"I don't require a timepiece. My thoughts cause me to wake up." ~ Ray Bradbury WD

Good fortune for some, but if you're a copywriter or designer who makes their job by skillfully arranging words or colors on a page, Monday mornings might be challenging.
It made me wonder: Where do brilliant ideas originate? And how can artists stay inspired and keep going without "burning out"? Inspiration may take various forms, as writers, graphic designers, painters, and architects demonstrate. There isn't a single, "one-size-fits-all" approach or solution, but creative people tend to do some things differently.

Pay Attention to Details~ 

One common way to get inspired is to be visually aware of your surroundings, especially when you're in nature, strolling in the forest, or at the beach. Like visiting galleries and craft fairs, people watching, fantasizing, and perceiving countless possibilities on a single piece of fairy bread. Life sketching is one of the most crucial things you do in art college because it trains your attention to detail and allows you to take in your surroundings. The concept is that thoughts are the culmination of your experiences and knowledge and that fresh experiences and observation both spark new ideas. After spending many years seeing and reading about inventors and other creative people at work, British psychologist Graham Wallas developed a hypothesis of the creative process.


( Source: Google Images) 

The creative process has four stages:

Step 1: Get Ready
The first steps in the creative process include preparation, which includes obtaining resources and information, locating inspiration, and learning about the task or issue at hand. This is frequently both an exterior activity (getting out into the world to obtain the necessary data, resources, materials, and skills) and an interior one (thinking deeply to produce and interact with ideas).

Phase Two: Incubation
Subsequently, the concepts and data acquired during the first phase are internalized. The process becomes deeper and new connections are made as ideas quietly boil. The artist removes their attention from the issue and gives their mind a break during this germination phase. The unconscious participates in what Einstein referred to as "combinatory play" while the conscious mind is distracted, combining disparate concepts and inspirations in novel ways.

Step 3: Lighting
The illusive "aha" moment follows. After a time of incubation, ideas frequently manifest dramatically as they emerge from the mind's deeper layers and become conscious. It's the epiphany that strikes when you're taking a shower, going for a stroll, or preoccupied with something quite unrelated. The answer appears as though it is meant to be.

Step 4: Confirmation
The words are put on paper, the vision is committed to clay or paint, and a business strategy is created after the "aha" moment. All concepts and revelations from stage 3 are expanded upon and refined. The artist refines the piece and conveys its worth to others by using critical thought and aesthetic judgment.

~ Naturally, these phases don't always proceed in such a systematic, linear manner. The creative process rarely follows a straight path, but rather zigzags or spirals. While the model undoubtedly has its limits, it may provide a direction, if not a goal, for our creative journey. It can assist us in being more conscious of our current state of affairs, our desired destination, and the thought processes that will enable us to go there. Returning to this framework may help us realign, refocus, and map out the next steps when things get a bit too chaotic. For example, returning to stage 1 and acquiring additional information and resources to identify the missing component might be the solution if you are unable to go from incubation to lighting. Or maybe you've made the all-too-common error of jumping directly to stage 4 in your productivity quest, pressing forward with an idea that isn't completely developed before it has had time to marinade. If so, setting aside time and space for stage 2 could be the required detour.

How to Restart Your Idea Generation:

A. Reject "groupthink"

( Source: Google Images) 

People are ready to enlist the aid of others to assist them generate fresh ideas when there is a reason to be innovative. Brainstorming with others may indeed boost creativity, but only under certain circumstances. Whether or not individuals agree, "groupthink" is the phenomenon when people agree on a single notion in an attempt to maintain peace. This is one of the most frequent shortcomings of group brainstorming sessions. Make sure everyone prepares ahead of time and offers unique ideas to a brainstorming session to avoid groupthink. Members of the team will be encouraged to express their opinions before letting others influence them. Recall that, on occasion, discussion may aid in the future development of our thoughts, particularly when participants have an optimistic and open attitude.

B. Put the car in reverse.

( Images: Google Images ) 

Creativity is all about breaking out of linear habits of thinking, so why do we approach it traditionally? Reframing your thoughts is an important ability for uncovering the more elusive answers and ideas that often feel out of reach, especially when it comes to problem-solving. Try "reverse brainstorming" to make use of this - it's a technique where you produce ideas by focusing on what not to do. If you have a certain objective in mind, consider every action you may take to keep yourself from reaching it. Although this may sound strange, it works well to give you the freedom to discover novel, unexpected ways to achieve your goals.

B. Act now!


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If your running trainers are just gathering dust, what use are they? Creativity indeed improves with practice. In addition to coming up with ideas, you also need to test them out. Recognize that some ideas will inevitably fail; eventually, successful, innovative outcomes will come from the lessons you learn from setbacks and the perseverance you develop. The famous quote from Steve Jobs reads, "Creativity is just connecting things." Finding fresh ideas doesn't have to be tough; by focusing less on the procedure and more on implementing workable solutions, we may transform abstract concepts into actual results!