My recent Now Go Create podcast guest, Daisy Amodio, heard exactly that – and went ahead anyway.

Daisy is the founder of The Proposers and one of the world’s leading proposal planners. She’s staged more than 5,000 marriage proposals across the globe, from £500 pop-ups to a £1 million, multi-country epic that ended with faces projected on to Niagara falls. She’s done fake drug arrests, dressed 50 cats as waiters, and now masterminds ultra-luxury weddings – including a royal one.

In this blog, I’m pulling out the creative and entrepreneurial lessons from our conversation: how Daisy invented a category, how she mines clients for stories, and what it really takes to say “yes” first and figure it out later.

From ad agency to “queen of proposals”

Daisy’s story starts in a familiar place for lots of us – the creative industries. She was an account manager at M&C Saatchi, loved her job, and had no plans to leave. Then her brother asked for help.

He wanted to propose, had no idea how, and – in his words – “no creative bone in his body”. Daisy designed a treasure hunt around london, ending at sunset with a harpist and a big yes.

Afterwards, she did what many of us would do: she googled “proposal planner”.

Nothing. No category. No competitors. No obvious proof that anyone wanted what she’d just done.

Instead of parking it as a nice one-off, she followed a gut feeling that something was there – weddings were getting bigger, social media was exploding, and big, shareable moments were becoming the norm.

So she did some “research”: a questionnaire to 500 men.

The verdict?

• most thought it was a terrible idea
• “why spend money on proposing? just get down on one knee”
• “why would you leave a good job for that?”

Even her (very supportive) boyfriend reminded her she still had to pay the bills.

The exception? Her agency. They loved the idea, gave her space on stage to share it with the whole company, and even lent her web designers to get her first site off the ground.

Fast-forward 13–14 years and that “rubbish idea” has turned into:

• 5,000 proposals
• two tv series (including Will You Marry Me? on channel 4)
• a wedding planning business and a royal wedding

If you’ve ever had an idea shot down, Daisy is proof that external validation is not the only signal you should listen to.

Inventing (and then defending) a category

Because she was first to market, Daisy’s initial “strategy” was deceptively simple:

• get a website up
• talk about “proposal planning” clearly and consistently
• benefit from the fact there was zero competition in search

She ranked page one on google for proposal planner because literally nobody else was using the term.

Of course, success attracts competition. Today:

• there are proposal planners in almost every country
• hotels and attractions run their own proposal packages
• there’s a steady stream of copycats

Her answer? Double down on expertise and niche.

“there is nobody in the world more of an expert than me at proposals. it would be physically impossible.”

She’s done more proposals than anyone else, across more cultures, budgets and styles. And she’s built a natural funnel: if someone has a decent budget for the proposal, she can transition them into her wedding business afterwards.

The creative engine: deep client discovery + Pinterest stalking

As romantic as it all sounds, Daisy’s process is grounded and quite systematic.

When she’s pitching or planning, she wants to know:

• how the couple met
• what they love about each other
• favourite colours, foods, music
• in-jokes, nicknames, shared obsessions
• visual clues – Pinterest boards, instagram feeds, playlists

A favourite example is her first ever paying client:

• the girlfriend was an aspiring artist with a pinterest board full of handmade hearts
• Daisy invited her to what looked like an art gallery show in Richmond
• 10 canvases lined the walls – each a new “artwork”, actually about their relationship
• the final piece was wrapped in her favourite purple velvet
• underneath was her own heart artwork from pinterest, re-created to say “will you marry me?”

They later used the pieces at their wedding and still send Daisy family photos.

The whole experience is built on story mining: turning private details into public moments.

Fake arrests, cat waiters and a million-pound waterfalls

Part of what makes Daisy’s work so compelling – and so good for TV – is how wildly different each brief can be.

A few that stood out:

• Fake drug arrest in barcelona
  • she and her team slipped “drugs” (oregano!) into the girlfriend’s pocket
  • fake police “arrested” her, bundled her into a car, and told her she’d never go back to america
  • she had to identify her supposed dealer in a line-up
  • instead, her boyfriend stepped forward, dropped to one knee and proposed
  • she loved it – because pranks were central to their relationship
• The cat-themed proposal
  • 50 actual cats dressed as mini waiters
  • the couple stroked them, had cake, discovered the ring, then danced to a jazz song about cats
  • deeply niche, totally on-brand for them
• The £1 million “no budget” brief
  • his original ask: project his face onto the Eiffel Tower
  • daisy said yes… then discovered every authority in france would say no
  • she came back with alternatives and ended up:
    • hiring out disneyland paris privately, with fireworks and personalised characters
    • taking the couple around the world, staging iconic moments on each continent
    • culminating at Niagara Falls at night, with both of their faces projected on to the water

Her attitude is “say yes first, work out the how later” – and then quietly deal with the logistics, regulations and politics behind the scenes.

