https://medium.com/design-idea/b1d8984f603d
First:
An idea is always a combination of existing things.
Therefore: seeing relationships between things is the most important skill to practice creating ideas.
Step One: Absorb
This is the part that most people skip. Don’t.
There are two types of information you’ll need: specific and general.
Specific
information comes from studying your subject closely. You need to eat
all the information that exists about your subject. Go to
it/her/them/there and experience it deeply. Pay very close attention,
and don’t let up.
General information comes from
knowledge about life, and current events/science. You must continue to
grow your resources in this category your entire life. But for the
purpose of this exercise, balance your specific information gathering
with reading the news, going to museums, or learning anything new or
unrelated to your topic.
Step Two: Mix the pot
Jam
the information you’ve gathered into combinations you never thought
possible. Mind map. Make associative lists. Give your mind a work-out. Don’t try to think of answers, just more questions.
This is where relationship-sensing comes in handy. Practice playing with words and ideas.
Try to really ‘listen’ for the relationships between elements, instead of forcing one.
During
this stage you’ll probably have tons of ‘fuzzy’ and half-baked
ideas—write these all down! They’re additional building blocks for you
to use and mull over.
Once you’ve simply exhausted all of your data…
Step Three: Leave it to the Subconscious
Take a nap. Seriously. Or just go to bed. Drop it.
“…The creations involve a period of conscious work, followed by a period of unconscious work…”
Henri Poincare
Put
the project out of your mind and do whatever it is that makes you feel
great. Hiking, music, running, anything that you enjoy. The point is to
let your subconscious mind take the wheel for a little while.
Step Four: Eureka!
The
next morning, while you’re frying eggs, you’re going to be struck with
inspiration. Or maybe when you’re walking the dog. Or in the shower. Or
on the bus. Or whatever it is that you do that’s routine and your mind
begins to wander… BOOM!
“Just think about it deeply, then forget it…then an idea will jump up in your face.”
Don Draper, Madmen s.1 e.11
Relish in the glory of your own mind for a moment. Only a moment, though— because the hardest part is yet to come.
Step Five: Develop & Shape the Idea into Actual Usefulness
Most ideas need to be bent, stretched, or otherwise modified from their original form before they join us in the physical plane.
Put your idea out there and
embrace feedback. Although it may be painful to watch your mind-child
be critiqued and battered from the input of others (who clearly don’t
share the same creative genius as you!), it will help develop it from ‘a
good idea’ into something really worthwhile.
Summary:
- Learn as much as you can about the topic
- Spend time ‘chewing’ your thoughts and mixing them together
- Do something else and let your subconscious work
- The idea will appear out of thin air in your mind
- Share your idea and bring it into reality
Comments
Post a Comment