By Pamela Reich, Director of Communications Strategy

At MKP, perhaps the most obvious manifestation of our creativity as a marketing communications company is our end product, whether it’s a letter, brochure, banner, ad or campaign. Yes, we pride ourselves on the ability of our writers and designers to develop creative that is strategically on target, brand sensitive and impactful. Taking a deeper look, however, we find that creativity guides and inspires everything we do.

Generating ideas

Whether it’s a client challenge, finding better ways to present our capabilities or engaging our employees with fun activities, every member of the MKP team is valued for the ideas we contribute. Our “no bad ideas” brainstorming approach helps to motivate creativity, as does our open office space, which supports and fosters our culture of collaboration, teamwork and communication. Being open-minded to new ideas helps us all grow. And curiosity is a key to creativity.

Resolving issues

In our daily work, as in our non-work lives, we are all faced with challenges to overcome, from frustrating delays in getting client feedback and stringent project budget constraints to unexpected pipes bursting at home. Creative problem-solving covers the gamut from serious obstacles to the more mundane, everyday choices we make. There’s always more than one solution, and we need to be creative to identify and make smart choices. Infusing a creative spirit is critical to effective issue resolution.

Managing priorities

Running a project, like running a household, or even your life, requires smart thinking to establish priorities. Meeting deadlines across multiple projects requires a lot of juggling. And that’s where creativity comes into play. How can we tap into all available resources? Who can we ask for help? How can we streamline our efforts to keep things moving smoothly? Resourcefulness means applying creative thinking to set priorities, and more importantly, to stay on track. 

Thinking outside the box

Ideas come from unexpected sources, unexpected observations. Sometimes, we must think differently, unconventionally, and from a new perspective. Never should we be constrained by the way we’ve always done it before. Confront obstacles with innovative solutions. This is what inspired, visionary thinking is all about. It’s a creative approach that frees us from artificial boundaries and enhances all we do.

In summary

Creativity is about more than artistic talent. Life itself requires daily acts of ingenuity and novel workarounds. When you start with keen observations and confidence in your abilities, you can leverage your energy to explore and harness your smart ideas, putting them into action. That’s creativity at its finest.

MKP communications inc. is a New York City-based communications company that delivers spot-on strategy, smart, fresh creative, and flawless execution, exclusively for financial services clients.