Storytelling as the spine of the experience

We talk about “storytelling” endlessly in business, but daisy lives it in a very literal way.

For her, storytelling means:

• narrative from first contact to final yes – the enquiry email, the pitch deck, the build-up, the reveal, the photos afterwards
• physical storytelling in the space – props, colours, textures and music that all link back to the couple’s story
• continuity into the wedding – reusing proposal elements in the wedding decor, stationery or rituals

No two proposals or weddings are the same because no two stories are the same. The “big gesture” makes the headlines, but it’s the small, specific details that make people feel truly seen.

6 takeaways from Daisy’s story

You might not be projecting faces onto waterfalls any time soon, but there’s a lot we can steal from Daisy’s approach.

Here are six prompts to take into your own work:

1. Trust your gut, not the poll
   If 500 people tell you your idea is rubbish, they might be right – or you might be early. Check the logic, then listen to your instincts. Not every idea needs a focus group’s blessing.
2. Mine your clients’ world for specific details
   Don’t stop at the brief. Look at pinterest boards, playlists, social feeds, old photos. The gold for storytelling and creativity is often already there – you just have to go looking.
3. Offer both templates and true bespoke
   Packages give reassurance, speed and scale. Bespoke work feeds your creative soul and your portfolio. You don’t have to choose; you can design your business to hold both.
4. Say yes, then design the constraints
   You don’t have to know exactly how you’ll do something the moment you say yes. But you do need to quickly create the boundaries, resources and plan that make it possible.
5. Build a team before you break yourself
   If you’re still “sticking 5,000 crystals on by hand” in your business, ask where you can start handing things over. Your future work (and health) will thank you.
6. Remember: if there’s no playbook, you can write one
   There was no rulebook for proposal planning. Daisy wrote her own.

Listen to the full episode here.Now Go Create Podcast

And if this sparked something for you – an idea you’ve parked, a niche you’re too scared to own – maybe this is your nudge to dust it off and explore it again.

If you’re opening a blank document and feeling absolutely nothing – no spark, no pull, no excitement – this one’s for you.

Lately, I’ve been in a creative slump myself. A heavy, slowed-down, slightly foggy state where ideas don’t feel blocked exactly, just harder to reach. Work is intense, life is full, and my personal creative reserves feel low.

And if that sounds familiar, I remind myself that:

This is normal.
This is human.
And it will pass.

Let’s talk about what a creative slump really is – and what actually helps when you, or your team are, in one.

One of my early Now Go Create podcast guests, the singer-songwriter Dyo, once said something that completely reframed how I think about creative blocks:

“Creative blocks don’t actually exist – the moment you name it, you give it power.”

A block suggests a wall – something actively stopping you.
A slump, on the other hand, feels more like quicksand – slow, heavy, draining.

But what if neither of those labels is really helpful?

What if you’re not blocked at all – you’re just in a different creative mood or even a different creative season?

Sometimes what feels like being stuck is actually your creativity asking for:
– Rest
– Play
– A change of pace
– Space to wander
– Or simply… time

When we label the experience too harshly, we risk making it feel bigger and more permanent than it really is.

The reality of creativity (it’s not always Instagram-pretty)

We love to romanticise creativity – the post-it notes, the playlists, the perfect flow state.

But real creativity looks more like this:

– Staring at a screen full of doubt
– Feeling under pressure
– Working when you don’t feel inspired
– Getting something “good enough” over the line
– Questioning yourself the whole way through

Even as someone who teaches creativity for a living, I don’t get to flick a magic switch whenever I want. Creativity moves more like a tide – it flows, it ebbs, it returns.

The worst thing we can do? Panic when it feels like it’s gone out. It hasn’t. It always comes back.

The creative CAT Scan – a simple check-in when you feel flat

When I feel out of sorts creatively, I use something I call a Creative CAT Scan. It’s a fast way to understand what’s really going on under the surface and an idea I borrowed for the amazing Elizabeth Gilbert.

You can do this in five minutes with a notebook.

C – Curiosity

Ask yourself:
– Am I still asking questions?
– Am I noticing details?
– Is anything intriguing me right now?

For me, curiosity shows up in tiny moments – like noticing tube ads on my commute and wondering:
Why that image?
Why that headline?
What was the creative thinking behind it?

When curiosity drops off, it’s often a sign I’m overwhelmed rather than uninspired.

A – Action

Ask yourself:
– Am I taking any creative action at all – even tiny ones?

This could be:
– Doodling
– Rearranging your workspace
– Taking a new route to work
– Planting bulbs in your garden
– Trying something slightly unfamiliar

Action doesn’t need momentum to start. Action creates momentum.

