Good ideas are at the root of every successful creative and business venture. They are the sparks of innovation that often inspire solutions to real world problems. Generating ideas crystallizes vision and purpose, product and service.
Here are a few techniques to explore:
Let it flow: First, actually give yourself the space and time to explore ideas. Carve out five to fifteen minutes with no distractions. Then silence your inner critic. Let your mind roam freely and document the process. Better yet, enjoy the process.
Try this: Explore Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages to unlock your filter and create space for ideas to flow freely. Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages. They are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not overthink Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow. – Julia Cameron, The Artist’s Way
Material for our work surrounds us at every turn. It’s woven into conversations, nature, chance encounters, and existing works of art. When looking for a solution to a creative problem, pay close attention to what’s happening around you. Look for clues pointing to new methods or ways to further develop current ideas.
>>>>> Rick Rubin, The Creative Act
Embrace bricolage and associative thinking: Let go of binary, linear thought. The magic is in the insights that appear when connecting seemingly unrelated ideas. Get meta and process your own thinking patterns, barriers, and biases. Challenge your assumptions by engaging with opposing ideas. Follow your curiosity. Tinker and reassemble.
Try this: Practice SCAMPER, a popular technique grounded in associative thinking devised in 1953 by Alex Osborn, the grandfather of brainstorming, and reordered into the SCAMPER acronym in 1971 by Bob Eberle.
- SUBSTITUTE
Substitute parts of the process, problem, or object with something else - COMBINE
Merge ideas, stages of the process, product, object or service - ADAPT
Identify something outside of the box to adapt to the problem - MODIFY OR MAGNIFY
Adjust, change, alter, modify the scale in either direction - FIND SOME OTHER USE
Take the object or problem and place it in a different circumstance for another purpose - ELIMINATE
Deconstruct or take away from the problem or object. - REVERSE OR REARRANGE
Consider the situation from the opposite angle or rearrange its components.
Listen and learn: Finding a solution means paying attention to your surroundings. Connect with your team, audience, or customer—the very people who are already engaging with your product or service. Listen closely and observe. Document what you see and hear. Make lists in a live document, record voice memos, keep a journal or spreadsheet and track observations and insights over time.
Try this: Who, what, where, why, when and how—answer these five questions when faced with a challenge that needs a solution grounded in reality.
