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Have You Fed Your Subconscious Lately? The Creative Mantra I Live By

Illustration of two halves. On the left, a blue hand points to the middle of the image. At the end of the pointing finger, the illustrations bursts into color with swirls of patterns and icons including an outline of a rabbit, stars, and a 3D window.

I’ve always believed that one of the best things about my job as a Creative Director is bringing a touch of magic to the brands I work with.

But creativity doesn't just magically happen. As a wise man (Brian Cox) once said:

“If you want to pull a rabbit out of the hat, you need to put a rabbit in the hat.”

Like any skill in any job, you have to work at being creative. Nurture your creativity. Be open to trying new things. Listen and learn, always. Put in the work and you will reap the rewards. To paraphrase Brian: you get out what you put in.

All very good in theory, but what does that look like in practice?

Like many creative agencies and in-house design teams, we have a Creative Manifesto at Vault49. An internal rallying call, its purpose is to inspire Vault49’s unique blend of creativity throughout the team, ensuring that we are all working towards the same end goal.

I also have my own personal creative mantra. Well, I actually have five of them. Five tenets that I have lived by since I started my career over 20 years ago…

Photograph of Sam Wilkes. Sam is wearing a black shirt with a snake motif. She has long red hair with bangs, and is wearing red lipstick. Stood indoors with a background showing bookshelves, Sam is looking to the side, out of a window.

My Creative Mantra: Sam Wilkes

NOSE TO TAIL

Commit to every part. Learn to love the whole design journey, not just the start. It’s about being passionate, and bringing the same energy to every part of the process. Work closely with your clients, client management team, strategists, artworkers, everyone. Team work really does make the dream work. Respect is key.

PULL THE THREADS

See where they lead you. Go beyond your first idea, even if it feels like you’ve won. Use tools like mind mapping to dig deep and make new connections. Don’t be afraid to just let it all out. Yes, you might end up back at the start, but you also might surprise yourself with a new direction.

FEED YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS

Build a mental library of ideas. Go out, get inspired, take everything in. Fill your world with things you love (and some you don’t). Be a collector of culture. Then you’ll never have to start from scratch.

IDEAS FIRST, AESTHETICS LATER

Don’t be seduced by trends. Scrolling Pinterest is not design. Start hunting for the idea NOT a design output. Do your research, find new threads. Once you have the hook, use it to catch the aesthetic.

BE YOUR OWN CLIENT

Bring the love. Do the work that YOU love and are proud of. If you love it – and truly believe in it – then someone else will, too. Find the opportunity in every brief to bring a touch of magic, then no job will suck.