One brilliant tip from creative strategist Emma Mayo:

“Commit to just 10 minutes. Half of that might just be setting things up – and that’s fine. Once you start, you often keep going.”

T – Tenacity

Ask yourself:
– Am I showing myself compassion – or criticism?
– Am I pushing relentlessly instead of listening?

Coach Remy Bloomfield shared this:

“Creative slumps aren’t the enemy. They’re often a signal that something new is about to emerge – if we stop forcing it.”

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is step back.

Here’s the coaching question I’ve been sitting with during my own slump:

“What do I want to do – purely for fun?”

No output.
No productivity.
No shoulds.
No strategy.

Just joy.

This is where Julia Cameron’s idea of the Artist Date comes in – a solo, pre-planned experience purely to feed your curiosity and creative spirit. Not for content. Not for progress. Just for aliveness.

Mine right now? I’m genuinely tempted by a flotation tank. No goal. Just curiosity.

Wherever you’re at, remember to be kind to yourself and remember you sometimes have to retreat to move ahead.

Well… what if you switched on your creativity too?

Introducing the Creative Nudge Summer School

I’ve created a completely free six-week summer school to help you build tiny creative habits that fit into your life, not your to-do list.

Here’s why: creativity isn’t about having loads of spare time or being “naturally talented.” It’s about noticing, reframing, and borrowing ideas from the world around you – in ways that take minutes, not hours.

What you’ll get:

• One short email each week packed with easy nudges to spark fresh thinking.
• One 4 minute mini-podcast episode designed for beach walks, coffee breaks, or even waiting in holiday traffic.
• Tiny creative habits that build confidence and inspire new ideas, without adding any pressure to your summer.

What will we explore?

• How to build creative confidence in ridiculously small ways
• Why your best ideas come in the shower (and how to harness that)
• How a simple walk around your neighbourhood can unlock your next big solution
• The art of borrowing brilliance from completely unrelated worlds
• How to reframe problems like a photographer changes angles
• And why resting is the most productive thing you can do for creativity

Who is it for?

If you’re thinking:

“I’m not the creative type.”
Perfect – this is exactly for you.

“I don’t have time for this.”
Even better – we’re talking about habits that fit into the tiniest gaps in your day.

“I’ll probably forget to do it.”
That’s why I’ll be your gentle weekly reminder, dropping into your inbox with a nudge

Ready to join us?

The first nudge lands on the 16th July. You can sign up at any time over the summer.

Sign up here for free!

Share the love

Know someone who could use a creativity boost right now? Share this post with them or include your team or colleagues in the exercises each week.

Why does this matter?

Many of us work on briefs that feel uninspiring, dry, or weighed down by constraints. This episode proves that creativity doesn’t depend on having a “cool” brand or unlimited budgets. Instead, the world’s best ideas often come from flipping assumptions, understanding cultural truths, and reframing products or problems in unexpected ways.

Here are some of the key campaigns we discussed – and what they teach us about creativity.

1. The world’s unlikeliest tourism campaign

Campaign: The Best Place in the World to Have Herpes
Organisation: New Zealand Herpes Foundation

This campaign reframed herpes from taboo into national pride by combining humour with cultural insight. Using Kiwi sporting icons, it created a spoof-style destigmatisation course with a leaderboard, encouraging people to engage, learn, and reduce stigma.

Arif noted how the team probably asked themselves:

“What’s the wrong way to do a herpes campaign? Then, what’s the opposite of that?”

This campaign shows how flipping assumptions can break creative deadlocks, especially when combined with bravery and authentic cultural relevance.

2. Turning tickets into opportunities

Campaign: Lucky Yatra
Organisation: Indian Railways

In India, fare dodging is common due to limited gates and checks. The insight behind Lucky Yatra was simple but powerful: while many people avoid buying train tickets, they spend willingly on lottery tickets.

So Indian Railways transformed train tickets into lottery tickets by adding a simple code. This reframed ticket buying from a burden into an opportunity, leading to a 34% increase in sales. It shows how creative problem solving doesn’t always require changing a product – sometimes it just needs a new lens.

Claire reflected on this as an example of related worlds thinking – connecting seemingly unrelated categories (rail travel and lotteries) to spark a solution.

3. Burger King’s cheeky gaming hack

Campaign: Burger to King
Brand: Burger King

Burger King used FIFA gaming to reinforce its underdog, playful brand personality. They noticed that two real FIFA players were called ‘Burger’ and ‘King’. Players who recruited both and completed plays triggering the commentator to say “Burger King” were rewarded with Whoppers.

This idea:

• Reinforced brand consistency while feeling fresh
• Used cultural relevance (gaming) and cheeky humour
• Out-thought competitors like McDonald’s with earned media rather than outspending them

Arif described Burger King’s long-term success as:

“The secret of brand management is to be new and old at the same time.”

