How do People get Creative Ideas?

How does Creativity Work?

Where do those excellent ideas come from?

And when they do, how do we coax them towards manifestation?

Ever since human thought ever came into being…. right from the time psychology dawned on this earth…. these questions have haunted many inventors, philosophers and artists.

So then, let me ask you again….

Where exactly do those creative ideas emerge from?

Is there a mirror around you?

Whom do you see in it?

Yourself?

That’s exactly where those ideas emerge from!

However, if you wish to coax these ideas towards manifestation you will have to look at yourself from a different perspective. You need to recognize yourself as the resource of ideas. Tap into everything that is within you – your knowledge, your wisdom, your experiences, your failures, your successes, your passions, your humor and your perspectives. Any solution that you need so as to address any challenge, is right there within you. All you need to do is change your perspective and you will be on your way to achieve joy and fulfillment in anything that you do.

As far as I am concerned, there are various factors that trigger my ideas – Desperation to solve something… Deadlines to meet…. so on. Most of the times, ideas come into my mind when I am doing something else. The other times they come when I am day-dreaming. I am sure this is something all of us do. It is just that we writers tend to notice these ideas when they arise, a little earlier than the rest of the world. We might get these ideas from within is or from outside. They show up when we actively engage ourselves within our worlds, through preparation, focus, hard work, curiosity and maybe that dash of serendipity.

You need to have some amount of openness and faith if you want to get ideas!

As they say, “To Blossom and to Spread, an Idea needs to be nurtured.”

More than anything else, it is very important to share your ideas!

There is a creator, a discoverer and an inventor in each one of us. We are all creative geniuses. We also need to be activators and social connectors if we want to grow as creators, discoverers and inventors.

Hindrances to Creativity

If there is anything that can block your creativity, it is your ego! When you are too full of yourself, you can never be creative. Also, you need cannot be overcome by worries, inferiorities, self-doubts and intense self-focus if you wish to tap into your creative mind.

Distractions can also thwart Creativity. Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the great English Poet, was interrupted by a knock on his door, while he was writing “Kubla Khan.” When he came back to his desk, he just couldn’t continue writing. His inspiration had fled by then. Till date, the poem remains incomplete.

The Formula of the Creative Geniuses

Creative geniuses keep coming up with great ideas every now and then. Any guesses on how they do this?

The mantra is always the same…

They work… They edit… They rewrite… They retry…

They pull out the genius in them through perseverance and sheer force.

They get lucky because they generate ideas from within!

Many people have often asked me how I come up with my creative ideas. I tell them all that it is a process. Ideas need to be cultivated, developed and executed in a creative way. More often than not creativity becomes an obligation instead of a talent.

Many fail to respect and incorporate this obligation into their personal as well as professional lives. It is therefore that their creativity remains untapped.

The Process of Creativity

There is a process of creativity that every designer, every artist and every director of creativity adopts in order to achieve effective and successful results, in what they do. However, the methods that they use and the time that they spend on achieving those results always vary.

“There are those that look at things the way they are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

Robert K Kennedy
It is not enough to dream. What is more important is to work hard and realize them. Hard work makes all the change in your life. So quit being a dreamer; and be a doer.

Everyone has a passion. You may not know what yours is. But it doesn’t really matter. All you need to do is keep moving forward…. keep doing something… make most of your opportunities… stay open… try something new.

Creative vs. the Not-so-Creative

Coming up with a great idea is not enough! You need to learn to trust them. You have to trust your ability to realize them. It is this trust that differentiates the creative people from the not-so-creative ones. Creative people always believe that they have the necessary skills that can help in building upon an idea and coming up with a finished product. They adopt a craftsman’s approach to achieve their goal; skill is but a part of it.

Almost every field in this world is filled with skilled but not-so-creative people. None of these take risks to push themselves and their ideas beyond their comfort levels. This is why many ideas remain hidden.

Hidden ideas don’t have any influence….

They do not enter the market….

They only die – alone!

If you want to think creatively, take a step back… look beyond what is in front of you… seek the unknown… Only then can you understand the possibilities and make your dream a reality!

Creative Ideas can come from anywhere. You might have seen or heard about something, which may have got stored in your subconscious mind. It might come back to you at some point of time. It could even be a genuine idea. You can stumble upon them, transform them or even combine a few of them to come up with a concept that can take you towards success!