“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple, learn how to handle them, and soon you’ll have a dozen. – John Steinbeck
Where do ideas come from?
I’m always interested in how and where creative people get their best ideas.
J.K. Rowling got her idea Harry Potter A series of looking out the window on a long train ride. George Michael said the sax melody that made his single ‘Girlless Whisper’ so memorable was fully formed while handing over his fare on a London bus.
Artist Mark Quinn was walking through the British Museum looking at all the broken Greek and Roman statues and realized that if they were brought back to life now they would be dead and their beauty would not be appreciated. This led to the creation of a monumental marble statue of Alison Lauper, a pregnant, disabled woman, displayed in London’s Trafalgar Square in 2005.
and have written about How Florence Welch and Natasha Khan embrace ritual and custom When recording new albums.
There are some completely new ideas.
Often, it means taking an idea from one field and applying it to another field. Or combine existing things in new and interesting ways. As Austin Cleon says in his book of the same name, we all have to learn Steal like an artist. With it he can copy, organize, collect, combine – and then create one of your own.
What you read, watch, do, and the people around you influence your thoughts. So treat your inputs carefully, be open to new experiences, and make sure you’re constantly connecting with interesting people.
Having idle time is also important Allowing for swanning and inspirationPlaces where you don’t bother thinking of solutions.
In my long career as a journalist, I’ve asked everyone I’ve interviewed how and where they get their best ideas. The answers are always research, work – and then rest. Great ideas rarely come while you’re working. They come for bathing, walking, traveling or playing with their children or pets.
Here are four of the best pieces of advice I’ve received over the years, some from the very top creators in their fields.
Jonathan Ive: Embrace your failures
Jonathan Ive has led Apple’s design team for years, creating things never before imagined: the iPad, smartphones, laptops and a whole series of innovations in desktop computers. She founded her own company, LoveFrom, with equally innovative designer Mark Newson.
When I asked Ai about ideas, he said they can come from almost anywhere. The important thing is to create a safe, private space where his team can feel free to suggest anything without worrying about seeming ridiculous. And they can play with new ideas without fear of failure.
“For me, part of being a designer is stopping your understanding of the product and its use for a moment and looking at it. It’s an almost childlike inquiry. And to be wrong, a real willingness to wonder.
“I love being wrong! As a designer you’re always exploring what it is No ok Ideas that we try but don’t work out are part of the process. It’s not a failure, it’s just something we tried.
“It’s about not making value judgments. A journey, a surprise. And then being happy about it. Not this jaundiced, ‘Oh, I know that won’t work.’ With some creations, it looks like a battle. And there’s not much joy in that, is there?
Zaha Hadid: Practice your ideas every day
During the first 20 years of her career as an architect, Zaha Hadid won prestigious competitions and awards and was widely celebrated as one of the top talents in her field. Yet her work was so innovative that nothing she designed had ever been built.
This changed when I met her in 2007, and she was suddenly in demand around the world, with extraordinary buildings in various stages. The scope and scale of the work she was doing was breathtaking, and I wondered if she ever ran out of ideas.
She smiled. “If I get stuck, I keep going!”
Her long years of training as an architect taught her: a door, a staircase. Then there were years of research and experiments and endless rejection. She needs to learn to believe in herself and her abilities.
“Last year, I took on a small, simple project [for a building]And I worked on it every day to see how many permutations it could have. I worked every day, for months. It was amazing. After two months, I had 700 likes! I didn’t do it for practice, I was curious.
“But if I hadn’t done what I did 20 years ago, I don’t think all those ideas would have emerged. Architecture is really the same as any field, from music to science. If you do the work and keep at it, the solutions you’re looking for will eventually come to you.”
Richard Friend: Buy a new notebook
An artist living and working on the East Kent coast in Britain, Richard is a friend He’s not particularly popular (though he’s very talented). But he once said something that stuck with me about the power of good stationery.
“There’s something very special about a new notebook or sketchbook. If you’re stuck, get yourself the best sketchbook you can afford and some new drawing equipment.
“Then fill it in as quickly as you can. Write it down. Because every time you turn the page, it’s going to change. The drawing you made earlier will inform something you do later.
“Step by step, you build a little book of ideas. Everything in it starts a job at some point.”
Almost any creator can modify this.
I recommended it to blocked writers. Buy a cute notebook and take it everywhere and quickly fill it with random ideas, overheard conversations, little observations, notes about places you’ve been, things you’ve read or seen.
It gets you used to writing all the time: when you’re waiting for the bus or sitting in the park, whenever you have a few minutes free. You build a library of ideas and observations to use later.
James Altucher: Ten Ideas a Day
In his book Choose yourselfEntrepreneur James Altucher shares an exercise he does every day. He thinks of a theme and quickly jots down 10 ideas around it.
I started doing this as a part of myself Morning paper. Sometimes I do 10 ideas every day about the same thing for a week or a month. Sometimes I find the answer I’m looking for in my top ten list.
This could be ideas for new blog posts, headlines for a post I’ve already written, book ideas, new products or income streams. It could be ways to eat better or get more exercise into your day. Whatever feels like an obstacle or obstacle, brainstorm 10 ways to overcome it until you find a solution you want to try.
Morning is usually best for this. Your inner critic, the ‘smarter’ part of you, says, “It will happen Never Work!” At first it will be less active.
I’ve written hundreds of horrible, embarrassing comments on those lists. I’ve written down a few great ideas that otherwise wouldn’t have occurred to me.
So there you are.
- Be playful.
- Don’t judge your ideas as you narrow them down: start with quantity, then revise for quality.
- See failure as part of the process and enjoy it.
- Find a way to keep generating lots of ideas at speed.
- Invest in a nice new sketchbook or notebook.
- Remember to relax.
- Be open to new experiences. In fact, plan them into your week.
- Above all, get into the habit of generating new ideas every day.
Soon you will have endless ideas. But of course an idea is nothing, unless you take action.
So what’s your next step?