4. AXA’s three words that changed lives

Campaign: And Domestic Violence
Brand: AXA Insurance

Domestic violence victims often stay because they cannot afford to leave. AXA added three words – “and domestic violence” – to their mandatory home insurance clauses in France, enabling victims to claim support and find safety. This affected over 2.5 million policies.

Claire highlighted how this moved beyond CSR into genuine product innovation with purpose baked in, proving that creativity isn’t just ads or stunts – it can be how you design your services to solve real problems.

5. Rocket’s unifying Super Bowl moment

Campaign: Own the Dream
Brand: Rocket (mortgages and financial products, USA)

Rocket united diverse Americans during the Super Bowl with a brand film featuring John Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’. Arif discussed how emotion and music can create a sense of national unity, while Claire noted how it activated audiences to sing along, making them participants rather than passive viewers.

Practical takeaways from this episode

1. Flip assumptions – ask yourself “What’s the wrong approach here?” then reverse it.
2. Reframe products and problems – train tickets as lottery tickets, insurance as a route to safety (check out the podcast episode on related worlds)
3. Root ideas in cultural truth – humour for herpes only worked because it felt authentically Kiwi.
4. Balance consistency with freshness – like Burger King does by staying cheeky while finding new executions.
5. Use creativity to design services – not just campaigns. Creativity can drive business innovation with purpose.

Creativity thrives when we challenge norms, see constraints as springboards rather than blockers, and immerse ourselves in unexpected worlds. Whether it’s herpes, insurance, or fare dodging, brilliant creative thinking can turn any brief into something talkable, effective, and culturally powerful.

If you want to hear the full conversation and get practical tools for your own work, listen to episode 25 – Herpes, Home Insurance, and Fare Dodging: Creativity That Earns Its Keep here

Want your own Cannes Decoded?

Want to understand what really makes award-winning creativity tick – and how to apply it to your briefs or challenges?

Arif Haq and I are offering Cannes Decoded: a bespoke 90-minute session for your team. We’ll unpack this year’s most powerful campaigns, reveal the creative thinking behind them, and share practical tools to unlock braver, smarter ideas in your work.

If you’d like to:

• Get behind the scenes of Cannes Lions-winning ideas
• Inspire your team with fresh approaches and frameworks
• Learn how to flip assumptions and create talkable, effective campaigns

Then get in touch to book your Cannes Decoded session today.

Email claire@nowgocreate.co.uk to find out more and tailor it for your team’s challenges.

It sounds like science fiction, but it’s closer than you might think.

According to the World Economic Forum, an astonishing 85% of the jobs that today’s learners will do over the next decade haven’t been invented yet. They’ll use technology that does not even exist today.

For those of us in the working world right now, this raises a critical question:

How can you future-proof your career when you don’t even know what your future job will be called?

Why reinvention matters more than ever

At Now Go Create, we specialise in helping business professionals stay creative, resilient and adaptable. So when I heard about Christopher Bishop, a man who calls himself a Chief Reinvention Officer, I knew I had to talk to him.

Christopher has done exactly what many of us fear doing: he’s reinvented himself not once, but nine times. His career journey spans decades and includes some pretty remarkable chapters:

• Touring rock musician in the 1970s
• Studio musician in New York, performing with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley
• Composer for TV jingles
• Early web producer at New York’s pioneering interactive agencies
• Over a decade in strategy and executive comms at IBM, including projects that experimented with the early metaverse
• And now, a respected speaker and author, helping people navigate careers in quantum tech, AI and other cutting-edge fields

What I love about Christopher is that he is relentlessly optimistic about the future of work. While headlines tend to focus on which jobs AI might destroy, he focuses on how people can use creativity, curiosity and adaptability to thrive whatever comes next.

The future career toolkit

When I interviewed Christopher for the Now Go Create podcast, he shared something I found really practical: his Future Career Toolkit.

This toolkit is simple, but surprisingly powerful. It breaks down how to keep your career flexible and future-ready into three steps:

1. Voice: Define your unique brand

Your voice is your personal brand — your reputation, your unique perspective and the value you bring. Many people overlook this. They think a CV or LinkedIn bio covers it, but Christopher argues you should go deeper.

One way to uncover your voice is to look at your favourite films, books or games. What draws you in? What qualities do you admire? This helps pinpoint what matters most to you and what makes you stand out.

2. Antenna: Stay plugged In

Next, build your “antenna”. This is how you stay alert to trends and conversations shaping your industry and future ones too.

Christopher suggests listing a few trusted sources you’ll check regularly, from TED Talks and YouTube channels to podcasts and newsletters. Be deliberate about it. Which topics excite you? Which sources expand your thinking?

The idea is to develop a habit of scanning the horizon so you’re not surprised when change arrives, but prepared to seize it.

