All posts filed under: Creativity

My 5 favourite podcasts over the last 12 months

August 10, 2017
by Alan Swan
Blog / Content / Creativity / Podcast
Photo by Álvaro Serrano

Podcasts suffer from the same issue as Netflix. You spend more time looking for something to watch on it then actually watching something full stop. Whatever podcast platform you use the same issue pops up, so much choice and not enough curation. Have to say one site that has helped me greatly in discovering new shows is Podcast Chart. Beautiful clean interface, easily accessible download links  and one of the best curated lists of podcasts online. I’ve been […]

You can’t please them all. Here’s a way to stop trying

August 9, 2017
by Alan Swan
Blog / Content / Creativity / Podcast / Radio
You can't please them all

You can’t please them all. You’ve poured your heart into creating something. The response is pretty good but one negative comment has popped up and now it’s all you can focus on. You start to question your work, you ask “Why don’t they like it?” and completely ignore the positive reaction to what you have achieved. Sound familiar? It’s a common problem for content creators and something that I used to constantly struggle with. Trying to […]

Empathy. Who are you creating content for?

August 2, 2017
by Alan Swan
Blog / Content / Creativity / Radio
Empathy

When you’re creating content one of the most important skills you can have is empathy. Can you put yourself if the shoes of your listener, customer, consumer? World renowned, Academy Award winning composer Hans Zimmer does for every project he works on. In a recent Rolling Stone interview he revealed who he writes for. Guess what? It’s not everyone. “And I realized that,” he says with a pause. “I have a fictitious person I write for. […]

An acronym from the 1960’s is simply perfect for 2017

January 26, 2017
by Alan Swan
Blog / Content / Creativity

KISS is an acronym for “Keep it simple, stupid”, a design principle used by the U.S. Navy way back in the 1960’s. While some deem the phrase old fashioned & cheesy, in 2017 this acronym has never been more relevant. The attention of your audience is so fickle, it’s vital to simplify your ideas and in turn the content you create. You have to make it simple to grab their attention and then make the […]

The Most Powerful Question You Can Ask During A Brainstorm

January 12, 2017
by Alan Swan
Blog / Content / Creativity

Don’t underestimate the power of ‘what if?’. Sometimes we can stand in our own way when we refuse to let our imagination run riot. The most powerful question you can ask when creating content is ‘what if?’ When you’re working on your next idea why not ask that question multiple times. One ridiculous ‘what if?’ could lead to a ridiculously creative outcome.  Views expressed do not represent the view of RTÉ. Photo by Emily Morter For […]

Get your ideas sweat on with this simple trick

January 9, 2017
by Alan Swan
Blog / Content / Creativity

Do you have difficulty coming up with ideas? You sit down, pen in hand, blank page at the ready and then nothing. It happens to us all. But have you ever asked yourself “have I exercised my ideas muscle recently?”. Your “ideas muscle”? What part of the body is that located? Well according to author James Altucher we all have one and we should practise using it everyday: “It’s important to exercise the idea muscle right now. […]

Attention! It’s all about attention

November 20, 2016
by Alan Swan
Blog / Creativity / Radio

A recent piece from Fast Company highlighted the work of US public radio station WNYC and how they are finding innovative ways to push the medium forward. It’s a great read. For me though it reinforced the challenge facing radio, with one word jumping off the page. “ATTENTION” As audience behaviour changes and becomes more fragmented, you as a broadcaster are now in the attention game, not the radio game. Listeners don’t have time for […]

A creative lesson from my wonderful 2 year old daughter

November 1, 2016
by Alan Swan
Creativity

Finding it hard to be creative? Stuck in a rut? Yesterday I spent the afternoon blowing bubbles with my daughter. It still is one of the simplest ways of keeping my little one amused, she loves it. After much running around my daughter reached for the bottle of soapy water and proceeded to put tiny pebbles from the driveway into it. I immediately scolded her, “Serena, please don’t put pebbles in the water, you’re not […]