my work is to help them develop teaching series ideas, book topics, titles and creative concepts for their ministries. Some believe that the creative process is as mysterious as a muse who descends upon humans at her will to impart inspiration. I must say I’ve had a few inspirational moments over the years, but most of my best creative work comes through a process that is not as much magical, as it is intentional. I plan on writing more about the process in future posts, but before I can make any progress with a client, I need to understand his or her “creative style.” Usually most of my clients fit in one of or…

Most of the day had dragged on, slower than my fast-paced norm. But suddenly I looked up and two hours had passed without my knowledge. Instead of tired and restless, I felt energized by the task at hand. I had just spent time doing something artistic. I had offered to take head shots of a friend and had lost myself in getting it ready. While I can’t quantify it, the pursuit of art for its own sake transcends my mind from tasks and deadlines into the realm of infinite possibilities. I’m convinced that an artistic endeavor will make you a better professional, no matter your field. I remember dreaming up what became The A Group during a week-long beach vacation. I had purchased 5 business books and was ready to start on my first one when a stranger walked up to me and said, “you’re not going to read this…