3. Mesh: Build and nurture your network

Finally, there’s your “mesh” — your network of connections, both inside and outside your current field.

Christopher recommends a simple goal: add five new connections each week. Find people talking about topics that spark your curiosity. Join groups on LinkedIn. Attend virtual or in-person events when you can.

The more diverse and active your network, the more resilient you’ll be when it’s time to reinvent yourself or spot unexpected opportunities.

You can hear Christopher coaching me through the process on the podcast episode.

If you’re a team leader, manager or business owner, you know how fast skills become obsolete. Many organisations still focus training budgets on old frameworks, but the biggest advantage today is helping your people get comfortable with ambiguity and new ideas.

Christopher’s toolkit is an excellent conversation starter for your next team meeting or personal development session. It gets people thinking about how they can take ownership of their careers instead of waiting for change to come to them.

Get the toolkit

I asked Christopher if we could share his workbook with you and he said yes!

You can download the free Future Career Toolkit right here

If you want to hear Christopher’s stories and insights in his own words, listen to our full podcast conversation:

Inside, you’ll learn:

• Why so many of us feel overwhelmed by change and why that’s normal
• How curiosity is more valuable than expertise in an unpredictable economy
• Examples of surprising future job titles you may never have considered
• And how to teach the next generation to embrace reinvention, not fear it

We live in extraordinary times. Technology is evolving faster than our job descriptions can keep up. The good news is, your best tools for staying employable have always been human: creativity, curiosity and community.

Use this toolkit as your starting point and share it with your team, your colleagues, and your family. Christopher’s book Improvising Careers: Succeed at Jobs that Don’t Exist Yet is out now and I for one cannot wait to read it.

The future may be uncertain, but your ability to navigate it creatively is not.

Stay curious. Stay ready. And keep creating.

Download the Future Career Toolkit
Listen to the Podcast Episode

If so, you’re not alone.This episode of the Now Go Create podcast is the one I wish I’d had years ago when I first started reviewing creative work. Judging creativity is both art and science, an emotional and ration actl. But with the right tools, we can move beyond gut reactions and personal bias to evaluate creative work with clarity, consistency, and confidence.Whether you’re a creative director, a comms lead, or part of an in-house marketing team, this blog distills the key takeaways and frameworks from the episode including insights from leading PR creatives and strategists I interviewed.

Why judging creativity is so damn hard

Creative work is subjective by nature. As the IPA puts it, judging creativity is where instinct meets intellect. One person’s “brave” is another’s “off-brand.” The stakes are high – what if you make the ‘wrong’ decision for the business or the execution doesn’t deliver how you thought/predicted/hoped it would.

But here’s the good news: there are tools to help. I’m sharing three proven frameworks from my creative kitbag you can use to assess ideas more objectively plus street-smart wisdom from fellow Creative Moment Awards judges Kim Allain (Golin), Greg Double (Burson), and Gemma Maroney (SHOOK).

Framework 1: the Heineken Creative Ladder

Use it for: evaluating ambition and originality

Created by Arif Haq working with Heineken, when he worked at Contagious, the creative ladder is a 10-step “dictionary” to help you articulate how strong an idea really is from clichéd to legendary. I interviewed Haq about it for my book back in 2016 and it really is a brilliant tool to help you to frame conversations about creativity, set a benchmark and challenge yourself and others to a higher standard. It works from 1-10.

You can’t jump to ‘legendary’ without passing through ‘ownable’ and ‘fresh’. The ladder helps teams build shared language, level out subjective opinions, and even bridge the gap between creatives and clients. Five is considered the minimum standard for Heineken and its agencies as the benchmark for creative work.

10 Legendary

9 Cultural phenomenon

8 Contagious

7 Groundbreaking

6 Fresh

5 Ownable

4 Cliché

3 Fusing

2 Hijacked

1 Destructive

Framework 2: IDEO’s lifeline cards

Use it for: reviewing work from multiple human-centred angles

The design lifeline cards from IDEO are a powerful tool to reframe and review creative work using seven lenses:

• Heart – does it come from a place of empathy?
• Beauty – is it elegant, iconic, evocative?
• Brains – is it strategic and novel?
• Bravery – did it take risks?
• Magic – is there awe or delight?
• Mastery – is there evidence of craft?
• Destiny – will it create long-term impact?

Pro tip: use these cards at any stage of the process – briefing, reviewing, or final evaluation. They’re like a Swiss army knife for creative conversations.

Download the cards here. They are a gift 😉 Print them off and share with your team.

