Creativity Squared: Why Great Ideas Give Elin Klockare Jarlstrom Butterflies

Elin Klockare Jarlstrom is creative director at social-first creative agency Formidable, where she oversees creative output and implementation of social content strategy for brands such as Team GB, The LEGO Group and Amazon.

With over a decade of ad experience, her creative journey has included work for BBH, Leo Burnett, and Jungle Creations, creating global campaigns for blue chip brands such as McDonald's, Kellogg’s, P&G and The National Lottery.

Person

I’m a great-ideas-give-me-butterflies kind of person. Insight-led, clever, simple ideas make me tick! My personality is empathetic, open, focused. And a bit stubborn. I like to think I have a positive outlook on the world. I’ve always considered myself an optimist.

When it comes to creativity, I believe not everyone is innately creative. But like with any skill, if you work hard and put your mind to it, in this case literally, you will become more perceptive to creative ways of thinking. I do believe hard work beats talent. But talent that works hard beats everyone. I’m an introverted extravert. I love being around people, but spending time with myself gives me just as much energy to recharge and space to be creative. 

When it comes to routine, it’s a love-hate relationship. When it comes to work, routine is extremely important across parts of the creative process. But it’s equally important to allow space for creative freedom and to let it run wild. I like to explore everything. As creatives I don’t think we should pigeonhole ourselves; we should be receptive to all kinds of creative input. The work we do at Formidable is so varied that it covers a whole plethora of exciting, creative “stuff”. 

Product 

When it comes to assess if work is truly creative, I have a simple criteria: Is it simple? Is it relevant, but unexpected? Is it memorable? Is it putting the audience first? 

Since stepping into the world of social media, it’s become evident how important the additional criterion of 'authentically social-first' is. Many brands are still not thinking social-first when wanting to create campaigns tailored for different platforms. So, it’s important that we help them stay true to their objectives, guide them in the right direction, all while holding ourselves accountable to what we pitch being truly social. 

We recently created a campaign with Team GB called Sporty AF. It’s a six-part series featuring female Team GB Olympic athletes having real and relatable conversations about what it really means to be Sporty and Female, hosted by the brilliant AJ Odudu. From periods and mental health, to challenges and successes, these conversations have never been more important. 

I’m very proud of this one.  

At the moment we have more mediums and platforms to be creative than ever before, and that’s really exciting in terms of new opportunities. But across the board, I’d love to see humour make a comeback, and for more brands to be willing to take more risks in this space. 

Process

For me, a campaign or creative project will always start with a blank piece of paper. Ideally away from the laptop. Get all your first ideas down and out of the way. Then let’s chat! 

We’ve started using AI for inspiration (key word here being 'inspiration'). Sometimes it helps reiterate what not to do, which can be useful too. Either way, it’s often a laugh that can bring the energy back up in a creative session.     

There are no specific techniques that don't work for me, however, I think it’s important to understand when brainstorming is useful to the creative process, rather than a hindrance. Creativity takes time. And most people don’t have their best ideas when put on the spot. 

Collecting a diverse variety of inputs, insights, inspiration and references from all around on a daily basis is what helps fuel our creativity. That being said, when a new project kicks off, you start with a blank piece of paper first. Always. 

When I was a creative, I worked both in a team and as a single, and I loved both. As a CD I feel the same. Working collaboratively and having different minds come together can lead to new, fresh perspectives. But it’s important to give yourself enough time to sit with it alone, whatever it might be.

When it comes to the hard bits of a project or when I’m stumped, I step away. I go for a walk, grab a coffee or maybe a glass of wine. Staring at the problem won’t solve anything. When ready to step back in, if it’s about cracking a brief, I try to reframe the problem or objective at hand. Sometimes random prompts help too. Ask yourself, what if, what if, what if, what if?

It’s important to strike the right balance between creative reviews and letting creatives have time to properly digest the brief and work on ideas. In and around reviews and catch-ups. I like to keep our team comms fluid and I’m happy to help and support whenever needed. At Formidable we’re all good at helping each other out in our day-to-day, across the agency. 

Press

I was introduced to the ad industry at a very early age. I grew up in Sweden and both my parents worked in advertising. Back then I hated it, but today I’m very thankful to both. They inspired me. 

I loved storytelling and creative writing as a child. I was debating pursuing journalism, but I quickly realised it wasn’t for me. I wanted to get my point across quicker. After working at a Swedish agency for a while, I moved to London and honed my craft at School of Communication Arts 2.0, before joining the industry. 

For me a clean, open space means a clean, open mind. I’m more creative with fewer distractions around me. And a good cup of coffee. Stress makes me work faster, not better. 

Advice I would give to clients is to provide a clear and concise brief. By truly understanding your problem and objectives, we can provide you with the best creative solution. 

The best way agencies can facilitate creativity is to give space and time for creativity. And providing the right support to creatives across the process. Gone are (should be) the days of not feeling like you can ask for help by your CD or any other senior member. It’s 2023 after all.