Lion Cubs
The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity is a giant gathering on the beach in France. It celebrates the best advertising and creative ideas of the year with a lion shaped trophy. Have you ever seen a funny TV commercial or a pretty billboard on the side of the highway? Those are two different examples of advertising. The main goal of advertising is to sell something, but it can do so much more. For example, advertising can actually help solve problems like world hunger or homelessness! In order to be good at advertising, you have to be creative. If you like to draw, paint, write, tell jokes, design, or use the computer, I bet you'll be great at advertising.
When I was in France, I sat in a giant theater----like a movie theater----and listened to experts talk about a lot of different things that have to do with creativity and technology. I learned a lot, and I think you can too. If you're reading this, you already know an adult who loves advertising and creative thinking. Below, you will get to see the things I learned in Cannes, and the things people do when they have a job in advertising.
#1 The Science of Supercreativity
Creativity is a very important skill to have. This man used science to discover what the most creative people have in common and how to make people more creative! According to him, 16 things make you more creative. How many of the 16 do you have?
1. I was born in Iceland
2. My parents are creative
3. My friends are creative
4. I went to school in England
5. I travel a lot
6. I curse a lot
7. I make a lot of lists
8. I love music
9. I have earrings or tattoos
10. I trust my "gut feeling"
11. I get a lot of sleep
12. I love cake!
13. I have a good memory
14. I don't do drugs
15. I have brain implants
16. I get hurt a lot
If more than 8 of those sentences describe you, then you're most likely already creative! If not, that's ok. Here are some tips to be more creative!
1. Go for a walk or take a bath to "free your mind"
2. Stare at the color pine green
3. Stay hydrated! Drink a lot of water
4. If you're tired in the middle of the day, nap for 7-10 minutes
5. Eat a lot of cake and listen to a lot of music!
#2 Stop liking. start doing.
Tim Kendall, the president of a website called Pinterest, was addicted to his cell phone. One day he was playing with his daughter, but she got sad because he was paying more attention to his phone than to her. That was when he realized that you should take a break from technology every once in a while. He believes that technology should complement (go along with) our lives instead of consume us (take over our lives). He likes Pinterest because it gives you ideas online but encourages you to get off the computer and make them in the real world.
Activity: Are You Board?
1. Log onto www.pinterest.com
2. Type a craft into the search bar (for example, dream catcher, watercolor, yarn crafts for kids).
3. Make a "board" and "pin" at least 5 different examples of that craft (or 5 different crafts).
4. Choose the craft you want to make in real life.
5. Get supplies, and start making it! Use Pinterest to help you, but don't be afraid to be creative and do your own thing
#3 Social Innovation
Workshop
Charlotte and Scarlett noticed that people were scared to give money to homeless people because they thought they would waste it. So the women started a business where people can buy things like clothes, jackets, and backpacks online to donate to the homeless.
I learned that I can make a huge difference in my community with a simple idea. Now it's your turn!
1. Pick an issue you're passionate about (something you really care about). Some ideas are recycling, helping animals, or caring for the sick.
2. Figure out why this is a problem. Ask yourself "Why are people sick?" or "Why don't people recycle?"
3. Who is the person that will use your idea? For example it could be for a doctor or a patient.
4. What can you do to help? Can you collect money or make an invention?
5. Start small. Pretend you are starting your idea next week. What would you do first?
6. Draw and name your idea!
#4 Influencing
Authentically
Does this man look familiar?
You may have seen him on Youtube, Instagram, or Snapchat! He is a social media influencer--he has over 2 million followers, and he gets PAID to post videos! He started using social media just for fun, but he had so many followers that he started using social media to help companies advertise. Watch the video to see how he makes money for using social media.
Start at 8 min,
Would you want to be a social media influencer?
Pick something in your house with a brand name on it (for example Hershey's chocolate or a Nike sneaker). Take a video of yourself doing something silly with it. The sillier the better! Don't forget to mention the brand name in your video so people know what it is! If you make a lot of videos like this, maybe one day you'll be a social media influencer too!
#5 Dancing with
My Inner Critic
Do you ever say to yourself, "I'm not good enough?" Are you afraid to raise your hand in class because you might be wrong? Or do you ever stop yourself from talking to someone because you think they won't like you? These are all examples of your inner critic talking. An inner critic is that little voice inside your head that tells you all those things--that you're not good enough, smart enough, or pretty enough. The man in the picture had a very mean inner critic. He asked himself, "Who is this voice in my head saying these mean things to me?" In order to learn who this critic was, he drew a picture of it. This helped him feel better because he learned more about the things that were making him feel bad.