Framework 3: James Hurman’s creative effectiveness code

Use it for: understanding the commercial impact of your ideas

This model focuses on the effectiveness of creativity through six levels, from basic behavioural influence to full-on brand fame:

1. Influences behaviour
2. Changes perception
3. Drives short-term sales
4. Builds long-term growth
5. Creates cultural impact
6. Achieves brand fame

Insight: This code helps you map your idea against commercial objectives and work towards meaningful results. I’ve merely scratched the surface, grab a cuppa, sit down and read the full deck here. They analysed and compared a total of 4,863 effectiveness award entrants and winners from 2011 through 2019, from every major market in the world: 1,031 cases from the Cannes Creative Insight: This code helps you map your idea against commercial objectives and work towards meaningful results. I’ve merely scratched the surface, grab a cuppa, sit down and read the full deck here. They analysed and compared a total of 4,863 effectiveness award entrants and winners from 2011 through 2019, from every major market in the world: 1,031 cases from the Cannes Creative and 216 cases from the IPA databank. You can’t say I’m not good to you 😉

What top-of-their game creative directors look for

Here’s what my podcast guests said when asked how they judge great creative work in preparation to the upcoming Creative Moment Awards:

“Start with insight. Then trust your gut.” – Gemma Moroney, SHOOK

“If it shows up in a non-PR WhatsApp group, it’s probably good.” – Greg Double, Burson

“I look for authenticity and impact beyond our bubble.” – Kim Allain, Golin

And when it comes to writing award entries:

“Don’t just tick boxes, tell a story.” Greg Double

“Make the judges fall in love with the idea.” Gemma Moroney

Listen to the full podcast episode here for all the juicy goodness.

Whether you’re judging award entries, pitching to clients, or reviewing internal campaigns, the ability to evaluate creative work is a learnable skill. If your team would benefit from hands-on support to help determine impact, creative workshops or bespoke training, I’d love to help.

Book a discovery call with Now Go Create Founder Claire Bridges – email claire@nowgocreate.co.uk

“My brain talks to me a lot – and it talks a lot of sh*t.”

These honest words from Danny Dyer during The Assembly on Channel 4 hit home for many of us this Mental Health Awareness Week.

In this episode of the Now Go Create podcast, I’m joined by clinical hypnotherapist James Mallinson to unpack the idea of internal self-talk – and more importantly, how we can shift it from critic to coach.

James has worked with over 5,000 clients, from CEOs to elite athletes to everyday creatives, and shares practical insights for turning down the volume on your inner critic.

What is internal self-talk?

It’s the ongoing narration in our heads – the running commentary on everything we do, say, think, or feel. We have between 35,000–55,000 thoughts a day, and while many are neutral, others can be harmful. These are the “you can’t do this” and “you’re not good enough” voices – the ones that undermine us.

Why negative self-talk matters

James explains that negative self-talk amplifies vulnerability and can sabotage our performance – especially in high-stakes moments like pitching ideas or presenting work. It floods us with stress hormones and can literally freeze us in our tracks.

In high-pressure fields like special forces or elite sport, the difference between success and failure often comes down to mindset. It’s not ability – it’s what people are saying to themselves in the moment.

How it affects creativity

Negative internal chatter puts the handbrake on our creativity. Whether you’re holding back in a brainstorm or doubting yourself during a presentation, it’s often your internal dialogue doing the damage. And if someone has ever shut you down – a boss, a teacher, a creative director – those moments get logged and replayed as internal criticism.

How to change your internal narrative

Awareness is the first step. Once you notice the voice, James suggests getting specific:
– Write down what your inner critic says
– Note the tone, pitch, and pace – is it snarky, slow, mean, sarcastic?

Then: fight fire with fire. Replace those words with powerful, present-tense phrases that you’d want to hear – not soft platitudes, but strong, motivating language in a tone that resonates with you.

Need inspiration? One SAS client of James’ said his mantra was: “Shut the f*ck up. Go. Go now.”

Coach vs critic – who are you listening to?
While James doesn’t recommend naming your critic (it gives it too much power), he does suggest creating an inner coach. This could be your ideal self – or even someone else whose voice you trust and admire. Barack Obama, Bananaman, your partner – whoever helps you feel stronger, braver, more creative. Imagine their voice guiding you when you need it most.

Top tip for creatives
Don’t wait until you’re mid-pitch or in the middle of a brainstorm to try silencing your inner critic – prep emotionally before you go in. Just like rehearsing a presentation, rehearsing your internal dialogue can make a massive difference.

And if you’ve got a bank of great feedback? Use it. Keep a folder of kind words, client praise, or successful moments to revisit when self-doubt strikes. Let it remind you of what you’re capable of.

🎧 Listen to the full episode on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Want to help your team get out of their own way creatively?

I run interactive workshops that tackle the inner critic, build creative confidence, and unlock better ideas – even under pressure. Contact claire@nowgocreate.co.uk to discuss how I can help

“Put three or four dissociated ideas together and create awkward relationships with them — the unconscious intelligence that comes from those pairings is quite startling.” David Bowie

There’s a reason we’re still talking about David Bowie – not just as a musical genius, but as a creative thinker. One of his fascinating tools was the cut-up technique, a method borrowed from the avant-garde and adapted for songwriting, storytelling, and big ideas.

