Going down the creative equivalent of a Wiki rabbit hole for inspiration

Alex-Marie Ablan, Senior Designer

Fun Facts: 

🎶Lives for her eclectic Spotify Discover Weekly playlist

🛏️Can fold a fitted sheet like a pro

💍Dabbles in jewelry making

Stuckness, it appears, is something that ebbs and flows for creatives. For some, stuckness strikes immediately and emerges when they feel overwhelmed from not knowing where to start, but for others, it’s a slow build that starts down a promising path and ends in a staring match with a blank wall. For Mythic Senior Designer Alex-Marie Ablan, it’s the latter. 

“My stuckness doesn't usually happen until after an initial exploratory because I feel like that sets me off in a really good direction,” Alex-Marie explained. 

For projects that fall further outside of her comfort zone, Alex-Marie said even after a research deep dive or initial brainstorm that she thinks will result in an “ah-ha” moment, she’s sometimes left feeling more lost than ever. Usually, this happens when she’s digging into a more difficult category where there aren't a lot of competitive examples or the competitive set is strong, and she finds that much of the creative work is in line with her initial vision. 

“Once I have all of my research in front of me and it's still like staring at a blank wall, I think, ‘Oh, dear, I'm not really sure where to take this all,’” she said.

That’s usually Alex-Marie’s sign to do what she and her husband have dubbed the “Take Five” — and no, this ritual doesn’t involve the candy bar. During a stressful day or a moment of pure stuckness, they head outside and take in the sights and sounds of Minneapolis’ North Loop. 

“I'm appreciating things that I see, whether it's in nature or architecture,” she added. “I think it's just important to take a step back sometimes because you can't force yourself into creativity.” 

Rather than immediately returning to the challenge post-”Take Five” and suffering in silence if the creative doesn’t feel like it’s coming together, Alex-Marie said she’s learned over the years that it’s important not to approach stuckness as a solo act.       

“I can only spend so much time being in my own head,” she added.

Instead, Alex-Marie leans on her team — whether that’s strategy, account or creative — she views hearing someone else’s point of view or feedback as an essential part of the creative process and getting unstuck. Sometimes, these impromptu conversations provide the validation needed to help confirm she’s moving in the right direction, whereas, other times, Alex-Marie said feedback can help her adjust a concept to better fit the ask. A single sentence or piece of input from teammates, according to Alex-Marie, can provide that spark of inspiration that puts her back on track. 

On other occasions, Alex-Marie’s stuckness leads her down the creative equivalent of a Wiki rabbit hole. Rather than navigating from topic to topic on Wikipedia, Alex-Marie turns to platforms like Behance, Pinterest, Designspiration, or YouTube videos, where people walk through their creative process for inspiration. Like a Wiki rabbit hole, one post leads to another until she lands on something that results in an “ah-ha” moment. 

Alex-Marie also finds inspiration in creative pursuits outside of Mythic. She grew up in a creative family — her dad is an expert upcycler, her mom and aunt can draw just about anything, and her cousin, who grew up just down the street, was Alex-Marie’s inspiration for becoming a designer. While her family inspired Alex-Marie’s interest in art early on, it was her high school art program that introduced her to many of the creative hobbies she draws inspiration and joy from today.  

“There were a ton of options like ceramics, jewelry making, regular studio or graphic design, photography — the whole gamut,” she said of her high school art program. “It's where I learned what I like.”

Alex-Marie still takes the occasional jewelry making class and enjoys using her block printing skills to make gifts for friends and family. For her, these pastimes outside of advertising are a breath of fresh air that allow Alex-Marie to create for the sole purpose of creating.

“It doesn't need to be seen by anyone else,” she added. “It's really just for me and something that's fun.”

Whether Alex-Marie is diving into client work or exploring hobbies outside of Mythic that bring her joy, she’s always looking for ways to challenge herself to be well-rounded and flex new creative muscles. 

In a world where attention spans are limited, we're glad you stuck with it and made it to the end of this article because we certainly think it was worth the read. If you like what you saw and want to know how you can partner with a team that's brimming with creative ideas, reach out to our CMO, Taylor Bryant (tbryant@mythic.us), and get a conversation with Mythic started today.