Like you, I always record ideas when they pop into my mind. Because I know they can disappear just as quickly. My tool of choice: Evernote using Siri to dictate ideas (or I type them in, of course). I realize that ideas can occur any time, anywhere. And I'm committed to capturing them.
You mentioned revisiting ideas regularly. That's powerful. Because each time you do so, you're in a slightly different mental state. That enables you to brainstorm add-on ideas or to see new connections that you missed earlier. Iterative nurturing can turn half-formed ideas into full-fledged, valuable ones.
I'm also a big believer in the role of the subconscious mind in creativity. Feed it a wide variety of inputs. It atomizes them, recombines them and then serves them up to us as hunches or "a-ha" moments.
One of the strengths of the subconscious is its incredible powers of association. If I say the word "red" to you, dozens of red things will pop into your mind. To cultivate more and better ideas using the power of association, I use mind maps. In a recent survey, readers of my blog say that mind mapping tools increase their creativity by 50%!
I love what you said about being in a different state of mind when revisiting ideas. So true. And yes, tons of inputs! A feast of ideas. And mind mapping is powerful! That’s one thing I miss from moving from Heptabase to Mem.
Loved this post, and the ideas you shared, Greg! I’ve found the same thing in regards to Bible verses — the Word truly is “living and active”!
I believe this concept from Ruth Stone was mentioned by Liz Gilbert in her TED talk on creativity. I don’t recall whether she mentioned Ruth by name, but the image of the ideas coming hurtling through, and needing to grab them before they’re gone has always stuck with me.
It stuck with me too! Such a powerful way to think about ideas. Same here about the Bible. I have a post coming soon about the moment Elijah threw his cloak upon Elisha and how ideas can be thrown on us like cloaks. A calling to take it and run with it.
Great thoughts, Greg!
Like you, I always record ideas when they pop into my mind. Because I know they can disappear just as quickly. My tool of choice: Evernote using Siri to dictate ideas (or I type them in, of course). I realize that ideas can occur any time, anywhere. And I'm committed to capturing them.
You mentioned revisiting ideas regularly. That's powerful. Because each time you do so, you're in a slightly different mental state. That enables you to brainstorm add-on ideas or to see new connections that you missed earlier. Iterative nurturing can turn half-formed ideas into full-fledged, valuable ones.
I'm also a big believer in the role of the subconscious mind in creativity. Feed it a wide variety of inputs. It atomizes them, recombines them and then serves them up to us as hunches or "a-ha" moments.
One of the strengths of the subconscious is its incredible powers of association. If I say the word "red" to you, dozens of red things will pop into your mind. To cultivate more and better ideas using the power of association, I use mind maps. In a recent survey, readers of my blog say that mind mapping tools increase their creativity by 50%!
I love what you said about being in a different state of mind when revisiting ideas. So true. And yes, tons of inputs! A feast of ideas. And mind mapping is powerful! That’s one thing I miss from moving from Heptabase to Mem.
Loved this post, and the ideas you shared, Greg! I’ve found the same thing in regards to Bible verses — the Word truly is “living and active”!
I believe this concept from Ruth Stone was mentioned by Liz Gilbert in her TED talk on creativity. I don’t recall whether she mentioned Ruth by name, but the image of the ideas coming hurtling through, and needing to grab them before they’re gone has always stuck with me.
It stuck with me too! Such a powerful way to think about ideas. Same here about the Bible. I have a post coming soon about the moment Elijah threw his cloak upon Elisha and how ideas can be thrown on us like cloaks. A calling to take it and run with it.
Cool! Looking forward to reading that!