Inspiration for a joyful and creative life

You’ve heard it before.  In order to generate more creative ideas, you need more ideas.  More ideas are better because usually the first ones are the obvious ones.

So if you are having trouble generating long lists of ideas, here are a few strategies that might help.

#1

Pull images and words from magazines that attract your attention, without thinking too hard.  You may be drawn to images subconsciously that unlock some great ideas.

 

 

#2

Doodle.  Yes, that’s right, doodle and let your mind wander.

Later look at the doodles and see if there is any image or idea that is triggered.

 

#3

Sleep on it.

Write down the problem or project that you need ideas for before you go to bed.  Then, let it go.  Sometimes you’ll dream of a great idea or have one that wakes you up….just jot it down and try to go back to sleep…..if you can.  I’m not always good at that one.

 

#4

Play the What If game……

What if I could……fill in the blank about what you want to accomplish.

Here is an example.  What if I could spend more time in the studio and increase my sales?

 

Or try other questions in the same way.

 

How might I…….

Wouldn’t it be great if I…….

 

Wouldn’t it be great if I could have more free time and increase my income?

 

Write down as many ideas as you can in response to the question, without worrying about how or editing their value or possibility for now.  Let the question marinate and keep jotting down ideas as they come to you.

 

In the example above, there are two questions.  You can also play with answering the questions separately and then playing with combining the answers to see if a new and improved idea comes up.

 

 

#5

Choose completely random images or words.

This one is related to #1 only this time, choosing completely random images or words can give you some new ideas and perspective that you wouldn’t have come up with on your own.

 

You can take a book, magazine, or look around the room, and just pick an image.

Or how about opening the dictionary or the yellow pages…..wow, I’m really dating myself….these are actual books and not the online versions….and flipping the pages and point to a random place.

 

Then while thinking about your problem or project, brainstorm new ideas inspired by the images and words

 

They don’t have to make sense at first…..just let your imagination run!

 

 

Example: Maybe the painting of a ballerina makes you think of dancing, and that makes you think of performance, and that makes you think of awards and that makes you think of giving an incentive to your clients or audience like award points.

 

Maybe the picture of a cupcake makes you think of a bakery which makes you think of sweet smells which makes you think of adding the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies to your artwork (I told you it didn’t have to make sense!) and that makes you think of home and that makes you think of comfort and that makes you think of offering home consultations or hanging services and that makes you think of partnering with an interior designer.

 

 

 

#6 – #9

4 more creative ideas shared by Todd Henry of the Accidental Creative

 

 

 

 

Sometimes all you need is a different perspective to get some good ideas.

Think Backwards

In the early 60’s the FCC was concerned that some of the quiz shows had supplied contestants the answers (remember the movie the Quiz Show?)

Julann and Merv Griffin were on a plane to New York and she suggested that they give the contestants the answers and they guess the questions.  They had their concept of the show by the time the plane landed.  Jeopardy has been on the air since 1962.

Begin with the End

Think about what you want to accomplish and write down the end result as if it has happened.

For example, let’s say you want to write a book.

Write a book from the end or write the back cover first with the kinds of quotes people would say about your book  which gives you insight into what you want to write.

What are you working on now?  How might you start at the end?

P.S. In case you are wondering, the photo was taken at a wonderful garden design show we went to when we were in France a couple years ago and it is an etched shovel.