8 (real) tips to be more creative

At the heart of the project Maison Mère, creativity lies in every corner : by breaking the traditional codes and beliefs, it brings to life a hotel of a new kind. Convinced of its importance in every field, the team of Maison Mère has listed advice to foster your creativity.

8 (real) tips to be more creative ©8 (real) tips to be more creative

Observe around you

Creating starts with observing and finding inspiration, which hides everywhere. Mathilde, our artistic director, trains her eye to spot the details and collects “inspiration” files from pictures, torn magazine pages, social networks...

 

Cultivate your imagination

Keeping the spirit and naivety of childhood is an excellent way to create without limit. Camille, the General Governess of Maison Mère realizes it when she invents and plays stories with her son. The stories of adults evolve : the characters become personas intended to build the marketing of a new product or service, the scenario becomes their customer experience. Their name, characteristics, story, the difficulties they encounter and the things they like are all elements which feed the story and allow to find a happy ending - that is a successful customer experience.

Maison Mère - tips to be creative ©Maison Mère - tips to be creative

Dare without censoring yourself

The best creators are free of insecurities. Julien, Sales Junior at Maison Mère, writes down every idea that occurs to him before leaving it to stand for a few days and letting the unconscious work its magic. Aziz, the founder of Maison Mère, spent his childhood playing Gyro Gearloose and mimicking the useless but ingenious inventions of this cartoon character.

For Aziz and Julien, bad ideas and the absence of pressure are necessary to bring the good ones to life. 

 

Bet on the collective

Teamwork is a strength. Sarah, the Marketing and Communication manager of Maison Mère, loves conducting brainstorming sessions : by gathering different profiles and personalities, they allow the mind to open up to larger views and consider new problems… with their solutions. Marion, our Head of process, praises the value of teamwork in customer experience : introducing many different opinions and needs allows to conceive an offer that is able to amaze the majority.

 

© Mathilde Brunelet by Leticia Zica

Maison Mère - tips to be creative ©Maison Mère - tips to be creative

Bring structure into the process

To become a fertile ground, creativity must be guided by the reason. Aziz sees creativity as the arrow which produces the final result while structure is the bow which sets the arrow in motion and gives it a direction.

As we are right- or left-handed, we often feel more comfortable with the creative or the rational side. Thankfully, everybody can develop these two aspects thanks to several techniques or by learning from others and experiences.

 

Organize your time and ideas

A first approach to structure is organizing your time. Mathilde advises to perform tasks of the same type or related to the same project on the same day or half-day to foster concentration and productivity.

When working on a long-term project, it is important to save physical traces of the project evolution : pages of notes, tables of figures, sketches and drafts… If you feel dispersed or uninspired, combing through your archives allows you to dig in your initial ideas which, according to Mathilde, are “often the best”.

Maison Mère - tips to be creative ©Maison Mère - tips to be creative

Challenge yourself

Emanuel, the film director of Maison Mère, has learnt not to fall in love with his ideas. Questioning your work can come as much from others through their constructive criticism as from your own instinct. If something feels wrong, you should not fear to change or start again… even after the first validations. Trusting yourself after a reassessment is the best way to withstand the test of time. 

 

Break up the routine

When was the last time you tried something for the first time ? The entire team of Maison Mère agrees to this : to make progress, the mind and senses must be stimulated. Good news, nothing is simpler than breaking with the usual : change your work environment, discuss with a stranger, visit a new spot…

Maison Mère is the perfect place to follow this advice. Daydream in your bed, concretise your projects from the coworking space, find inspiration in the art gallery, hone your practical skills through workshops with our artisan neighbours or let loose around a great dinner or a frenzied evening at Hey Honey.

 

© Emanuel Miranda