Creativity can be tough.
What you create needs to be unique, special, quirky, funny, beautiful,
clever and useful, right?
Wrong.
What you create just needs to be created.
Once it is, everything else will fall into place.
But that’s the toughest part, right?
Getting inspired, turning an idea into a concept and then work.
That’s how it works, right?
Wrong.
It’s a mistake to think that you need to be inspired.
You don’t.
What you need is practice.
What you need are Banana Basics!!
What Are “Banana Basics”?
Something so silly and simple that you’ll realize that you don’t need to get
inspired to create great work.
The point here is that you can create anything with anything.
It might not always be good, but that’s not the point.
The point is to always be able to create, anytime, anywhere.
That’s what creativity is all about, right?
It is.
Ok. Now that we agree, let’s get started....
Even Bananas Are Beautiful
Let’s keep this simple...
And let’s keep it honest.
Not every creative can create on demand. Artists, designers or writers, all
of us get creative blocks, and “bad days”.
Banana Basics will change that.
Not all of us can draw, or write, so let’s try this with something all of us
can try...
Let’s try this with photography.
The intent of the Banana Basics Assignment is simple:
“Anything can be made creative, and anything creative can be made.”
Wow. That sounds so good I’m going to say it again:
“Anything can be made creative, and anything creative can be made.”
Banana Basics let you explore creative solutions: through conventional
fundamentals and your own personal experiences. The keyword here is
“personal”.
Here’s how you do it...
Banana Basics Made Simple
Anything can be personal. And anything can be interesting.
The magic happens when you mix the two to get “Personal Interest”.
Things of personal interest can be extremely useful in creative work.
Personal interests make things creative. And now we’re going to use that
to create great work...
With bananas.
Yes. You heard that right. Bananas.
Maybe you thought the bananas were metaphorical.
They’re not.
Assignment
You can do this by yourself, or with a partner.
Let’s break this down into 6 easy steps:
1) Think about what your concept: anime, samurai swords, muscle cars,
Gucci bags, Turkish food, robots... you get the point. It has to be
something that makes you smile or gets you pumped up.
2) Now, you’re going to make a thumbnail sketch mixing these two: the
bananas and your personal interest. The medium of choice here is a
photograph, because we want to make this quick.
3) Sit down for 30 min with a notebook and draw a thumbnail sketch for
your concept. Keep it simple and fun, in a setting that fits your interest.
Add a cool headline, and a subhead.
Rules
1. You only get 30 min.
2. You must include at least one banana in the sketch. The visuals here,
therefore, is driven by the banana.
3. Your headline and content must be linked to your personal interest. The
content here, therefore, is driven by your topic of interest.
Why This Works
This assignment in creativity has some surprising benefits.
1. It takes the conventional method of creating things and flips it on its
head.
2. It doesn’t just make you think outside the box, it gets rid of the box
altogether.
3. It forces you to merge the physical with the digital. Usually, one would
start with Photoshop and create this sketch, but not us, we use bananas
and smartphones.
4. It forces you to create within fixed limits. You only get bananas and an
idea. That’s powerful. And it’s fantastic practice.
5. It creates unique stuff by default. This assignment makes you practice
uniqueness.
6. It forces you to make sense of the uniqueness. Your sketch needs to
have that muscle car feel and vibe. With bananas. That’s tough. And
beautiful.
7. It forces you to use your existing knowledge in an entirely new setting.
You might not know much about bananas and how to photograph
them, but you know muscle cars, right? Use that.
8. It teaches you the importance of concepts. A strong concept can even
overpower presentation. Think South Park.
Illustration
Let’s talk about a famous anime called Bleach. The latest season was released
after a decade. The plot is simple. Soul Reapers and the Quincys are at war.
Soul Reapers are celestial beings that live in heaven and kill souls that escaped
the spirit realm. Quincys are humans with superpowers.
So it’s side A vs side B. Here’s how I used the bananas to create a thumbnail
sketch for this concept:
Here’s the actual show’s poster for context and comparison:
Reflection
How did your interest influence your work?
Did it make it better or worse?
What colours did you choose?
How did the lighting change the mood of your message?
Over time you will start to notice these things, and it will show in your
work.
You’ll be more observant. You’ll appreciate the little details. But don’t stop
there.
Create a banana group. Have everyone share their work and have a
viewing party. Study and share observations. Learn and get better.
If you can create a really nice Mustang concept with just a banana, imagine
what you’ll do with an actual Mustang’s picture.
If you don’t allow it, then there’s no end and limit to creativity.
Happy creating!
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