Where Great Ideas Come From

Hey Aaron,

My business requires me to be creative almost all the time, which seems daunting but with enough practice and a relaxed approach, it becomes second nature to think creatively.

My ideas come at all times and from all places, though the one key condition is that I have to be relaxed and in the flow. Inspiration can be anything, from hauling butt on the treadmill reading a fashion magazine at warp speed, a pleasant nature walk on a warm day with a cute dog, watching a scary movie, to window shopping, or just looking at photos on the web. The biggest thing is to feed my head as much as I can, and then let my brain make the connections when it needs to. I keep paper everywhere in the house so I can record ideas wherever they happen. I often scrawl ideas for fun ads in the middle of the night. The bedside sketchbook gets lots of use.

My biggest advice to anyone wishing to get creative is get into a relaxed state and then just have fun letting go. You never know here you'll end up.

Also, it' s very fun and productive to brainstorm with a partner. The funnest thing is to see how an idea can evolve quickly when there's synergy between two people. My writer buddies are great for co-brainstorming. I love them dearly.

Other Bizniks what's your process?

Reading, writing, conversations and experiments.

A lot of the activities I like to do have already been mentioned. I think that thinking creatively gets better the more you practice it. And if you happen to love bizarre games and even invent them yourself, it keeps your brain from just going with the obvious idea in other situations.

I free write (stream-of-consciousness type thing) every day and get many good ideas from that. I like to play that game where you take an "unordinary" object and think of how many other things it might be or might be used for. I think it used to be on that improv show, "Whose Line Is It Anyway?".

Bob and I like to turn the volume off on old movies and voice new lines. I find that the quicker you have to come up with new ideas, the more of them you will think of.

I also come up with new ideas on my walks. And Bob, like many people, gets them in the shower. Someone should do a study on that sometime.

I wake up in the morning. There's paper and pencil next to the bed to catch the gems before they are lost.

Or take a shower.

Ideas have a way of popping up anytime, in any setting. Unless I'm forcing the solution. I agree with Giannina. Fun and relaxed are the way to go.

"The Einstein Factor" by Win Wenger is full of excellent techniques. His image streaming process is very effective, in my experience. There is a description of the technique at his web site. http://www.winwenger.com/

I think that being open and generally curious sets the stage.

It's not a coincidence that some great ideas came to people when they were not mentally engaged with it. Human mind can be very destructive and limiting... "Idle" mind is creative on its own because it's innately connected with the higher wisdom.

Some of my great ideas (that apply to my life personally) came when I didn't feel pressured or committed to do anything with them. :)

Great conversation topic Aaron!

My best ideas, and design solutions, never come to me while consciously working or sitting at my desk. They come to me in dreams, while in the shower, driving down the road, gardening, at the beach or traveling in Italy or the Caribbean. I usually let the "brain farts" percolate a bit - a few hours, a day or a couple days - before putting them to paper or computer.

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Jeff, you cracked me up. I love "brain farts"!!!! :))

My best comes out working late in the night when my husband,young son and my Labrador are sleeping sound:-)

I have to agree with everyone here. The brain has a great way of coming up with great ideas when you are not paying attention to the problem. The key for me is when I first start a project or concept, I pay very close attention to what is being said. I almost immediately get a visual in my mind's eye. It is not totally clear, but has a certain feel and look to it.

I then let that idea percolate on my brain for awhile. I do not always know how I'm going to get to the solution and I have to let my unconscious mind figure that out. Ideas then will stream in at unknown times and I make sure I concentrate and capture the idea in my memory so I can use it when I begin to work.

A really great resource out there for people wanting to get the creative juices flowing is "The Artist Way" by Julia Cameron (www.theartistsway.com). Not only is it a great book, but there are forums and seminars to guide you through the process.

Love the topic. Thanks for starting it Aaron. Corbet

I totally agree with Corbet. I bought Cameron's book 10 years ago and am still incorporating my Morning Pages into my daily routine. That book was one of the most powerful ones I have ever read, as far as unblocking the creative soul.

Very interesting, Aaron. I'd never thought about it in this way, but "Receptive," which implies passive, really allows you to bring forth all those cool ideas without judging them first. I find the first thing I need to do is turn my brain off, the intellectual side of me, that is. When I do that, I can come up with so many more ideas.

Would love to hear what others do to get those creative ideas popping.

Has anyone taken Strength Finder? Ideation is one of my strengths shown in the result of Strengh Finder assessment.

New ideas are thrilling to me and they come to me when I read, write, communicate or explore. Both sides of the brain contribute the same time (I think).

Aaron, I get creative by distracting myself from the issue to be addressed. A long bike ride, sleeping, anything but myopic focus on the matter I'm working on . . . works for me.

Hope that's of some help to you.

I take a walk to ground me and then come home and get in front of the computer and get to work.

I keep my palm phone near. Ideas my strike at any time. If I feel fulfilled and joyous ideas flow easier. Self care is essential for me to create.

I think one thing for me in particular is, "Ask the right question first" -which I am not sure if that came from Outrageous Marketing by Jon Spoelstra or The Do-It-Yourself Lobotomy by Tom Manahan.

In conjunction with that is my "Mind-Mapping" as people have termed it (David Allen with Getting Things Done) I write the topic or question in the middle of a blank piece of paper. I then draw spokes coming from that word and write the first thing that comes ot mind on each of those spokes - and the process continues and grows from there.

Letting go and walking away is a BIG help for me. By asking questions first, then mind-mapping, I can take a break and let my subconscious do the rest. My mind is always on overdrive - I constantly brainstorm throughout my day, it just happens.

Before I know it - Boom! The ideas pop in and start to percolate.

Creativity breeds creativity. Once I start thinking creatively, the ideas just seem to flow.

If I'm having trouble getting started, I'll put on some "brain" music (music for yoga or meditation). Sometimes I stop and do a few relaxing yoga poses.

If I'm really stuck, I move on to other things. My brain keeps working, though and in the middle of doing something else (drifting off to sleep, taking a shower, walking), I'll come up with ideas. Or the next day I'll be in a more creative frame of mind.

Excellent thread Aaron.

For me, most creative ideas come from playing games and doing improv exercises. For example, when I'm in an imaginative space --in the future, the past, role-playing another perspective, etc. or when I have been given some limits (ie quick, think of an area you are stuck, now from A-Z w/o any censoring, think of words/ideas for possible solutions --no matter how ridiculous.) Its much better when I'm playing or having a good 'what if' talk with others.

However, for 'deeper' ideas, ones that come more from the heart and not just my cranium, going for a walk, sitting in silence, etc. is a top choice.

Dawn, dusk, on the verge of falling asleep and on the verge of waking. Mabe the brain just needs to be in a quasi-dormant stage to ignite the creativity.