The After-Thought Headstand

Until recently, I was an out and out first instincts kinda girl. I have been a whole-hearted proponent of the philosophy and practice that the first idea; the first word; the first item that grabs you is the one to go for.

My wedding dress was the first one I tried on. I tried on two more in that that store before calling off the search because I knew that first dress I just had to try on was The One. I did feel a little bad for my mum and her neighbour who had made the trip to the city and were gearing up for a girly dress hunt of oestrogen proportions probably punctuated with morning tea and scones and a stiff martini upon Mission: Accomplished at the end of a blistered foot day of  tears and decisions. It was a different story for me however, as  I had my 18 month old son tagging along with the pretty posse, so my feeling was that a quick game was a good game and as far as I was concerned, finding a dress I loved within the first hour was Job Done.

But, maybe I was just being lazy? Maybe the situation warranted a little more consideration?

Last week, a little more stamina and extra time meant I hit gold for a client thanks to the power of after-thought.

I was working on a strapline for a new product ad campaign for a car industry company. Based on the goals, the medium, the target market and branding guidelines, I came up with some word patterns and rhythms that suited the brief. I was just about to hit Send, when I made a last minute decision to take another look and really make sure the client got their money's worth.

I turned the concept around in my mind, looked at the product from a new angle and did a metaphorical headstand before coming up with one more idea to add to the fray. I emailed the lot off and waited for the feedback. No prizes for guessing which one went to the designer. Blimey - after-thought city!

My lesson: from now on I will incorporate The After-Thought Headstand into every creative process.

Incidentally, did you know:

• Epimetheus is the Greek God of After-Thought
• Michael Jordan first turned heads playing basketball at the University of North Carolina when he scored the winning points in the last minute of the game to secure his team the National Championship. After that, he apparently got pretty fond of the-game's-not-over-for-another-point-five-of-a-second-so-I-guess-I'll-get-one-more-basket-in approach.
• The line in Peter Pan where Tinkerbell implores the audience to "clap your hands if you believe in fairies" was a last minute inclusion in the play that surprised everyone on opening night by inspiring a room full of upper-class theatre-goers to responded with enthusiastic applause.
• Kylie Minogue's self-titled album was re-labelled as such from Impossible Princess just before it was released following the death of Princess Diana.
• On a personal note, my great-grandmother, who had a ticket to journey to the USA from the UK on the S.S Titanic, reconsidered and reneged on her plans to sail on the ship's maiden voyage.

Have you ever enjoyed the fruits of an After-Thought Headstand?