In this week’s Now Go Create podcast episode, we explored the power of random stimuli and how techniques like Bowie’s can revolutionise the way you generate ideas, especially if you’re short on time, confidence, or creative inspiration.

Why most brainstorms don’t work

Let’s face it: brainstorms often fall flat.

They’re either dominated by the loudest voice in the room, rely on generic thinking, or end up recycling the same safe ideas. They often start with “Okay, who’s got a great idea?” which is a surefire way to induce blank stares and panic.

For busy professionals working in PR, marketing, and communications, the pressure to “be creative” on demand can feel paralysing. And yet, creativity is often expected to appear in a 30-minute meeting with little preparation or structure.

Enter random stimuli: disruption with purpose

Random stimuli isn’t about chaos for chaos’s sake. It’s about shaking up your usual thinking patterns by introducing unrelated, unexpected inputs.

David Bowie used it by cutting up headlines, poems, and pages from books, feeding them into a software program, and remixing them to create new lyrics. His logic? The unexpected combinations forced new perspectives.

“I’ll take articles out of newspapers, poems I’ve written, pieces of other people’s books… and then hit the random button. It will randomise everything.” David Bowie, BBC interview (1997)

This technique, rooted in the Dada art movement and popularised by writer William Burroughs, taps into something fundamental: our brains are wired to find meaning in patterns even when they don’t make immediate sense.

What this means for business creativity

When adapted for modern creative work, the cut-up/random stimuli technique can be a secret weapon for:

• breaking creative blocks
• warming up a tired team
• jumpstarting a solo creative sprint
• challenging conventional thinking

It’s especially useful if:

• you don’t know how to run a “creative session”
• you’re working with mixed-ability or nervous teams
• you’ve got a “same old ideas” problem
• you want quick stimulation without high pressure

How to use the cut-up technique in a brainstorm

Here’s how you can bring this into a team setting or use it solo.

1. Prepare your raw material

Collect 3–5 different types of content: news articles, social posts, product reviews, poems, ads, etc. These should be totally unrelated to your challenge.

2. Cut it up

Snip phrases or single words from each piece. You want a minimum of 50 fragments in total. Physical paper works well, or use a digital tool to randomise the text.

3. Mix it up

Shuffle the pieces and pull 3–5 fragments at random.

4. Create awkward connections

Ask: “What idea, product, campaign or message could link these fragments together?” Encourage absurdity. The goal is association, not logic.

5. Refine

You’ll probably strike gold 1 in 10 times but that one time can unlock something truly original. Use the best outputs as springboards for real ideas.

Key takeaways from the podcast episode:

In this week’s show, I explore:

• why the illusion of randomness is often more valuable than endless structure
• examples of how top creatives (like Bowie) use disruption to surprise their own thinking
• the psychological benefit of freeing yourself from “the right answer”
• why AI can be an incredible tool to remix, randomise, and support creative thinking — when used intentionally

Bonus: try it yourself

Want to give the cut-up method a go? I’ve created a free downloadable worksheet to help you (or your team) try it out in under 15 minutes.

Download the creative jumpstart worksheet – Bowie edition

Creativity isn’t about pulling rabbits out of hats. It’s about creating the conditions for new connections to form and sometimes, that means letting go of control and inviting a bit of randomness in.

So next time you’re stuck, don’t start with “what’s the big idea?” Start with “what don’t we expect?”

Listen to the 13 minute podcast episode here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/now-go-create/id1786353481?i=1000705488491

Or watch this short video on how to use visuals, another way to use random stimulus.

Across the first 13 episodes, certain themes have come up again and again: how we find ideas, why constraints spark creativity, how to navigate burnout, and the emotional rollercoaster of creative work.

So I wanted to share some highlights, recurring insights, and a few personal reflections on what I’ve learned so far.

🎧 Haven’t tuned in yet? You can listen to all episodes here

1. Constraints are fuel, not friction

Again and again, guests have talked about how limitations – time, budget, briefs – actually force us to be more inventive.

“Constraints aren’t a block – they’re a brief.”
From Tom Oldham photographing Cristiano Ronaldo in five minutes to creative leads navigating tight campaign timelines, clarity and limitation breed originality.

2. Curiosity is non-negotiable

Whether it’s asking better questions, reframing a problem, or going deeper with a client, curiosity is a key creative superpower. It’s how we keep ourselves and our ideas fresh even if we don’t know where it might lead – and ourselves motivated.

