In the early 1500’s, Leonardo da Vinci began work on what today is arguably the most celebrated and famous painting in history. The Mona Lisa has been sung about, parodied, stolen, recovered, copied, vandalized, its subject speculated upon, shattered multiple records, and contributed to Hollywood film plots. In other words, this relatively small painting (30 x 21 inches) has been the inspiration for countless creative endeavors throughout its storied history.
As I was thinking about beginning this blog entry, I was searching for an appropriate image to help me convey what I wanted to address with you – namely how to CONCEPTUALIZE YOUR INSPIRATION . I had entered my search criteria into the box provided, and the program returned photos of roads, mountains, light bulbs, and finally – one famous face with an enigmatic smile.
In my specific case, I find that inspiration builds on itself when planning a competitive event at work. Once I have the base concept identified, my mindset is such that inspiration pops up day to day in everyday life. Example? Of course you want an example…and I do have one.
“RELENTLESS” was the name of our game in the summer of 2017. In this instance, I wanted to find a word that would symbolize an undying desire to win, and relentless fit perfectly. One evening after I’d finished a workout at my local gym, I stopped by the grocery store down the street to pick up a few items for dinner. As I walked through the store, I came across a display of t-shirts with edgy statements promoting the store I was visiting. I immediately realized they had partnered with Raygun, a downtown merchant hugely popular in the midwest for there simple yet extremely effective shirt messaging.
The next morning, I emailed Raygun and proposed partnering together on a charity t-shirt for our game of “RELENTLESS”. We negotiated a price for the tee, and then it was a done deal. Sales of our charity t-shirt doubled the prior year’s total. That chance moment in a regular day triggered a creative moment in my head that resonated successfully for the campaign, gave the office a memorable (and unbelievably comfortable) t-shirt to wear on casual Fridays, and fueled my marketing plan for the game. Win-Win-Win!
So, on to the 99 often overlooked places to search for inspiration (in no particular order):
- Board Games
- Music
- Live or Exotic Animals
- TV & Movies
- Workplace Neighbors
- Businesses
- Onsite Cafeteria
- Companies who offer a unique experience
- Family
- Workouts
- Science
- Books
- Holidays
- Sporting Events
- Leaders
- Childhood
- Computer Apps
- Menus
- Workplace processes
- Store Brands
- Toys
- Nature
- School
- History
- Pets
- Friends
- Politics
- Transportation
- Charity Organizations
- Current Events
- The Future
- Inventions
- Strengths & Weaknesses
- Twists
- Food
- The unknown or unexpected
- Celebrities
- Theatre
- Card Games
- Geography
- Athletes
- Education
- Games of Chance
- Famous Events
- Play on names
- Seasons
- Clothing
- Decades
- Numbers & Mathematics
- Computers
- Telephone Numbers
- Databases
- Grammar
- Heights
- Secret Codes
- Parks
- Technology
- The Zoo
- Restaurants
- Police Department
- Fire Department
- Water
- Ice
- Fire
- Money
- Different Cultures
- The Alphabet
- Talent
- Relationships
- Work Departments
- Local Traditions
- Astronomy
- Photography
- Puzzles
- Legends
- Generations
- Occupations
- Magazines
- Languages
- Precious Stones
- Confusion
- Changing Rules
- Disasters
- Mistaken Identity
- Art
- Quizzes
- Finding the Needle in the Haystack (sheer volume)
- Statistics
- Quotes
- Time Zones
- Street Names
- Presidents
- Candy
- Recipes
- Graphics (logos, designs, etc.)
- Corporate Code of Conduct
- Phone Messages
- Emotions
- Video Clips
Next, take the subject of your inspiration and conceptualize an event or portion of an event around it.
UNDO IT
For example, let’s use Music (#2 above) as our source of inspiration. During an event several years ago, I used song titles as the inspiration for the challenges within the event. When players arrived that day for the challenge, they discovered a table filled with countless ears of corn, all left in their husks. The challenge was simple – each team had to run a certain distance, rip the husks off the ear of corn, and then sprint back to the start and place the clean ear in their team’s basket before tagging their next team member to do the same. We had an incentive/rule that whichever team ended up with the most ears of corn in their basket at the end of the challenge would receive an advantage during the next day’s competition. We dubbed this challenge “Undo It”, borrowing its title from the popular Carrie Underwood country tune.
DOWN ON THE FARM
The next day rolled around and teams found themselves at a table with steaming ears of corn on a tray. The number of ears corresponded to the total ears shucked by each team during the prior day’s challenge. Again, the challenge was simple – one team member was tasked with eating each ear of corn on their tray before they were awarded with a clue to their next task that day. The “advantage” was that the team who shucked the most ears of corn could trade their tray with any other team in contention. They naturally chose the team with the fewest ears and sailed through the challenge, leaving the team they traded with 12 ears of corn to consume. This challenge we called “Down on the Farm”, a takeoff from the Tim McGraw hit single.
Alright, that is enough for this entry, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it. If you have a moment, please follow me and share my blog with others you feel would benefit from the insights shared. Thanks!
MOTEVENTURE 