All jobs require constant creative thinking to promote business innovation, and there’s nothing more intimidating when faced with a blank canvas.
 
For our team here at Wilmington Design Co., working day-in and day-out on new campaign ideas and marketing tactics is a tough job, and we must constantly find different ways to avoid complacency.
 
To be successful and innovative, it is important to consistently shake things up and stay fresh with ideas.
 
“We’re just continuously creating and in search of the next brilliant idea for our clients. That’s why we rely heavily on our teammates during brainstorming sessions to bounce ideas off each other,” says Matt Morin, Digital Marketing Manager at WDC, who incidentally bounces a tennis ball as he thinks.
 
Some people unbend paper clips, click pens or fidget with toys, but we also enjoy throwing, catching and bouncing our tennis balls throughout the office while we focus on a project. Fidgeting is needed to keep restless fingers occupied, bodies relaxed and minds engaged.
 
According to the Wall Street Journal, researchers at NYU are starting to discover how ‘using your hands and generally fidgeting with anything, promotes creative thinking and faster learning.’ Motioning hands in brainstorming sessions is a form of embodied cognition that maps the connection between body movements and cognitive functioning.
 
In other words, we fidget to stimulate our sharp minds.
 
Don’t have a tennis ball? Here are some other ways to stay original and innovative during brainstorming sessions:

• Start an inspiration wall. Keep images that inspire you.
• Keep a dictionary nearby. Flip to a page and pick a word.
• Take a walk or work out at the gym. Increase the endorphins to feel refreshed.
• Play with Silly Putty. It can act as a great stress-reliever and conversation-starter.
• Write your worst ideas down first and get them out of your system.