3. Remember you’re a stakeholder in your own creative ideas too

A recurring theme: creative professionals often forget to advocate for their own vision. Many guests talked about learning to protect their creative integrity in commercial settings – and how that ultimately leads to better, bolder work.

4. Burnout is real – but creativity can be recovered

An episode that’s resonated with you? Burnout, out of energy, not ideas.

Creative work is deeply emotional and often misunderstood by the systems we work in. But through honesty, reflection, and resetting boundaries, we can find our way back to joy.

5. Done is better than perfect

Whether you’re launching a podcast, pitching a big idea, or starting a personal project – almost every guest echoed this: you have to start before you’re ready.

“Honour your ideas by finishing them. That’s the only way to build creative muscle.” Tom Oldham

Listen to his episode here.

🎧 Favourite moments

• Tom Oldham on creative bravery and photographing Rick Rubin listen here
• Neuroscientist Dr Ben Martynoga sharing his amazing insights into our cognitive processes and how we can hack our creative states. Listen here.
• The amazing force of nature that is singer song writer Dyo insisting that writer’s block doesn’t exist. Listen here.
• PR agency co-founder Gemma Moroney sharing how tiny creative habits can lead to big creative breakthroughs.
• Guests sharing their creative rituals – from their daily walks to their tiny creative habits to nap breaks!

💬 What’s next?

I’ve got more brilliant interviews lined up, diving into fresh angles on creativity in business – from adventures in AI to storytelling to how to lead a business built on a culture of creativity.

If you’ve enjoyed the podcast so far, I’d love you to:

✅ Share your favourite episode with a friend
✅ Leave a quick review on your podcast app
✅ Drop me a message – what do you want to hear more about?

Thanks so much for listening, sharing, and joining the conversation. Here’s to unleashing more creativity – one episode at a time.

🎧 Catch up or subscribe here or wherever you get your pods

As a creative, Tom embodies that persistent drive and passion needed to continually evolve in your craft – and his expertise in photography is truly inspiring.

Our conversation took us on a journey through Tom’s fascinating world, where he captures the essence of some of the biggest names in the music industry. We explored his creative process, and he revealed the secrets behind some of his iconic shots and projects with brands like Adidas and the National Lottery.

One of my favourite parts of our conversation was when Tom talked about his approach to constraints. Imagine being tasked with capturing the perfect image of a celebrity like Ronaldo, but only having a five-minute window. Tom shared his secrets about turning constraints into opportunities to nail the perfect shot, emphasising the importance of preparation, empathy, and a sprinkle of boldness. He explained how it’s also about understanding the emotional landscape of creativity. Tom highlighted the ups and downs of maintaining creative momentum and managing self-doubt – valuable lessons for anyone in the creative field.

“You might only get five minutes with someone like Ronaldo. That’s not a limitation – that’s the job. You’ve got to be ready to deliver.” Tom Oldham

For those of us who balance creativity with constraints, Tom offered his wisdom on bravery and taking risks. He highlighted the importance of experimenting with the unexpected, which can make all the difference in standing out in your field.

🔑 Key takeaways from the episode:

📸 Constraints can be creative fuel
Tom reveals how tight timeframes and tricky conditions can actually unlock creative brilliance – if you’re prepared, empathetic, and a little bold.

🎯 Be a stakeholder in your own creative vision
Rather than diluting your ideas to please others, Tom reminds us to back ourselves and protect the integrity of our work.

⏳ It takes time to be great
There’s no shortcut to mastery. Tom’s journey is a reminder that creative success is built on patience, persistence, and self-belief despite what your inner critic is saying.

🌱 Stay curious
Tom believes curiosity is the secret to a long-lasting creative career – he says you don’t need a million ideas, but a passion for pursuing the right ones.

What resonated deeply with me was Tom’s perspective on curiosity and creativity. He reminded us how staying curious is the fuel for a long-lasting creative career. It’s not about having a million ideas but finding joy in the ones you pursue. His project, “The Hopefuls,” where he photographed 43 political candidates, is a testament to his belief in curiosity-driven creativity.

Tom’s insight on being a stakeholder in your own creative projects really struck a chord. Too often, we dilute our creative vision, trying to please too many others. But as Tom says, it’s crucial to treat yourself as a key stakeholder to maintain the integrity and impact of your creative work. His advice on being prepared for how long it takes to be good at something was particularly enlightening. It’s a reminder of the dedication and time needed to truly hone one’s craft.

Tom’s stories, from photographing Rick Rubin under unexpected conditions to working with Smokey Robinson and the ability to build rapport quickly, were so inspiring, and really illustrated the power of empathy and adaptability in creating compelling visual stories.

If you’re seeking to unlock more creativity and passion in your work, tune into the episode to soak up more of Tom’s insights and actionable takeaways. You can listen to Tom’s episode here.

Until next time 😉

Photo credit: Rick Rubin by Tom Oldham