Creativity Squared: Lindsey Brand Is Making Something Out of Nothing
According to creativity researchers, there are four sides to creativity. Person (personality, habits, thoughts), product (the thing that results from creative activity), process (how you work), and press (environment factors, education and other external factors) all play a part. So, we figured, let’s follow the science to understand your art. Creativity Squared is a feature that aims to build a more well-rounded profile of creative people.
Up today is Lindsey Brand a New York-based creative director at GALE.
Lindsey has worked as a creative across many different types of marketing agencies over the past decade. From her experiences, she has looked to combine her knowledge of creative, strategy, social, PR, and media into integrated campaigns for brands like Abbott, Wells, MilkPEP, Coca-Cola, and J&J. In 2021 Lindsey was named one of the ‘Rising Stars of Madison Avenue’ by Business Insider.
When she’s not on set, you can find her enjoying her other passions, like knitting, or watching Frozen (again) with her two-year-old twins.
Get to know more about Lindsey and her creativity here.
Person
The idea that you can make something out of nothing has always intrigued me.
A blank piece of paper into a portrait of someone you love.
Flour, eggs, and water into delicious pasta.
A sweater out of two sticks and a ball of wool.
To make something out of nothing requires creativity, which can be a daunting task when you’re looking at an empty canvas and trying to turn it into a masterpiece — but it can also be freeing. A blank canvas is a place to try something new. Sometimes it works out and you get a delicious pasta and sometimes you have to order in. But if you don’t at least try, you’ll never know. Creativity, for me, is the desire to just try — no matter what you think the outcome may be.
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Growing up, my dad was a high school art teacher, so art was always part of my life. I remember going to school with him and being immersed in the art rooms thinking they were amazing. You could do anything. Make anything. I embraced art in all forms — drawing cartoons, painting, bedazzling everything (it was the ‘90s), sewing clothes — I wanted to try it all.
As I entered high school, my interest in trying new things led me to set design, marching band and, eventually, advertising class, where I got my first taste of the Adobe programs. It was then that I knew I wanted to pursue a career in advertising.
Exploring new roads leads you down a path you never thought of before. It opens doors to new ways of thinking, living, and experiencing life — allowing you to break free from your comfort zone, challenge yourself, and discover new passions.
Product
If a piece of creative — an ad, a movie, a song, etc. — makes you feel so completely jealous that you didn’t think of it first or get to work on it – it’s a winner. When we come across a piece of work that makes us feel jealous or envious, it's often because it resonates with us on a deep level and speaks to something we value or desire in our own creative pursuits. These are the ideas that fuel us forward. They allow us to think differently, or more importantly, feel differently. The ideas that make us want to do better work and drive us to new heights.
Process
You need to be in the right headspace in order to create. For everyone it’s different, but for me, my best ideas are when I'm simply not trying to think at all. There are a few times when this really happens for me:
1. Listening: It’s all about keeping your ears open for a word or phrase that hits just right and inspires you. It could be when I’m in a random conversation with a friend or overhearing a conversation on a train that sparks an idea for a brief.
2. Late at night: After a coffee-fuelled day of meetings and time with my almost two-year-old twins, what I have begun to refer to as ‘Lindsey after eight’ is when I do my best work. Sometimes being tired helps get you out of your own head. I love to brainstorm when I’m in the level of silliness that only comes with that second wind of late-night energy.
3. Immersing: When you’re looking for inspiration on a certain topic, it helps to immerse yourself in it. Like eating ice cream while brainstorming for an ice cream brand, or playing Roblox while working on a gaming brief. It puts you in the mindset of the consumer and gains a new perspective.
Press
Having lived in New York for my entire life, I've been spoiled by the endless opportunities for inspiration and discovery. There's always something new to see, experience, or explore — from Broadway shows and pop-up exhibitions to simply people-watching. But recently it's the moments of child-like wonder that truly inspire me. Watching the world through the unprejudiced eyes of my nearly two-year-old twins has made me relook at what some would think are just ordinary experiences. Seeing things through their eyes allows me to view these moments in new ways. As a result, I've learned to embrace the unknown and approach each experience with an open mind, eager to discover something new.
