Creative problem solving is the foundation of advertising and marketing. But, it’s also good to flex those muscles outside of the office to keep them nimble.

Using divergent and convergent thinking can be done in countless other ways, but I’m a big fan of a DIY project. It can be as big as building a 3-way mirror or as little as a DIY hanging mesh toiletry bag.

With recent traveling and weekend trips, I love a good toiletry bag. I purchased one, but it was bulky and too big to be functional for only a mere overnight stay. I liked the idea of mesh because anything slightly wet has more breathing room to dry – figuratively and literally.

So I bought this 3-set mesh bag kit from Marshalls. The biggest one was great because it could hold everything I need (including the smaller mesh bags) while still staying flat and compact for travel. But, my huge, bulky bag spoiled me by having a hook to hang the bag in the bathroom. This is from the Amazon page.

So, how do I configure this bag to hang? At its foundation, it needs something that the hanging device will attach to on the bag. So, I quickly put a keyring onto the zipper. From there, I spent about 15 minutes figuring out the name of that little hook and where I could get one. Yep, this is my idea of fun lol. To each their own, okay? I found an S-hook on Amazon, but it was $8. That was more than I spent on the bag itself – not worth it.

I made a hook out of a wire hanger in college. However, I knew trying to wrap that securely on a keyring would be tedious and frustrating. The true base of the problem was that I needed something to hang this bag on a rod, hook, etc. It could be something round that opens and closes, say, like a dog collar. Okay, dog collars are cheap and easy to find. I was on a roll though. Was there something that I had already in the house that I could use to finish the project? Also, another part of me just didn’t want to have to make the trip. As I mentioned before, laziness can inspire creativity. What about a regular bracelet?

It brought me back to the good ol’ days where I would make hundreds of friendship bracelets from embroidery thread. I could use the friendship bracelet and make a sort of knot and loop closure.

So, I got to work.

You may be wondering, but, yes, above is the proper form to make a friendship bracelet. Using your foot keeps it steady and allows for tight knots. Truly it’s the only way to do it.😁

I made it with the knot and loop closure, but I wasn’t confident it would hold the bag. I worried that the knot would find its way out of the loop if the bag got knocked around. I needed a better open and closing mechanism. Now what? A clasp?

I found an old broken keychain that had a small clasp on the one end. So, I plied the clasp off and used my rope tying skills from a climbing class I took in college to tie a bowline knot. And, my friends, I made a hanging toiletry bag!

This was a fun (and practical!) project that allowed me to find creative solutions to problems that arose along the way. I was able to ideate and use both divergent and convergent thinking. While I won’t be doing small DIY projects in an ad agency, the skills can still translate. It’s good to exercise both types of thinking in different ways outside of work. It may even inspire solutions for the office as you incubate, or have those problems in the back of your mind.

About Marissa Musings: Marissa Musings are short blog posts that derive from an outpouring of random thoughts. My brain can be a very crazy place. Enjoy with caution.